Huge crowds descended Thursday on downtown as the first full day of Comic-Con International got under way with sessions featuring popular shows, film stars and producers.
“I can say with confidence — the force is strong with San Diego, and the force is stronger with Comic-Con,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony that opened the show.
Around 130,000 attendees are expected during the weekend, providing San Diego with a major economic boost.
Many of the attendees heading to the San Diego Convention Center for morning activities were slowed when a trolley car became stuck on C Street near Fifth Avenue, causing a large downtown traffic jam. The car’s brakes locked, according to Rob Schupp of the Metropolitan Transit System.
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The other big wait was to gain entry into Hall H, the center’s largest room, where fans looked forward to panels on “The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2” and the BBC America favorite “Doctor Who.”
Actress Jennifer Lawrence and the rest of the cast and filmmakers of the final installment of “The Hunger Games” franchise presented footage from the upcoming movie and took part in a question-and-answer session.
Actor Peter Capaldi, coming off his first season starring in “Doctor Who,” made his first Comic-Con appearance. Fellow cast members Jenna Coleman and Michelle Gomez, plus lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat were also set to take part in the session.
Among other sessions, Amazon introduced its TV series “Hand of God,” actor William Shatner read excerpts from “The Autobiography of James T. Kirk,” and the 65th anniversary of “Peanuts” was marked with a panel session that featured Lex Fajardo, managing editor for Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Cesar Gallegos, archivist of the Schulz Museum.
Also scheduled was a 30th anniversary panel for the “Miami Vice” TV show, featuring cast members Michael Talbott, Olivia Brown and Edward James Olmos.
With trolley service back to normal, officials urge those heading downtown to use public transportation. Green Line trolleys were set to run every 7 1/2 minutes for most of the day and evening hours, with large amounts of parking available at the El Cajon Transit Center, Grantville, Qualcomm Stadium, Hazard Center and the Old Town Transit Center.
Passengers can also ride the Orange and Blue lines to the 12th and Imperial station and transfer to the Green Line for a short ride to the Convention Center stop.
Comic-Con transit information on the MTS is available online. Comic-Con also offers shuttle buses to hotels in downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, Harbor Island and Shelter Island.
The buses run 24 hours a day until Sunday at 7 p.m. The buses will run every 15 minutes between 8 a.m. and midnight, and every half-hour during the overnight hours.
Details on the bus schedules are available online.
— City News Service
