Remember the essentials — bring your badge or ticket, ID, phone charger, money and snacks.. Autographs and pictures with celebrity guests are cash-only, so have your wallet on hand.
Ask before you snap. Cosplayers are usually happy to take pictures with you, but it’s polite to warn people.
Spend some time with the vendors. Even if you don’t plan to spend much — or any — money, any downtime you have is well-spent looking at the displays.
Prioritize. Get in line early for the events you know you want to see, even if it means skipping another panel that could be interesting. Be ruthless — you can learn about self-publishing on the internet, but how often will you get the chance to hear Millie Bobby Brown talk about her pancake or waffle preferences?
If you’re going for celebrity panels, be ready to spend a lot of time in line. Chatting with other panel-goers is a time-honored con tradition, but bringing a book works too.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a good time. Panels and question-and-answer sessions are free, and so are various talent shows and gaming opportunities. If all else fails, go scour the halls for the most awesome cosplay and send a picture to your mom, DIY a scavenger hunt, or hunt down a pickup “Cards Against Humanity” game outside of a panel.
Don’t spend 12 consecutive hours in the convention center. There’s a lot to do at Comic Con, but fandom burnout is a real thing, especially for the uninitiated. Taking a 10-minute walk to one of the nearby restaurants for lunch or dinner is a good palette-cleanser.
Have fun. Comic Con is all about taking a day or three to enjoy the finest nerdy things in life. In the words of Capt. Picard, “the sky’s the limit.”
