Tonight is preview night for Comic-Con the biggest pop-culture event in the US. Thousands of fans will crowd into the official events about 130,000 people have ticket and badges that grant them entry. Or at least allow them to wait in line for everything else is happening inside the convention center. A lot of stuff isn't happening inside the convention center. It seems like the whole town has gone, con crazy. There is a Comic-Con dive happening in Mission Bay. Restaurants are hosting themed meals. And there are lots of people in costumes. Joining me is James hay creator of the San Diego KPBS Comic-Con off-site event . Nina is the art calendar editor welcome. And Bele Benson. Costume I'm doing this year is for the masquerade and we are doing rococo style X men. My presentation is going to be a silly joke on future past, past. We have our Wolverine walk on stage upset [ Indiscernible ] from 1973 to 1773. We walk out to menu it steps of the X men cartoon theme song. This is like a mash up with weight of last year. Yes. A lot of people work as hard as you and Cobb himself costume players. I make all of my costumes I wear them and play around. I think someone who doesn't so or have time to so you still want to be that man, perhaps they buy their costume. That's my personal definition. Influx I think more people do it now. So I think the terms are in flux because costumer can be summoned who gets paid a lot of money to do that for an opera. I've always been Halloween nerd. So I have been Cos playing since about 2000. I've been in the masquerade since about 2004. When you're wearing any costume I know you don't wear them big one until you go to the masquerade. But when you're wearing any costumes outside the hall, what reactions to get two it's amazing. Is the only time a middle-aged housewife like me gets to be Madonna and get photographed. You get a lot of attention if you play a Disney Princess or character the kids like. They love you and get on you and if you have a complicated costume you would hope they would not touch her costume. It gets weird. A lot of people respond to as the character and I want you to be the character. Some people don't recognize you outside of costume so you could've had an intelligent conversation with you for hours and then the next day they have no idea who you are. There is an awareness this year that women are sexually harassed when they're wearing costumes at Comic-Con here to think it will change? I think it will help and I think there are some attractive America's who's been harassed by me personally. It's important to realize that it is about consent. If you want to pose with them in any way you should ask. Because it's important. Just because I'm wearing a costume that is quote unquote sexy does not mean it's okay to treat them that way. You just half to ask. I think as a culture were understanding more and more that it's not okay that are not tell -- there to sell anything there here to have fun their human beings and you should be nice to them. Let's talk about the things that are happening outside the convention hall this year. James Hay, your events list is off the charts. There are dozens of events listed. 225 and I know it's not complete at this point. Are you surprised how these events have grown over the years? Have seen it in progress for a while. A lot of it is an offshoot of the fact that Comic-Con got big enough that you couldn't even walk up to get a ticket. People started expanding outside of it. You couldn't spend all of your time inside the con, they couldn't go in. Is us an idea of the range of off-site events. It seems like things are happening all over downtown. Yes and throughout the county libraries are doing a lot of events. The new Central Library rocks is doing a whole week of DIY maker and other events and also has several events being held there. I know there are other ones in the city library and county libraries around. Unfortunately I was working on a Con until last weekend. So I know I'm missing some of those all check the libraries there are for events that are basically other conventions going on there's Walker Stocker. There's On -- gamer con going on all 5 days. There's one called Carnival and nerd HQ, which has been running a few years. This generates money for treating blindness. So these are not necessarily free events? There are free events, but not those. Most of the big things that television companies and videogame companies do around the Con, a lot of those are three. There meet ups all over the place for Dr. who, Sherlock, hero, shield, my Little pony. And others I can't think of. Just fans getting together at various places. There are tons of free ones and you could spend your entire weekend down there. Unfortunately for adult swim, you need a badge. Nina Garin, some of these events go back to the basics of Comic-Con and future comic art can you tell us about that? Was a great event that is a free called word balloons. Headset SDS you downtown gallery. It's showcase of many comics and comic themed art. Put on by SDSU students and faculty that's free every day from 12 to 4. Hugo Crosswhite has a great mural there and he'll be there Thursday for painting demonstration. That's just 1 of the art events. There's a lot you can see like galleries that are open. I think with the two that I just found in city beat, I have at least 8 galleries with Comic-Con themed events going on. Nina, there is a Comic-Con variety show . .It's called WhootStock is the variety show for the Internet set and nerd church. So what you'll find is Adam Savage from MythBusters and actor will be -- Will Wheaton. That's all ages show the cost of $40. Tickets available on Ticketmaster. I want to point out that some of these things are not for kids. Is there an idea as to which event of family-friendly? On my list I have some that say all ages. Anything by the library, is obviously going to be kid friendly. Most of the big company ones like televisions and such are kid friendly if not a fairly kid possible that got domes and videos and stuff for kids. And adults. Nina, the San Diego Symphony summer pops are getting into this again took yes, family-friendly. On Thursday they have a symphonic evolution of Pokemon. Its music from the videogame franchise with visuals the Pokemon characters. Before the show at 7 PM there will be a Pokemon costume contest. Another one that's family friendly but maybe the kids don't want to do is Star Trek into darkness. So the symphony orchestra will you performing the film score of Star Trek into darkness and there will also be a costume contest 7 PM on Saturday. That is where the pop star? Right behind convention center. I believe they actually have another one at Symphony Hall at the same time. And there's a secret. Out in the lawns find the convention center, you can hear them rehearsing. You can listen to the concert while they rehearse if you can't make the actual concert. James pointed out there are a lot of, con related events outside of downtown. There's a comedy show in North Park. Yes, I'm a comedy nerds of this to me is my, con. The North Park Observatory has some high-profile comedians and on Thursday it has the cast of comedy bang bang a fun show. Will be there life. And Tim of Tim and Eric are will be there on Friday. On Saturday you've got Hannibal Burress and Eric Andre. Tickets still seem to be available for the Observatory Northpark. I was going done your list James and I saw an awful lot of happy our activities. Oh yes. I'm sure I do not even have a fraction of that that takes a lot of research. Because they're all over the place. But, there will be many themed parties or burlesque shows. A lot of nighttime activities. I'll keep adding as it goes on. Is a lot of heat here and we need to drink [ laughter ]. Their activities to contribute to the blood drive that's running at the hotel outside the convention. Anyone is welcome to contribute. Project hope on Friday morning, goes out to feed the homeless still be a lot of people out there and superhero costumes. And the money for nerd HQ goes to a good cost. At the hard rock Café they're doing something called true heroes comics for soldiers. Contribute things to send overseas soldiers. Obviously there's a lot going on. But do you think somebody can have just as a good time without a badge celebrating Comic-Con Oh yes. There's more than enough activities and you can still stand in the same long lines [ laughter ] it could keep you going all weekend. Comic-Con is not the kind of event that you either love or hate. There are a lot of people who just like a little bit of it. Right, if you just want to get a little bit and you drive to downtown at a reasonable hour, like 7 AM. You can walk around and get a little bit of looking at people in costumes are going into one of the restaurant set of change their name for the weekend. Or you can try getting into one of the events. Without having a badge, you could probably get an even bigger experience. Because a lot of the people in the convention are waiting in line and are focused on seeing just 1 thing. And a lot of the experience you get are just the people running around. There's no better people watching event, anywhere. They will often come together. All the people that do DC costumes or Final Fantasy. Will all be around the stairs at the convention center to get group photos. So on Saturday there is a group attempting to get the world's record for the most videogame cosplay costumes. So considering every comic book has been turned into a videogame at this point, if we cannot beat that record I'm ashamed for Cos play . Let me ask you, where can people find this list of viewers of these off-site events? They have complex names and their URLs, but you can go to the San Diego phantom index, Google that. The main list is the sub page for that. Nina, just go to KPBS .org two yes our community calendar has plenty of events happening. The big night is Saturday the masquerade. Comic-Con begins tonight with a preview and last through Sunday. Been speaking with James Hay and Nina Garin and costume person Belle Benson. Thank you all very much.
Gone are the days when everyone who wanted to go to Comic-Con International could do so easily. Badges sold out within an hour this year.
But fans still know how to have a good time at Comic-Con, even if they were not one of the lucky 130,000 winners of the ticket lottery.
San Diego Comic-Con veteran James Hay created a comprehensive list of events that anyone can attend without Comi-Con membership. This marks the fourth year for his San Diego Comic-Con Offsite Event List 2015. And the interactive version of the list on Facebook.
Hay said the number of events outside of the San Diego Convention Center have increased because of the limited number of badges sold.
“Comic-Con got big enough that you couldn’t walk up and get a ticket so people started expanding outside of it,” Hay told KPBS Midday Edition on Wednesday. “There were a lot of people who wanted to come down and have the experience but couldn’t go in.”
Hay lists more than 200 events on his website including kid-friendly festivities.
In addition, there are exhibits and events around town that aren't officially part of the convention, but are comic or pop culture themed. For example, the San Diego Symphony is holding two concerts this week celebrating the music of Pokemon and Star Trek.
And maybe the most fun you can have at Comic Con is dressing up, or if you're more of a people-watcher, you can enjoy the spectacle of costumes that parade in the streets, and fill the shops and restaurants around downtown.
