san diego: dialed in: Comic-Con Activations: Adult Swim Pirate Purrrty On The Green | Twisted Metal Bumper Cars | King of The Hill Experience | Petco Park Interactive Zone | Restart Gaming Lounge | Crunchyroll Anime Fanfest | Alien: Earth Immersive Activation and more!!

I tried to be a little more thoughtful as I received this year's Comic-Con emails because there were a lot. But then as I was trying to put stuff into my listings, it just made sense to do a separate post for activations. And then I ended up working on Wednesday night, completely missing preview night at the convention center and the chance to preview a bunch of the activations, too, but since I've been doing some late night non-bar excursions a lot lately, I decided to walk around the whole Comic-Con area to explore. I parked on 4th near the Horton Grand Hotel, walked to the Harbor Club and up MLK Promenade, then hooked a right on 1st to see the Twisted Metal activation. I worked my way back to Harbor Drive and crossed at 1st to get to the Bay Access path between the Marriott and the Convention Center. Then I cruised all the way down to the Shell, along the bay to the Hilton Bayfront, then up to the third floor of the garage to cross the pedestrian bridge to Petco Park. I walked the rest of the MLK Promenade then did a big loop around 5th and 6th Avenues until I made it back to my car. There's a lot to see, but there will also be a lot of lines to wait in. I would say don't bother with The Lodge unless you have a reservation because FUCK Paramount and all that. Twisted Metal will be bonkers, too, so make sure you're willing to sign a waiver for yourself or your kids before you get in line. There is a really cool pop-up for Abbott Elementary at 5th Avenue Landing, next to Joe's Crab Shack where there is a full carnival sized Ferris Wheel, Adult Swim always brings a fun activation, and Hulu's King of The Hill seems to have followed their lead. I hope you find some fun, no matter where your walking takes you. These activations will be duplicated on my Comic-Con tab. Scroll to the bottom to see a selection of my phone photos from my journey.

ACTIVATIONS

Peacock Twisted Metal Bumper Battle | Bumper Cars, Photo Ops @ The Lot (1st & J/450 2nd Ave | FREE | Open To The Public | Waivers For Bumper Cars Required | Th 12-4pm | Fri/Sat 12-6pm)
Abbott Elementary – A Very Abbott Block Party | Ferris Wheel, Giveaways, Caricatures, Sweet Treats @ 5th Avenue Landing/Flagship Ferry (Th/Fri 9:30am-7pm | Sat 9:30am-5:30pm | Sun 9:30am-5pm)
Disney's Percy Jackson & The Olympians: Sea of Monsters Interactive Experience @ Fifth Ave & L St (By the restaurant formerly known as Tin Fish | Th 11am-8pm | Fri 10am-8pm | Sat 9am-8pm | Sun 9am-5pm | FREE)

Petco Park Interactive Zone (Th-Sat 10am-5pm | Sun 10am-4pm)

Arc System Works America: New Game Demos
Hello Kitty food truck
Magic: The Gathering x Avatar Photo-op Popup

MLK, Jr. Promenade (Walkway Along Trolley Line From Petco Park to Children's Museum)

HOLOCREATOR | Coca-Cola x Star Wars: Refresh Your Galaxy | AR Experience, Limited Edition Cans & Bottles, Hologram Transmission @ MLK Promenade
Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* Treatz Truck - Free Ice Cream @ MLK Promenade Behind Omni Hotel (Th/Fri/Sat 10am-7pm | Sun 10am-2pm)
Disney’s Lilo & Stitch Activation: A Taste of Paradise @ MLK Promenade Behind Omni Hotel (Th/Fri/Sat 10am-7pm | Sun 10am-2pm)
Doctor Who UNIT Black Archive Pop-Up Experience | Photos In Tardis, Mini-Museum @ MLK Promenade at Harbor Club (Th-Sat 10am-8pm | Sun 10am-5pm)
Google Play Points Rewards Lab | Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps X MONOPOLY GO! | Conveyor Belt Experience Pods//Photo-Ops @ MLK Promenade (Th-Sun)

5th Avenue Landing (Walkway Along San Diego Bay Between Hilton Bayfront & Marriott Marina)

Adult Swim Pirate Purrrty On The Green | “SMILING FRIENDS” Break Room, “Rick and Morty” Buttworld Bounce House, Adopt-a-Cuy Station, “Common Side Effects” Mushroom Hunt, Games, Photo Ops And Nightly DJ Sets @ 5th Avenue Landing (Th/Fri/Sat 1-10pm | Sun 11am-4pm | Free | Open To The Public)

Nightly Entertainment + Laser Dance Party Th/Fri/Sat 7-10pm

Thursday: Robot Chicken 20 Year Celebration
Friday: Live Table Reads, Rick and Morty, Smiling Friends, Haha, You Clowns
Saturday: Night of New Exclusive Content Screening

Hulu’s King of the Hill Experience | BBQ, Lawn Games & Prizes, Photo-Ops, Trucker Hat Customization @ Bayfront Parking Lot (FREE | Th 11:30am-7pm | Fri/Sat 9:30am-7pm | Sun 9:30am-5pm)
FX's Alien: Earth Immersive Activation | interactive Prodigy Corp Drop Site, Vending machine stocked with a custom in-world beverage, Alien: Earth Podcast Studio with Surprise Guests | @ Hilton Bayfront Lawn (18+ | Free To The Public | The Wreckage: Th 11am-4pm | Fri/Sat 10am-4pm | Sun 11am-3pm |//| The Wreckage: Code Red Th 4:30-8pm | Fri/Sat 4:30-10:30pm)
Voodoo Ranger Pirate Ship | Music, Games, IPAs @ 5th Avenue Landing (21+ | Th-Sun 10am-6pm)

Crunchyroll Anime FanFest | celebration of anime, fandom, and innovation @ The Shell (Friday & Saturday Only | 1pm | FREE)
Shudder Hosts Clown In A Cornfield Fan Experience | Corn Maze, Shudder Survivors Party (Photo Ops, Games, Giveaways) @ Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Terrace (401 K Street | Th/Fri/Sat 10am-8pm | Guardians Required for <18 | Tickets Available via IG @Shudder or Daily Standby Line)
PAC-MAN Pop-Up Café | photo ops, nostalgic arcade games, themed food and drink, and exclusive giveaways @ 323 Seventh Ave (Thursday-Sunday)
Restart Gaming Lounge @ San Diego Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis Marina (Thursday-Sunday | 10am-6pm | Free | Open To The Public)

Marvel Rivals hands-on gameplay, panels, and signing sessions | Limited giveaway items
Stern Pinball Pop-Up Arcade with JAWS 50th Anniversary Premium Edition pinball machine
Over 100 gaming stations featuring games such as Call of Duty, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Hands-on experience with upcoming video game titles like Painkiller, The Knightling, I Hate This Place, and Hell Is Us
Meet-and-greet and photo opportunities with voice actors and cosplayers
Daily gaming tournaments

Primitive War Tees Giveaways @ J Street & 5th Avenue (Look For Street Team dressed in Primitive War Tees | Password: VULTURE | TH 8-5:30pm/FRI 8am-12pm)
Old Spice x Superman Immersive Experience | AR Crash Site Experience | Giveaways | Product Sampling) @ Promenade Plaza at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel (1 Park Blvd | Th-Sun 10:30am-7pm)
Labubu La’butique Pop-Up Shop @ Home Plate Restaurant, Petco Park (Free Entry | Th-Sat 10am-8pm | Sun 10am-6pm)
Peacemaker's Peacefest @ Vigilante’s Hero Shit Merch Shop, NOVA (454 Sixth Ave | 21+ | RSVP Required | SOLD OUT)

Lounge By Ignition Press | Signings, Panels, Limited Edition Merch @ 643 G Street (Free | Th 9am-5pm | Fri/Sat 9am-4pm | Sun 9am-2pm)
Magic: The Gathering | Marvel's Spider-Man Activation @ Hard Rock Hotel (Th-Sat 10am-5pm | Sun 10am-4pm | Entrance on 5th Avenue side, between L St & K St)
Paramount+’s The Lodge @ Happy Does (340 Fifth Ave | Th-Sun 9am-7pm | RSVP Required | SOLD OUT | Standby Line Available)

Dexter: Resurrection – Vault of twisted keepsakes & cold case clues
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Starfleet Holodeck with themed vignettes, drinks, and giveaways
Landman Patch Café – Signature drinks
NCIS: Tony & Ziva – Parisian café & hidden safehouse
Mission: Impossible – Vault scene photo-op
CBS Sports Clubhouse – NFL target throws, UEFA Champions League bar
Pluto TV Lounge – Snacks and Summer of Cinema photo-op

Malibu Barbie Cafe @ Bayside Kitchen & Bar (2137 Pacific Highway | 10am-10pm | Tickets & Reservations Required)
Outside Of Downtown

Audible's Dungeon Crawler Carl "The Safe Room" | Games, Temporary Tattoos, Photo Ops, Interactive Zone with Creators @ Coin-Op Game Room (3926 30th St San Diego | North Park | Sat 1:30-4:30pm)
Comic-Con Museum: Comic-Con Now:

U.S.’s First Doctor Who exhibit: with sonic screwdrivers used by Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant and a spine-chilling, life-size Weeping Angel that stops Whovians in their tracks
World Premiere Lucha Libre exhibit: spanning the history of the sport, including authentic costumes worn by AEW pro wrestler Thunder Rosa
World Premiere tokidoki exhibit: 20th anniversary tokidoki collectibles, bespoke Funko POPs and limited-edition tattooed Barbies
World Premiere Luann comic exhibit: celebrate Greg Evans, Luann creator and award-winning cartoonist, an intimate look, celebrating 40 years of his iconic comic strip
Comic-Con Masquerade Costumes: Award-winning cosplay from Comic-Con's signature event – think Poison Ivy and Doctor Strange
“Echoes from the Galaxy” TCM/Julien’s Star Wars Memorabilia Auction Preview: Get an exclusive look at select pieces of coveted memorabilia collection that will soon be up for sale. (Hint: “Rebels? Blast ‘em!”)