If you were lucky enough to win the lottery (or know someone who knows someone, or if you are “someone”), Fandom once again threw the hottest ticket of Thursday night.
There are plenty of parties during San Diego Comic-Con, but year after year, Fandom’s annual kickoff celebration feels like the one everyone wants an invite to. With Entertainment Weekly no longer hosting its annual bash on Saturday, this year’s event felt like it absorbed even more of Hollywood, with an impressive mix of celebrities, creators, industry folks, influencers, and regular attendees all mingling together atop FLOAT at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Presented by Halo: Campaign Evolved, this year’s iteration of the rooftop bash featured colorful cocktails courtesy of 196 Vodka Seltzer, as well as a customizable hat-making station from Z2 Comics celebrating And Out Comes the Wolf (and we loved how the customizing felt like it fit right in with the art-centric world of SDCC, so hats off — pun intended — to Z2).
Both were fun additions, but the real reason people clamor for an invite to Fandom is for the atmosphere.
There’s just something about watching the sun go down over the Gaslamp in downtown San Diego with a drink in your hand, surrounded by hundreds of people who are all still buzzing from the first full day of Comic-Con. Every year the rooftop feels like the place to be.
And then there were the celebrities. With Entertainment Weekly sitting this year’s party circuit, the caliber of guests felt noticeably elevated. Everywhere you turned there was another familiar face. Keith David (The Princess & The Frog, President Curtis), David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad), Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth), Jack Quaid (The Boys, My Adventures with Superman), Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), the Grimm cast, even Widow’s Bay cast members, wrestlers, and football players… even if you weren’t actively looking, you’d inevitably bump into someone. Even Wild Wing of the Anaheim Ducks was in attendance.
As always, the food remained the evening’s weakest point — though “weakest” is relative. Servers emerged carrying trays that immediately attracted attendees like hungry vultures, and anything good disappeared in seconds. We managed to snag a bacon-wrapped gorgonzola bite and an empanada before they vanished, which felt like a victory in itself.
The real star of the night, though, was the music.
After leaning into live bands instead of DJs over the last couple of years (a trend I hope continues!), Fandom has clearly found a winning formula. This year’s performance by The Coverups (fronted by Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, with a surprise appearance by Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson) absolutely ripped. They tore through a set of rock covers, including Whitesnake’s “Ready to Rock”, and the crowd ate up every second of it.
It’s funny how often Comic-Con attendees say they’re exhausted by Thursday night. Fandom somehow has the opposite effect. You leave energized, reminded why you came to San Diego in the first place.
Was it perfect? We still wish there were actual food stations instead of a mad dash every time a tray appeared. But that’s a tiny complaint about what continues to be Comic-Con’s premier party.
No one does Thursday night better.
