General admission badges for Comic-Con International in San Diego are scheduled to go on sale Saturday.
People who want to attend the annual popular arts confab July 23-27 at the San Diego Convention Center will have to go online to acquire a member identification and registration code. They will then be directed to an online waiting area between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Pacific Time Saturday.
The online sales procedure has morphed over the years because of the high popularity of the five-day event, which attracts up to 130,000 attendees.
It's likely that demand will outstrip the supply of badges. The event is usually sold-out in one or two hours.
Comic-Con officials issued several tips to get badges:
• the registration code can only be used on one computer or device;
• if you're buying for one or two other people, separate codes are needed for each one;
• sales will not be on a first-come, first-served basis -- customers who enter their code on what they call the registration "landing page" will be taken randomly;
• customers should sign-in 10 to 15 minutes before 9 a.m. and not wait until after 9 a.m.; and
• do not hit the web browser's “refresh” or “back” buttons.
Customers should also have all of their registration and credit card information at hand when their ticket purchasing session begins.
Tickets are $35 for adults and $16 for juniors, military and seniors for the Wednesday Preview Night. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the cost is $45 and $23 each day, respectively. On Sunday, prices are $30 and $15, respectively.
According to Comic-Con, children 12 and under are free with a paying adult. Juniors are ages 13-17, and seniors are 60 and above.
Individuals are allowed to purchase badges for up to three people, including themselves.
