Silicon Valley Comic Con is going to boldly go where few comic-cons have gone before, outside.

After a wildly popular launch last year that drew 60,000 attendees, the event returns April 21-23 and is expanding with a free outdoor festival that will include a science fair, a beer and wine garden, food trucks and a doggy cosplay contest. The outdoor activities will take place at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park and its environs.

Indoor events, which will carry the theme of “The Future of Humanity,” will be held at the City National Civic, South Hall and the California Theater as well as the Convention Center.

Celebrities guests will include William Shatner, Buzz Aldrin, John Cusack, the 30th anniversary cast reunion of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Steven Yeun (sniff!) from “The Walking Dead.”

The festival is looking to expand on its 60,000 attendees last year.

“The Bay Area is home to some of the most passionate and proud geeks in the world, and they’re what made the first SVCC so successful,” said festival founder Steve Wozniak. “Combining science and technology with pop culture was a risky idea that feels so obvious now. Our programming was unlike traditional comic cons — we hosted panels to debate the dangers of Superbabies vs AI, showcase the VFX of ‘Deadpool’ and discuss the quantum physics in Ant-Man, but those rooms were packed with engaged fans with thoughtful questions. The Bay Area is full of dreamers: artists, musicians, scientists and engineers all challenge us to see the world differently, and that’s what SVCC brought to life.”

While the traditional events will require a ticket, the outdoors activities will be free to the public. More information is at http://svcomiccon.com/

As Wozniak puts it: “Having the outdoor festival be open to the public was our way to thank San Jose for being such a great home for our show.”

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