With so many side events popping up all over San Diego, you won’t need a badge to get your geek on during Comic-Con.
Among the best events outside the convention center is Nerd HQ – a free, four day event held in San Diego on the same weekend as SDCC that features gaming and tech activations, nightly events and celebrity panels benefiting Operation Smile.
This year’s “Conversations for a Cause” at Nerd HQ schedule has finally been released and includes Nerd HQ creator Zachary Levi, as well as Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Stephen Amell, and cast members of Teen Wolf, Supernatural, Orphan Black, Colony, Drunk History, Workaholics and Con Man.
Here’s a look at the full schedule:
Thursday, July 21
10AM – Zachary Levi
2PM – Felicia Day
5PM – Zachary Levi & Friends
6:15PM – Colony: Josh Holloway, Sarah Wayne Callies, Carlton Cuse, Peter Jacobson, Adrian Pasdar, Tory Kittles.Friday, July 22
12PM – Drunk History: Derek Waters and Duncan Trussell
1PM – Nathan Fillion (Note: You may only attend one Nathan panel)
2PM – Con Man
4PM – Teen Wolf
5PM – Showrunners: Julie Plec, Max Landis, Gabe Sachs, Greg Berlanti
6PM – Orphan BlackSaturday, July 23
2PM – Workaholics: Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, and Kyle Newacheck
5PM – Jai Courtney
7:15PM – Dirk GentlySunday, July 24
9AM – Stephen Amell
11AM – Joss Whedon
1PM – Sherlock: Steven Moffat
2PM – Dead Rising
3PM – Supernatural: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Mark Sheppard
4PM – Jared Padalecki
All proceeds from this year’s “Conversations for a Cause” will benefit the New Children’s Museum, where Nerd HQ 2016 is also being held. Tickets on sale at brownpapertickets.com beginning July 15 for $22 each.
This is only the first wave of panels. More have been announced, more will be announced.
I watched the NERD HQ panels online, which is how I learned about Operation Smile. For those who don’t know, it is a charity for paying for kids in underdeveloped countries to receive plastic surgery and correct cleft palates. For many kids across the world, a corrected smile can make all the difference between poverty and a successful life full of opportunities. This is only one of the causes that was promoted during the panels, and on top of the money they were able to raise, they had great success in making more people AWARE of these causes. I, for one, went straight to the internet to learn more about Operation Smile, and I read stories of kids who were able to get the smile they were not born with.