Wizard World Comic Con Itinerary

Wizard World Comic Con 2019, held March 8-10 in Downtown Cleveland, attracts people from all over — and all walks of life — to come together to celebrate the best of the best pop culture characters, costumes and meet-and-greets.

Why is Cleveland such a great location for Wizard World? Because we are HQ for some of the biggest pop culture films and creatives, where you can relive or act out your favorite scenes to your heart’s content.

We are the city where Superman creator Jerry Siegel was born (and home to the ATT Building, which was the inspiration for the Daily Planet office). We aren’t bothered by people invoking their Spidey Sense in the middle of Downtown Cleveland like Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3. And we certainly appreciate Captain America references at The Cleveland Museum of Art (a.k.a., SHIELD headquarters in Captain America: Winter Soldier).

Need more ideas for the perfect way to geek-out over Wizard World weekend? Read on, and prosper.

Day 1: Friday, March 8

Morning

First stop: one of Cleveland’s most popular comic book shops since 1990, Carol & John's Comic Book Shop. Don’t let this small spot fool you. Carol & John's is packed in with popular and rare comics and memorabilia.

Lunch

Grab lunch and sit under the jaw-dropping rotunda at Heinen’s Downtown Cleveland inside the former Cleveland Trust Building. The grocery-store-slash-eatery-slash-attraction sits at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East Ninth Street, where the 2007 blockbuster Spider-Man 3 showed Spidey getting dragged from an armored truck.

Afternoon

Head back to get your best costume and makeup ready, because it’s Wizard World time! The party begins at 4 p.m. at Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. You might lock eyes with celebrities like Sean Astin, Holly Marie Combs and Tom Welling over the course of the event, so have your autograph book ready.

Dinner

Head over to Melt Bar & Grilled in Lakewood for the best meal you will have between two slices of bread. Seriously. Try their sammy dedicated to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Cowabunga. It’s filled with cheese pizza rolls — done extra crispy, with rich basil marinara sauce, cheese, cheese and more cheese.

Evening

You pay for drinks, we’ll let you play with any of our joysticks. For our comic fans who are 21 and older, continue the fun at 16-Bit Bar + Arcade. None of their arcade machines will take your quarters as long as you are enjoying a cold one. Make time to hang out on the all-seasons, heated patio where their TV screens are used for Mario Kart and other classic Nintendo GameCube games.

Day 2: Saturday, March 9

Breakfast

Break your fast at Shay’s Restaurant, where legendary Clevelander and comic book series creator Harvey Pekar convinced Robert Crumb to be his illustrator. The real-life event was depicted in the 2003 film American Splendor, also filmed at the restaurant.

Morning

We may not really be able to buy a plane ticket to Krypton, but here in Cleveland you’ll get as close to Superman’s origins as possible. Visit Jerry Siegel's house, where Superman was written. Siegel, writer of DC Comics’ fan-favorite fictional superhero, grew up in Cleveland. His home is currently privately owned, but you can walk by and gawk at historic comic work and plaques.

Lunch

Make your way back downtown and have lunch at Rebol. If, when standing on the newly revived Public Square, you suddenly feel the urge to defend the world from an alien army, we’ll understand. After all, that was a scene from The Avengers, which required the area to be transformed into Stuttgart, Germany during filming.

Afternoon

More Wizard World! Make your way to the Hall of Legends to celebrate and honor the artists, writers and insiders who built the comic industry. And don’t forget to wear your best costume today and enter the costume contest at the Info Booth inside the Vendor’s Hall. Costumed attendees agess 13 and up can sign up before 5 p.m.

Dinner

Got a spare Lucha Libre mask? Bring it to El Carnicero for a delicious Mexican-themed meal in the shadow of wrestling paraphernalia. Get the guac trio. You won’t be sorry.

Evening

We keep sending you back to Lakewood, because it’s a wonderfully weird place. Tonight, grown-ups can make their way to The Side Quest, an absolute celebration of all things pop culture with classic and new table-top games, theme nights and events. Mondays are reserved for “Mario Kart” tournaments, Thursdays for the Geeks Who Drink pub quiz, and Sundays for beginners’ “Dungeons & Dragons.” Pop culture parties like “Harry Potter Day” are their specialty, each accompanied by a menu of themed craft cocktails and food specials, as well as encouragement to come in costume.

Day 3: Sunday, March 10

Brunch

This place did it first and did it damn right. Make sure to get a seat at Tabletop Board Game Cafe, Cleveland’s first board game café. With more than 1,000 different games on site, it’s so easy to spend several hours at the Ohio City hotspot. And must we remind you (again) that Cleveland loves food. At Tabletop Board Game Café, their brunch menu is filled with all things delicious, even for those with strict diets. And they have beer. You’re in good company here.

Remainder of the day

It’s your final day of Wizard World Comic Con, so do it up right! Today’s the kids’ chance at a costume contest. Check the programming schedule to check where they need to be and when to enter. Pack in all the adventure, photo ops, autographs and activities that you can before 4 p.m., when the show closes.