SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — From glowing cocktails and retro video game themes at downtown San Diego hotel bars to sweet treats at the ‘Diarra from Detroit’ Ice Cream Truck and immersive experiences at Audible’s “Level Up Lounge.”
San Diego Comic-Con takes place at the San Diego Convention Center from Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, July 26, with Preview Night on Wednesday, July 22.
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Several off-site activations are taking place around downtown San Diego during the convention with no badge required, including the Petco Park Interactive Zone, Hulu Animayhem, Paramount Plus The Lodge, Candy Land Cafe, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Experience, SpongeBob’s birthday celebration at the New Children’s Museum, and DC’s Lanterns Training Headquarters, which is currently full but fans can still wait in line for a chance to potentially get in.
Plus, the star and creator of “Diarra from Detroit” will be in downtown San Diego handing out ice cream on Thursday, while Swing Social turns into an immersive fan experience on Saturday. And don’t miss themed bars at Hilton San Diego Gaslamp and Margaritaville Hotel San Diego.
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‘Diarra from Detroit’ Ice Cream Truck
Fans of the mystery comedy “Diarra from Detroit” can see Diarra at her first-ever Comic-Con to share what’s next for “Captain Extra” in Season 2.
Creator, executive producer, writer, and star of “Diarra from Detroit” — Diarra Kilpatrick — will be serving fans sweet treats from an ice cream truck on Thursday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. outside of Petco Park at 100 Park Blvd in San Diego.
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Audible’s ‘Level Up Lounge’
Audible will be taking over Swing Social in downtown San Diego on Saturday, July 25 for an immersive fan experience of Audible’s biggest LitRPG worlds –”Dungeon Crawler Carl” and “Bobiverse.”
Fans will earn XP points that will be redeemable for exclusive “loot.”
The “Bobiverse” zone is inspired by “BobNet,” the interstellar digital communication network.
In the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” survival zone, fans can record a “Crawler Incident Report.” There will also be fan photo ops, cosplay touchups, listening and phone charging stations and exclusive themed giveaways and prizes.
There will also be a Dungeon Crawler Carl Panel taking place Saturday morning at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Indigo Ballroom.
Audible’s “Level Up Lounge” will be open at Swing Social at 527 Fifth Ave on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Clash of Clans pop-up challenge
The Clash of Clans–Clash for the Stache pop-up experience is taking place at Seaport Village during Comic-Con and through the fall.
The first-of-its-kind challenge room experience brings the world of Clash of Clans to life from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 15 through September 7, 2026. Be among the first in the world to see the all-new experience in San Diego.
The 10-minute challenge room leads you through the raid to save the stache, then grab exclusive merch, themed food and drinks, in-game rewards, photo ops and more.
Snag tickets before they are gone at clashforthestache.com.
Hilton San Diego Gaslamp’s Wild Hare Bar Garden transforms into ‘Level Up Lounge’
The Wild Hare Bar Garden at Hilton San Diego Gaslamp will be transforming to a limited-time, Comic-Con-themed retro gaming bar with themed cocktails, immersive photo ops and live entertainment.
Steps from the San Diego Convention Center, the Hilton “Level Up Lounge” will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the convention with cosplay opportunities, panels, and gaming activations, inspired by the nostalgia of classic video games.
Margaritaville Hotel San Diego’s LandShark Bar turns into ‘Lunar Landing Bar’
The Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter LandShark Bar & Grill will be “leaving Earth” and transforming into the “LandShark Lunar Landing Bar” for Comic-Con.
The themed bar will turn into a “tropical spaceport where ocean breeze meets intergalactic adventure.” Don’t miss out-of-this-world glowing cocktails, celestial décor, atmospheric lighting, interactive photo moments and live entertainment.
Fans can dock at the space-themed bar from July 22-26 during the convention.
Stay with FOX 5/KUSI for more off-site studio activation announcements, booth giveaways and themed pop-ups and cafes that will start showing up across downtown San Diego.
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