Walkers invaded the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco for Walker Stalker. I was lucky enough to attend the event, and I am going to attempt to paint a picture without giving you any pictures. Something like this is something you just need to experience in person and that is the bottom line. General admission opened at 10:30, with gold and platinum having a special line that was allowed to come in first at 9 am, with VIP and media getting to go in after the first line. At 9 am the general admission line was 2 or 3 times as long as the other lines combined. People could not WAIT to get inside, but waiting is always the name of the game for these events.
If you are like me, when you first get into an event like this, you make sure you walk around and get an idea of where everything is. Where is your restrooms, where is the exit’s, where is Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Norman Reedus. I also make sure I look at what items are for sale and who might have the best price before I make a purchase.
So after you spent time to get in, mainly because the bag checks as so many people brought in items to be signed, or things for their costumes. To your left you will find a trio of stars for autographs and pictures, followed by a stage for the panels, food trucks and more stars. On your right side is food trucks, and some assorted games, and picture locations. I didn’t have any pictures prepaid so I am not sure what else might have been in that direction.
When you make your way inside, bathrooms to the left, and a big booth with Walker Stalker merchandise up front. Once you pass that to the left you see a large vendor that is selling Funko Pops and other assorted items, like a AMC licensed Lucille, and some signed items. If you did not prepay for autographs for Norman Reedus or Jeffrey Dean Morgan weeks in advance, the only chance to get a signed item was from this Plastic Empire booth. The Negan and Daryl signed pops were around $100, with other stars from Walking Dead and horror genre being cheaper.
If you move to the left hand side, against the wall start the sections for stars for. It goes the length of the side and moves like an l to other wall. Jeffrey, Norman, Sean Patrick Flanery and David Della Rocco, were in this extra area. These characters had very strict rules and a taped line on the ground to show where you could not go over unless you had a prepaid ticket. Of course the area was always full with people trying to get a look and an at a distance photo of these main event talent.
On the right side you have some custom made T-Shirts, artists making art, and all sorts of collectibles. In the middle you have a number of local tattoo artists. Honestly this surprised me and I thought about getting one while I was here. In the other areas you find literally any type of collectible item you could think of and many you didn’t.
Panels are always fun, though sadly the Sunday saw some cancellations from the rain, Saturday was very Walking Dead centered. You experience a lot of laughs, some giveaways and just a general good time if you were lucky enough to grab an elusive seat.
As any of my followers know, I love The Walking Dead so much, this was my first time at this particular event. I had a great time and I would for sure go again. I didn’t get any autographs which I might in the future, I felt I saw everything I needed to see but I still can’t wait until they come back in my area.
Some recommendations from this event. Wear comfortable shoes, fashion is not the name of this game, comfort is. Bring a bottle drink, with an event this large, either outside or packed inside with people bring something to drink and save having to wait in a line. Pack your patience with you, everyone was great and in good spirits, but you have a lot of people and a lot of waiting. Have some sort of plan in mind, but don’t get discouraged if you have to make decisions on the fly. Decide what type of fan are you, do you want to go and see the panels and get autographs? If so spend the extra money to get a VIP or Gold/Platinum ticket, you will save tons of time lines and it will be worth it in the long run. Are you instead a wall flower who likes to just see yourself so close to the stars, or perhaps someone who is there to see the art, and collectibles and such? If that is the case I would think that a one day ticket is enough for you. If you are looking for a deal, or looking to avoid long lines, I would say get a Saturday VIP ticket. You can get in early and get a chance to look at what’s for sale. In my opinion if you are not going to get pictures or autographs, you can experience everything in one day. Did I mention make sure you wear comfortable shoes? I can’t stress that enough.
The walkers and Walker Stalker Con, are making their way to Nashville next on June 3rd and 4th. To see the full upcoming schedule check them out at Walker Stalker Con.
