WonderCon, a sister convention to the wildly popular Comic-Con International held annually in San Diego, will be moving from Anaheim to Los Angeles next year.
“Los Angeles is honored to have been selected as the destination for WonderCon 2016,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “We look forward to establishing a long-term partnership with Comic-Con International, the presenter, and helping them establish a home base in L.A. We anticipate the show to be highly attended and to set the precedent for future successful Comic-Con events in L.A.”
WonderCon, which was originally held in Oakland, has been held in Anaheim for the past four years, including this year’s three-day event that wrapped up Sunday. Last year’s event had an estimated 60,000 attendees.
Next year’s event will be held March 25-27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. City officials estimated the three-day convention will have a $32 million economic impact on the area.
Tania Weinkle of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau said attempts were made to help the convention stay in the city, but scheduling got in the way.
“WonderCon had changed their dates and we tried to accommodate the show for 2016 but, unfortunately, we were unable to do so,” Weinkle said. “We have already replaced the business and have a healthy economic outlook for 2016. We look forward to welcoming back WonderCon to Anaheim.”
— City News Service