Survival tips for your weekend at New York Comic Con
Take it from someone who’s been to the past seven New York Comic Cons. When you’re hyped up to attend one of the biggest pop culture events on the east coast, it pays to be prepared.
Whether you’re navigating all of the booths on the show floor or just trying to make it to your next meal, here’s a comprehensive list of all the essentials necessary for a weekend of geeking out.
A good backpack
Any good convention requires some decent portable storage, and traversing the network of fandom caves at NYCC is no different. Backpacks are perfect for holding all of your essentials going onto the show floor and can help you hold some of the swag you pick up in case your booth-exclusive bag gets filled up.
Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $219.99 (List Price $249.00)
Apple iPad 11" 128GB Wi-Fi Retina Tablet (Blue, 2025 Release) — $274.00 (List Price $349.00)
Amazon Fire HD 10 32GB Tablet (2023 Release, Black) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99)
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $248.00 (List Price $399.99)
Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Security Camera (5-Pack) — $159.99 (List Price $399.99)
Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Device With Remote (2023 Model) — $24.99 (List Price $49.99)
Shark AV2511AE AI Robot Vacuum With XL Self-Empty Base — $249.99 (List Price $599.00)
Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $339.00 (List Price $399.00)
WD 6TB My Passport USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive — $138.65 (List Price $179.99)
Dell 14 Premium Intel Ultra 7 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 2K Laptop — $999.99 (List Price $1549.99)
You can pick up some bags to let your geek flag fly like this Spider-Gwen bag, one for Bob’s Burgers, and a Captain America bag. If you’re cosplaying, you might want to consider incorporating this Breath of the Wild shield bag or a Rocket Raccoon bag for a little touch of practical authenticity.
A refillable water bottle
Staying hydrated is crucial when you spend three to four days on your feet. When you get thirsty, you’ll appreciate having your own bottle to refill at the water fountains. You can pick up a Star Wars bottle or this handy hose-like bottle that’s ideal for sharing with your fellow con-goers. Or you can go non-geeky and pick up something basic for your needs. It sure beats the hell out of spending a fortune on drinks.
Plenty of snacks
Speaking of saving money on nourishments, here's another tip: have your own snacks ready. The lines at the Javits Center food court are typically long, and it takes up time that you could use to get to your next panel. The food itself is pretty expensive, and that’s money that you could be spending on some epic con merch. Be smart by stocking up on some granola bars, chips, trail mix, or any snacks you need for your weekend.
Poster tube
Whether you got your hands on an exclusive poster from a panel or you’ve picked up some sweet prints at Artist Alley, a poster tube is an absolute necessity. Avoid the hassle of having to delicately carry art around or sticking it in your bag and hoping it doesn’t get crushed. Keep your art safe until you can safely unroll them at home.
Fabric tape and safety pins
It’s every cosplayer’s worst nightmare—aside from getting a cosplay together in the first place. You’re on the show floor, strutting your stuff as your favorite character and a misplaced stitch causes your outfit to fall apart. Keep some fabric tape or safety pins on standby for a quick fix to hold your costume together and get on with your impromptu photo ops.
A power bank
After a full day of taking pictures and recording panels, you’ll need to charge your phone. The accessible outlets in the Javits Center are few and far between, and the ones that you do find are probably already being used. Step your game up with your own geeky power bank so you can bypass the outlet and charge at your leisure. You can grab one in the style of a Pokéball or one shaped like a Warcraft Doomhammer.
Cold/flu Medicine
Any seasoned attendee knows to be wary of the dreaded con-flu. With all these nerds bumping shoulders in one place, you’re almost bound to catch something from someone. Have some cold medicine on standby so when the symptoms kick in you’ll be ready.
Hoodies and sweatpants
Let’s face it. No matter how cool your full-suit Voltron costume is, you’re not gonna wear it on the subway back home. The same goes for any cosplay with big armor pieces and props. When the conference lets out and you have to return to the real world, have a comfortable change of clothes ready to slip into.
You can still show off your nerdy colors though: check out this Steven Universe hoodie this Wonder Woman sweater, or this Mega Man hoodie with a blue bomber hood. For pants, slip into these Doctor Who inspired sweatpants, Pikachu pants, or these SNES controller pants.
Keep these Comic Con materials in mind to lessen some of the stress and keep yourself focused on enjoying a weekend at the Javits Center.
Carlos is a New York-based ecommerce content writer ready to tell you what to buy. He has previously written for Adventure Publishing Group with toy and movie reviews as well as Anime News Network on anime interest articles because liking anime is the least nerdy thing about him. When not reviewing products, he's probably doing sociological analyses on pop culture that no one asked for. He has been told on several occasions that he does a really good Mickey Mouse impression.
