Tag: entertainment

Mysteries and a surprise before Comic-Con 2025!

Four days to go until the start of Comic-Con 2025 in San Diego. And so many mysteries! And a surprise!

First, a mystery! Why are bales of hay being forklifted into the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter? And why is a lamppost and weathervane also heading into AMC’s Shudder offsite? Shouldn’t there be a scary clown and cornfield?

Next, a big surprise!

NBCUniversal will not have a prominent offsite at Gaslamp Square as they have for years on end. No–it’s going to be Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians!

Mystery!

What are those arches at The Fantastic Four/Google Play offsite? Will those large people movers take visitors through the Baxter Building, or perhaps through an interdimensional portal? Will Galactus be waiting around the corner?

Mystery!

What the heck are these things? Is this the beginning of the Doctor Who Black Archive offsite???

Mystery!

Will The Lodge promoting Paramount+ be as cool as ever?

Mystery!

Will the old ESRI conference building wrap on the Marriott Marquis hotel vanish before the cool new wrap for Star Trek is completed?

Mystery!

Why is the vintage trolley of MTS out and about? It usually rolls on holidays. Something up?

Mystery!

Did these guys at the FX Alien:Earth offsite catch the escaped xenomorph yet?

Mystery!

Why have trees suddenly sprouted outside the King of the Hill offsite fence?

Mystery!

What will become of people on the Brawl Stars island, Starr Park, should a large ship pass through the bay and create a huge wake?

Mystery!

How blazing hot will it be outside when Comic-Con 2025 opens in San Diego next Wednesday?

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego Comic-Con photos: 5 days to go!

Five days to go until the start of Comic-Con 2025 in San Diego!

This mid-afternoon, I walked behind the San Diego Convention Center and up through the Gaslamp Quarter to see how the many different offsite activations and building wraps are shaping up. Lots of activity!

Most of the offsite builds have materialized almost overnight.

During my walk I confirmed there will be nothing at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina Terrace this year, where Dragon Ball activations have been erected in the past. I also verified the mysterious activation on the grass by the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter is indeed for The Fantastic Four!

Here we go, starting along the bayfront boardwalk heading toward the towering Hilton hotel. You can see FX had begun applying their usual wrap. I’m sure this one will promote upcoming show Alien: Earth…

I was told this spot just before the superyacht basin will be for ABC television’s Abbott Elementary. They’ve been here previously. I’ll keep an eye on it…

A tall, long fence on the convention center side mostly conceals what will be the King of the Hill offsite…

The barge docked on the bay that will contain Brawl Star’s floating Starr Park activation is proceeding nicely. Interesting how it’s elevated…

Now I’ve come to the usual Adult Swim area. They hadn’t started setting up in earnest, at least when I passed by. I believe it’s a pirate theme again this year…

Next up, in front of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, the FX offsite The Wreckage. It will promote upcoming FX series Alien: Earth…

A huge banner now hangs on one side of the Hilton parking garage. It promotes action role-playing game Code Vein II, scheduled for release in 2026…

The Omni hotel’s huge Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle building wrap is finished!

The AMC wraps on the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter also appear to be about done. (Includes my very first photo.)

The Fantastic Flour offsite activation is going to be impressive. My guess: a walkthrough of the Baxter Building???

Gen V wrap on north side of Hilton Gaslamp building is now finished and looking good…

Several cool Walking Dead Universe window wraps at the Pendry hotel were being completed as I walked past…

(I once worked at a print shop, and applying wraps without trapping air bubbles underneath can be difficult. Great work guys!)

Finally, Super 7 has become Godzilla Station!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Space exploration vessel crash lands in San Diego!

The deep space exploration vessel USCSS Maginot has crash landed on Earth. It has broken into pieces on the grass in front of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel!

Workers were busy with the debris this afternoon. They appeared to be extremely cautious. Rumor is, an alien xenomorph might have been lurking aboard the spaceship!

From a careful distance, I observed the operation.

Imagine my relief when I learned the crashed vessel is actually a prop, part of “The Wreckage,” an offsite activation that will thrill visitors during Comic-Con 2025!

The upcoming FX show Alien: Earth is being promoted. The series is set to premiere on FX and FX on Hulu on August 12, 2025.

This offsite looks super cool so far. FX usually promotes several shows with their large outdoor activation, but a worker confirmed the entire space will be devoted to Alien: Earth!

Watch out! A hungry Alien might be ready to jump out!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego Comic-Con photos: 1 week to go!

One week to go in San Diego before the start of Comic-Con 2025! Preview Night is next Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

Not surprisingly, preparation in downtown San Diego–particularly in the Gaslamp Quarter and East Village–is kicking into high gear.

Cherry pickers everywhere! Lots of building wraps going up!

I’m always surprised at how quickly these gigantic advertisements can be applied to the sides of our downtown high-rises. They are essentially large format printed stickers. The workers are highly experienced and do an amazing job every year. Some of the guys are from Arizona; others come down from Los Angeles.

I walked down Fifth Avenue this morning, over the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge, then turned around, heading back to my nearby downtown home. I took a bunch of photographs!

First, here’s some cool stuff I saw as I headed down Fifth Avenue.

Peacemaker and Eagly have appeared along the sidewalk…

Check out this ultra-cool Hot Wheels vehicle! I assume it’s here for Comic-Con.

A shop window is painted with Batman, R2-D2 and other pop culture characters.

Outside Happy Does, workers were finishing up with the venue’s usual Paramount+ The Lodge wrap.

Workers were getting busy sorting rolls of printed “wrap segments” at the Hilton Gaslamp building.

And this is how the wrap will appear. Scream For Me!

On my return trip, I noticed they had already made a little progress…

Oh wow! What’s this at the Omni San Diego Hotel?

It’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle! All Out War Begins!

Coming around Petco Park, look what I spy on the Park 12 building!

This huge building wrap must’ve gone up super fast. It’s Dexter: Resurrection on Paramount+. He’s Alive and Killing It!

Looks like local artist Shirish Villaseñor is painting the windows of Sweet Things Frozen Yogurt with Pokémon characters! Every year she creates fun stuff for Comic-Con!

What’s this on the exterior of the Omni? I can see it’s a Sony movie that’s coming up.

Making my way back across Harbor Drive to the Gaslamp…

Heading back up Fifth Avenue mid-morning…

The two Daryl Dixon wraps on the Pendry San Diego Hotel appear more than halfway done!

Stay tuned!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Star Wars prop auction at Comic-Con Museum!

How would you like to own an original Stormtrooper stunt helmet that was screen-used in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope? It’s one of six known.

Or how would you like to own an original lightsaber hilt prop used for the portrayal of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace? Yes, that double-bladed lightsaber that impaled Qui-Gon Jinn.

Or how would you like to own an original prop droid hand worn by Anthony Davis in his portrayal of C-3PO in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back? That would be undeniably cool!

These and other rare Star Wars props can be bid upon between now and July 27th, 2025.

The auction items are now on display at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego’s Balboa Park. They’re part of an exhibition titled Echoes From the Galaxy.

Even if you have no intention to place a bid, Star Wars fans need to visit the museum just to see some important bits of cinematic history!

Want to learn more? Perhaps place your own bid? Here’s the Julien’s Auctions webpage concerning this special auction.

You’ll see a very wide variety of Star Wars memorabilia, from posters to patches to signed photos. And, of course, some amazing one-of-a-kind collectibles!

The live auction will take place at 10 am on July 27th, 2025, which is the final day of San Diego Comic-Con.

Some of the cool things on display…

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Assassins on a trolley! Gorilla on a bus!

If you plan to take public transportation in San Diego during Comic-Con 2025, take care! Because you might be joined by assassins on a trolley, or a gorilla on a bus!

A very cool new trolley wrap has appeared in San Diego that promotes Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming espionage series Butterfly. The spy-thriller will debut on August 13, 2025. It looks pretty cool. Here’s the show’s press release.

As far as a rampaging gorilla? His name is Donkey Kong! The bus wraps–I’ve noticed three different designs on the airport route going up and down Broadway–promote Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Bananza game on the new Switch 2.

Comic-Con is really coming to life in downtown San Diego! Stay tuned for much more!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon appears in San Diego!

Can you believe it? The very first building wrap for Comic-Con 2025 is already being applied in the Gaslamp Quarter. Two sides of the Pendry San Diego hotel will be promoting The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, a popular show on AMC!

I spoke to a friendly gentleman putting up one of these huge wraps, and he said his company will be wrapping the Omni Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel as well. Others will be wrapping additional buildings around the San Diego Convention Center, so it appears downtown will be dressed up in epic fashion as usual!

I love how San Diego Comic-Con materializes before one’s eyes in a sudden burst of creativity, as if by magic.

I’ll provide an update in a day or two as the Daryl Dixon wraps on the Pendry near completion!

UPDATE!

On Thursday morning, the wraps were almost wrapped up!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego Comic-Con trolleys: Audible!

The latest San Diego trolley wraps to appear for Comic-Con 2025 promote shows on Audible. Two cool designs, four cool shows!

The Audible trolley wraps promote Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi, an Audiobook by Nyasha Hatendi; Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman; Kingsland by Dwayne Alexander Smith; and Oracle by Andrew Pyper.

Comic-Con is less than two weeks away, and I’ve noticed more and more fun stuff popping up around downtown San Diego.

Cool San Diego Sights is now going into Comic-Con mode! Unfortunately, the epic pop culture event will be over far too soon. Then I’ll return to the more usual “cool” sights in San Diego.

Enjoy!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Preparing for San Diego’s amazing International Organ Festival!

The 37th San Diego International Summer Organ Festival 2025 is just two days away!

Beginning next Monday, and continuing into September, some of the world’s finest organists will be performing in Balboa Park at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion!

Today, as I walked through Balboa Park, I caught the first outstanding organist, Joshua Stafford, as he rehearsed at the Spreckels Organ. Joshua is the Jacobsen Chair for the Organist of Chautauqua Institution, in New York. You might recall that our own beloved Jared Jacobsen served as San Diego Civic Organist from 1978 to 1984.

Joshua will be playing Bohemian Rhapsody, Carmen Fantasy and other all-time favorites! Yes, on the world’s largest outdoor instrument!

If you’ve never been to one of the free San Diego International Summer Organ Festival concerts, you’re missing out on something special. Not only is the music always first rate, but the late evening atmosphere, particularly when the organ pavilion’s many lights come on, is magical. How can it not be? It’s Balboa Park!

Click here to see the full lineup of performers during the 2025 summer festival. Bring your dinner or a snack if you’d like, then settle on one of the pavilion’s benches (or your lawn chair), and live it up!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Photos at Hawaiian Cultural Festival in San Diego!

This weekend the 2025 San Diego Ho’olaule’a Hawaiian Cultural Festival was held at Liberty Station in Point Loma.

The free event attracted a good crowd of happy people, who enjoyed Hawaiian traditional hula dance, song and culture, not to mention dozens of vendors, and a tempting variety of island food.

The main stage was a nonstop center of activity. I took photos as the hula dancing began and stayed for a good while. Several dance groups were represented. The dancers wore a variety of colorful costumes depending on the style of hula. There were dancers of all ages.

The event website explains how their goal is to perpetuate Hawaiian culture through music and dance, both kahiko (ancient) and ʻauana (modern), and we welcome hālau (hula dance schools) both near and far.

After watching hula dancing, I walked among the many vendors, visited the Hawaiian Cultural Village, then grabbed something to eat!

Enjoy these photos. Sorry, but I can’t properly identify the dances or groups.

If you go to this event next year, take better notes than me!

Now I’m just wandering around. A sunny summer morning in San Diego…

Here a segment of the long food row to one side of the festival…

Now I’ve arrived at the Hawaiian Cultural Village!

That table on the left by Lei Hulu of California was showcasing the Hawaiian art of feather craft…

A nearby sign explained that the word ipu is Hawaiian for gourd. The ipu is a hula implement that can be played as a drum. It produces two sounds, depending on whether you strike it with the base of your palm or your finger tips.

Kōnane is a two-player strategy board game from Hawaii which was invented by the ancient Hawaiian Polynesians. It’s a game I learned today and rapidly lost.

Lastly, I learned about the Bishop Museum.

They came all the way to San Diego to share smiles and information about their museum in Honolulu. Founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop, in honor of his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop—the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha dynasty—Bishop Museum houses the largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific cultural artifacts and natural history specimens in the world.

The Bishop Museum has lots of cultural information online! Check out the museum here. Watch educational videos on their YouTube channel here!

The Bishop Museum table had this beautiful Hawaiian Honeycreeper, similar to one created by master woodcarver Haruo Uchiyama, on display!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!