Record crowds attend, spend money at Salt Lake Comic Con

Although exact numbers haven’t been determined, attendance — and thus, the economic impact — of the Salt Lake Comic Con’s third annual meeting last month in Salt Lake City easily exceeded its previous record. That’s according to event co-founder Bryan Brandenburg. The attendance topped the previous record of 120,000.

“It was like a rock concert. They were just going crazy out there,” Brandenburg said. “The difference between the two ballrooms (used in the past) and the one large ballroom was night and day. It was so exciting.”

“If it wasn’t for the fans and the community and the governor and all the entities that support us, there would be no Salt Lake Comic Con,” Brandenburg said. “We’re so happy we’re able to create something that they can engage in and love, and they can support at the level that we can keep doing this.”

Comic Con also set a new world record for the largest gathering of people dressed as comic book characters. 

“It was a nail biter, but with 1,784, it’s a new Guinness World Records titled for ‘Largest gathering of people dressed as comic book characters,’” said Michael Empric, adjudicator for Guinness World Records in New York. The previous record was 1,530 set in China in 2011.

Salt Lake Comic Con has been breaking records since it’s inaugural event in September 2013. It is the most attended convention in the state of Utah, largest first year comic con in North America, largest comic con in the world per capita and third largest comic con in the United States. 

The Specialty Hospital of Utah sponsored the Guinness attempt and the Superhero 5K Run on Sept. 26, which met its fundraising goal for the hospital. Actor Sean Astin participated in the Superhero Run and was joined by more than 500 fans to support the hospital.

“We never doubted our fans and their ability to get behind a cause, win the world record for Utah and the United States and help build the new Specialty Hospital of Utah,” said Brandenburg. “We appreciate the support of all of our Salt Lake Comic Con celebrity guests, specifically Manu Bennett who came to the Guinness World Record attempt dressed as Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, his character from Arrow and Sean Astin who wore a red bandana signifying his voice role as Rafael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a red cape in honor of the Specialty Hospital of Utah.”