Bless ABC for understanding that San Diego Comic-Con attendees love wholesome comedies as much as we love genre fare. This is the second time that they have brought their stellar comedy Abbott Elementary to San Diego for an offsite, and the sophomore activation did not slump.

Expanding on the “school festival” plotline seen in seasons two and three of Abbot Elementary, ABC partnered with the team at Creative Riff to take the idea higher, further, faster, and MORE. More fun, more positivity, and more heart.

Tucked behind the convention center, a lively and green space was built, dominated by a giant carnival swing ride at the center. Red and white were the dominate colors, imbuing a cheerful atmosphere and straddling the line between festival, fair and circus. We were welcomed into the activation and given a small bag with two tokens, one of which could be redeemed for a snack and the other for a take-home gift. More on those later.

Under the entry archway, stilt walkers milled about, greeting guests who could choose their own adventure, with small character related attractions all around the edges of the activation. To the right was a recreation of the familiar façade of Philly’s most famous of elementary schools, Abbott. This was a great photo op for fans, but was also used for special performances by the very energetic Philadelphia Eagles Drumline, an exciting and unique touch that even Miss Schemmenti would approve of.  

“Ms. Teague’s Reach for the Stars” was a classic strongman high striker, with a selection of hammers for all abilities and positive affirmations rising up to the bell. 

The highlight of the event though, was the carnival swing ride, aptly named for Ava’s mantra “Finest One in, First One Out”, which lifted riders high above the activation for a unique view. Special touches like the colorful Abbott flags attached to the chains spread more reminders of cheer and joy. Kudos to our own Kerry Dixon who braved the swing (for research!) and Sarah Lacey who rode it TWICE!

“Mr. C’s Splash Class” gave us the opportunity to “dunk” an employee with a well placed toss. (Sidenote: This blogger is proud to have been the first dunker of SDCC!) And a giant slide deposited us into a colossal ball pit, watched over by a giant cut out of the already larger-than-life Principal Ava Coleman.

Much like the show itself, there were positive and heartwarming touches throughout the activation. Even the signage was clever and sweet. Over at Gregory’s Garden of Goofballs we were asked to decorate a paper flower with someone or something that inspired us and then “plant” the seeds of inspiration a wall of flower pots. 

Not to be excluded, “Mr. Johnson’s Closet of Curiosities” invited us in for a perfect photo op, and some friendly competition was had over at “Miss Schemmenti’s MVP Showdown,” a classic carnival water shooting game. (Sidenote: This blogger’s record is 1-1.)

With those tokens burning a hole in our pockets, we stopped over at the Abbott Kitchen where our choices were a comically large lollipop or a bag of cotton candy, two perfectly themed choices for the festival atmosphere.

Before we left, we swung by Mrs. Howard’s Blessed and Pressed, where we could make either a tote bag or a hat featuring one of several clever Abbott patches. Either option was well met considering the lack of shade in the activation itself and around the convention center, and our constant need for more places to stash all the things we pick up at SDCC.

Overall, we loved the AVA Fest and it’s smorgasbord of fun, wholesome activities. It offered some of the best swag of the week with those hats, and plenty of fun activities for attendees once inside to keep you busy.

As San Diego Comic-Con progressed, the line for entry into AVA Fest only grew and without a lot of options for shade behind the convention center, it was often a long and warm wait for many fans. One thing that could have sped things up was moving through the line to have attendees fill out the waiver earlier in the line, as we heard this was often a point of congestion and slowed things down.

Still, there is no one answer that can solve the “problem” of popular activation, but we think that ABC and Creative Riff made the right call leaning into the self guided choose-your-own-adventure style of the AVA Fest, getting most fans through each and every day.

By playing with and poking fun at the Abbott characters (did you see the sideshow depictions on the fences?) it was an appropriate and enjoyable activation for San Diego Comic-Con 2024. We hope to see the Abbott gang again in 2025.