Family Fun at Phoenix Comicon

April 27, 2017

It’s that time of year again! Time for Arizona’s biggest pop culture convention, Phoenix Comicon! Phoenix Comicon will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center May 25th through May 28th! There is so much to do at Phoenix Comicon for adults and kids alike! Bringing the family? No problem, there is plenty to do and see! As a geek mother myself I have some tips and tricks to keep your convention vacation as fun and smooth as possible!

Purchase your tickets in advance! I highly recommend this. It makes everything go much faster to have your tickets on hand or your printout on hand. This year they decided to mail out badges, so those of you who ordered early enough and opted for mailed badges will be receiving them soon! Kids 2 and under are free, but kids 3 to 12 will need a sidekick badge, which you can purchase for $10. Obviously, parents need their own badges as well which you can purchase here and pick up at the convention center the first day of the con! Full event badges are $65 right now and badge prices go up in price on May 1st!
Take care of parking in advance! You now have the option to pay in advance for parking at certain garages. This can be a lifesaver if you are traveling with little ones who can’t wait to find a parking place that fits in the budget. You can check out advance purchase parking here. And if you don’t feel like paying to park you can always use the light rail to get to and from the con.
If you want to see any panels or take your kids to certain events check out the programming guide on the website before you start your convention journey! Pick out which events and panels you would like to see and make sure you fit it into a snack and potty break schedule. You can check out the programming guide here. There are plenty of fun events for kids like a youth coloring room, lightsaber training, face painting, and story time to name a few.
Bring snacks and plenty of water! Snacks have saved my butt plenty of times when bringing my daughter to conventions. You can keep their tummies satisfied in between meals and panels and prevent any hangry meltdowns! They might also prevent hangry meltdowns from fellow adults. Water is also a must since this is summer in Arizona we are talking about.
Plan your food accordingly. Restaurants and the food court get pretty busy at peak times at Comicon, plan ahead and head earlier to your restaurant of choice or even better try to make a reservation in advance. Nothing is more upsetting than starving and having to wait an hour to get a table and food. The food court is located inside the convention center and has mall style food services. There are also plenty of restaurants in downtown phoenix within walking distance from the convention center such as Networks, Tilted Kilt, The Arrogant Butcher, and much more around the area.
Keep an eye out for security and staff, they will be more than happy to help you with questions and will be there to help you in the case of an emergency. Sometimes cell reception isn’t the best inside the convention center.
Plan for naps if you can. There are some quiet areas around con believe it or not, that work as a good nap on the lap locations for kids and even adults. Check out the map and don’t push those kiddos too much. No one likes an overly cranky kid and Comicon in itself is a very large event that will lead to overstimulation.
If you are planning to see any guest buy the autograph or photo op in advance and make you sure you get there on time. Lines can be long when waiting to see a guest so make sure you have something to keep the little ones entertained as they wait. You can check out guests here and purchase photo ops and autographs here. Just scroll down and you will see all of your options on the left side of the screen.
Cosplay is always fun, but remember to respect others and keep everyone comfortable. Asking for pictures is always welcome, but respect the cosplayers space and time. And if your kiddo is costuming make sure they stay hydrated and comfortable.