WonderCon is almost here, taking over the LA Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles March 25 – 26. Have you gotten your tickets yet? You’d better hurry, they’re going fast…and to help you get ready, here are six things you need to know.
#1) BUT TICKETS NOW
Saturday is sold out. No badges will be sold at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Friday and Sunday still available. BUY TICKETS HERE>>>
- $30 Friday
- $18 Sunday
#2) PARKING – HOW TO SAVE MONEY
$30/day in the Convention Center lots; $75 weekend. OUR ADVICE: Use METRO day passes for $7 per day, or $25 per week. Park in North Hollywood or at Universal Studios for free. Or just Google LA Metro for more info. You can also find $15 parking lots within walking distance. If you’re cosplaying, though, you might have to bite the bullet and buy the Convention Center Pass.
PURCHASE PARKING PASSES HERE>>>
#3) HOTELS – WHERE TO STAY
The WonderCon hotel discount has expired. Rooms are still available, but prices are soaring way, way up there for the official hotels. Here are some other options:
ACE Hotel Downtown $319/night
Comfort Inn (close!), $109/night
Doubletree by Hilton $209/night
Millennium Biltmore $225/night
Kawada Hotel $159/night
The Standard (and it’s famous rooftop!) $279/night
You can see and book from the complete list of available hotels HERE>>>
You could stay in Pasadena and ride the metro train in; stay in Long Beach; Glendale; Burbank; heck, you could even ride in from Santa Barbara on the Surfliner.
See complete booking info here.
#4) FREE SHUTTLES ROUTES
WonderCon will offer FREE shuttle service all 3 days of the convention. The shuttle service will run on 3 separate routes from the hotels in our room block and arrive and depart at the Los Angeles Convention Center West Hall via the Gilbert Lindsay Driveway.
- Route A (Pink) stops at the LA Hotel and the Omni Hotel
- Route B (Green) stops at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel and the Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel.
- Route C (Blue) stops at the JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Courtyard Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, and the LUXE City Center (all 5 of these hotels use the same stop, curbside at Olympic Blvd.)
Schedule:
- Friday: 10:00 AM–12:01 AM
- Saturday: 8:00 AM–1:00 AM (Sunday)
- Sunday: 8:00 AM–7:00 PM
Shuttle frequency varies from 10 to 15 minutes each day. CLICK HERE for complete shuttle map and info.
Click on image to enlarge.
#5) EXPECT DELAYS AT MICROSOFT THEATER’S METAL DETECTORS
There are always lines, and always waits, but this year might be even more painful. The big programming room for WonderCon 2016 is the Microsoft Theater, located in LA LIVE next to the Convention Center. This is the same venue that hosts major events such as The Grammys and the People’s Choice Awards. It will be used all 3 days for movie and TV programs, and Saturday night’s Masquerade. But here’s what you need to remember: the Microsoft Theater uses metal detectors at their entrances, so allow more time to get into that special panel or event that you want to see, as you will be passing through the detectors on your way in. And as anyone who’s ever been to the airport, or to almost any large-scale event knows, metal detectors mean waits. Plan accordingly.
#6) RFID BADGES – FIRST TIME EVER…TAP IT!
To help prevent scalping and counterfeit badges, WonderCon 2016 badges will be enabled with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. At various access points in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center, you will need to tap your badge briefly to the indicator. When you do, you’ll get a green light that indicates you’ve been validated and are okay to enter. When you leave, you must also tap your badge out so you may re-enter when you return. It is extremely important you remember to tap your badge when you leave, or you could be denied re-entry and sent to the customer service desk in a different location. If you are sent to customer service to resolve a badging issue, you will need a photo ID to validate that you are the badge holder of record. We foresee lots of frustrated attendees because of this, so try to remember to always tap it! Here’s the Toucan Blog’s official take on it.>>>
Here’s our video podcast with everything you need to know about WonderCon!
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— The Con Guy (@TheConGuyDotCom) March 23, 2016
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