Like last year, I arrived in San Diego a day early, picking up my badge, lanyard and bag on Tuesday. I walked around to check out the progress of the many activations and wraps going up around the Gaslamp.
There seems to be some general cost-cutting this year by many of the studios. My hotel always has the elevators wrapped, but this year it was nothing. The area in front of the Hilton Bayfront is also quite barren-looking. Usually there’s a massive FXhibition setup on that lawn, but this year FX just has 4 ice cream carts. It’s strange to be able to see all the way to the Adult Swim area from that hotel. Disney has also decided not to bring Abbott Elementary this year, and the Hulu Animayhem activation looks about half the usual space, and has been moved in front of the Hilton Gaslamp rather than by Adult Swim!
I woke up early on Wednesday to participate in the annual blood drive and get my free t-shirt for donating (this year was Spider-Man themed, though not related to the upcoming new film).
My first events for the night didn’t start until 4pm, so I just relaxed for a few hours.
The Paramount+ Lodge Activation Press Preview
My first official event of Preview Night is the same as its been the past few years, visiting the press preview for Paramount+’s annual The Lodge activation. They introduced this a few years ago as a way to showcase many of the films and TV shows either on or coming to the streaming service, and it was back for the fourth time this year in the same location, with an updated offering of activities, and a few changes. First, the usual clip-on badge and retractable holder has been replaced with smart wristband that you activate as you walk in. No more tearing off tickets for your food item and two drinks, the wristband keeps track for you.
The personalized item station is straight ahead, and easily the activity that fills up the fastest. This year you can choose from a pennant, a leather luggage tag, or a leather magnetic card holder for the back of your phone. For the pennant, you choose 2 from a variety of patch options that will be ironed on. However, with only two patches, the pennant looks a bit bare, so I think the leather stuff is the better choice. For the luggage tag and wallet, you specify the text you want engraved, and can watch the machine laser-etch this into the leather.
On the left side of The Lodge is a section for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. On one end of the large space is a big bar offering themed drinks, and on the other is an alien DJ spinning some tunes. There are also a couple photo ops in this space. To the left of the bar is a transporter beam sttaion. After scanning a QR code with your phone, it brings up a page for the attendant to take your picture, which activates the transporter beam in the final photo. On the right side of the bar is a model of the Enterprise as well as a second photo op that puts you in the middle of an alien forest.
Back in the main lobby, to the right are several things for Avatar Aang. First is a photo op where you select which of the 4 elements you want to represent. Next to this is a station offering a selection of 4 iced-tea flavors, for one of your drink tickets. The main hallway is designed to look like a marketplace and offers fans several photo ops, including one with the falling cabbage cart. There was also a Mortal Kombat-like Avatar video game cabinet off to the side just before you enter.
Past this, you enter the world of Dutton Ranch, with a wall of photos and screen-used hats. There is another bar here with themed drinks, and folks handing out literally-branded hamburgers and cheeseburgers for your food ticket). There is a photo op in a wooden chair, and game where you can race someone else to see who can pull the bale of hay across the track the fastest.
The next thing down the hall is a station for the UFC on Paramount+. First you scan a QR code on the wall and enter your name and email. Then you step up and put on your best fighter pose as the attendant scans your code and takes your photo. Unfortunately, I never received my photo. I’m not sure if I somehow mistyped my info or it was just never sent.
They you proceed into an area with several tests of strength. First you see how long you can hang from a bar, then there is an array of buttons on the wall that you are supposed to try to press as they light up randomly, and finally there is a row of 8 magnetically-suspended bars that randomly drop and you try to catch them.
As you exit this area, you are handed a UFC-branded towel.
The final station is for South Park, which is just a lot of photo opps—he same exact ones that were at last year’s South Park activation.
While I always appreciate and enjoy the Paramount+ Lodge, every time they seem to offer this personalized swag, it seems to cause issues with slow lines. I attended The Lodge two more times during regular sessions later this evening, and it was nearly impossible for folks to get the leather items, with that line being capped almost instantly, before the majority of the time slot was even let in. The problem is that it takes a long time, and they only have one machine. There is also no way to pre-enter your info, like the UFC QR code thing, which would help speed things along. At least they offered the option of a non-personalized item for those who did make it into the line, and didn’t want to spend their entire Lodge experience at just this one station.
Adult Swim on the Green Press Preview
Next, I took a long walk to the back side of the convention center for the press preview of the Adult Swim on the Green activation.
As you walk in there is a massive dome for a Rick and Morty ride. The line was a bit long, so I decided to wait on that and try the other stations first. Straight ahead was a fountain for Common Side Effects. You are given two tiny hands on long sticks and a few seconds to try to remove a duck from the water. It was surprisingly easy, and I managed to do it on my first try. Under the duck is something indicating your prize. Mine had a “T” which meant I won a tote. For other folks who didn’t win anything, they were giving them one of the ducks. I’m not sure if this was just because it was press preview.
Next to this was a mechanical bull like ride as well as a photo op for Smiling Friends.
After this was a mini golf game for HaHa, You Clowns. If you managed to sink the ball in 3 shots, you won a plastic cup. But no matter what, you got to walk away with your branded golf ball. (once again, I’m not sure if this was because it was press preview).
After this there was a large stage but nothing was happening there at this time, and also a face painting station, which was also closed.
Next was a slingshot game for the new Rick and Morty spin-off series President Curtis. You were given 5 or six plushy animals to slingshot at the game wall. If you managed to sink one through the spinning alien heads, you would win one of the plushies to take home. If you knocked over one of the other characters, you would win a President Carter pin. Though for this press preview they were giving everyone a pin, even if they didn’t win anything.
The last station was a Free Hole, where basically you reached into the hole and would be handed a prize. The various prizes I saw given out were a Master Shake cup for Aqua Teen Hunger Force, a koozie for Squidbillies, which is what I won, and some sort of kite.
Finally, I went back to the Rick and Morty Rambler ride. When it was your group’s turn (about 24 people at a time), you checked your bags and went in. It was two people per cart, and once they lowered the bar, there was no getting out. When the ride started, things begin to spin, and the Rick and Morty theme song starts to play, while lights flash and animations appear on the ceiling. At the end, President Curtis appears to plug his new series. The whole ride only lasts about 5 minutes.
Convention Center Preview Night
Next I headed over to the Convention Center, where the floor was already open. By the time I got in, it was already so crowded, with lines for things like the Paramount booth already capped off. There was no Disney/FOX booth handing out poster tubes and poster this year—the first time ever in the 15-or-so years I have been going to SDCC! There also didn’t seem to be any BBC Doctor Who booth (which wasn’t that surprising given that the series is currently in limbo). I did see “Flash Gordon” signing autographs, but all I really did on the floor was pick up some stuff at the Titans booth and Chris Umingas booth in Artists Alley for some friends. (Now I need to figure out how to get these safely home for to them!)
Back to The Lodge
After I dropped all this stuff off at my hotel I headed back to The Lounge where I had a regular 8pm timeslot. A friend joined me for this and while we were in line someone else offered us 9pm slots they weren’t going to use, so I happily accepted them. The first time I managed to get a non-personalized luggage tag, and the second time I was finally able to get a personalized one (they were all out of the magnetic wallet card holders), thanks to the generosity of the person monitoring the line, who had seen me trying the previous hour, and let us in after it had been capped. There was also a new alien DJ during these time slots.
Look for my recap of the first official day of SDCC 2026 soon.
