In a move that might surprise some Con goers, the organizers of San Diego Comic Con have decided to only sell single day passes this year. Usually the passes offered to regular visitors come with are the 4-Day (Thurs. – Sun.). Comparatively, NYCC usually offers 4-Days, 3-Days, and Single Days.

The convention started out small, focusing on just comics. San Diego Comic-Con is the first one, and most certainly the oldest (first was in 1970). This one is considered the prime convention of the Comic-Cons, having the descriptor of “International”. As the convention grew, more mediums beyond comics were showcased. Soon, Comic-Con became the center of geek pop culture, showcasing paraphernalia, comics, figurines, videogames, TV shows, and movies. With such growth came many more attendees, and as such less room to house them all. The show has since spread, with different organizers holding their own local Comic-Cons, which include Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, etc. In New York, ReedPop holds New York Comic-Con.

Attendees from New York Comic-Con. That’s a lot of people.

From my own personal experience attending New York Comic-Con, a lot of people attend it, and in just a single year difference I can tell how much more crowded it has gotten. I started attending it in 2011, my first ever convention. Then in 2012, a lot more people arrived. That Saturday was the worst day to attend as a getting to certain parts of the Javits Center was a major hassle. 2011’s was still a bitch to navigate, but it was worse in 2012. So for 2013, I only went Thursday and Friday, the best days to go since there’s not a lot of people on the show floor. Just think about it. Thursday it opens in the afternoon. People are still at work or school and might be too tired to attend. Friday is still the same situation, but it’s a Friday, and it could be easier to get the day off to attend. Saturday, the floodgates open. No work and no school means anyone who couldn’t attend the first two days will come this day. And Sunday is the same, but the show is winding down, and some people just aren’t Sunday people. There’s also the possibility of multi-day pass holders being too tired to arrive that Sunday.

For now this Single-Day only plan only applies to San Diego Comic-Con. While the New York Comic-Con organizers, ReedPop, don’t run SDCC, this could set a precedent for NYCC if reception of only selling Single-Day passes go well in San Diego.

[via San Diego Comic-Con]