Comic-Con isn’t just for spaceships and superheroes. Legends of old are also taking over San Diego this week, including the Vikings, who are plundering the Gaslamp District with very different events planned.

First, History’s Vikings is making its presence known with a long ship that drives through downtown San Diego to end up in the harbor.

Originally a seal boat, the Vikings long ship has reinvented itself for the Con and is offering free rides to fans throughout the Gaslamp District. Fans at the show’s booth inside can win a chance to ride the ship on Saturday night with the Vikings cast. The boat, covered in severed heads and Vikings branding, excited fans so much that Friday morning, those aboard the boat began Vikings chants that have continued throughout the day.

With season four currently in production and scheduled to premiere in 2016, the show is also appearing alongside the comics section inside the convention center.


Its Bludgeon Booth welcomes fans who want to try their hands at a Vikings battle. The large structure uses slow-motion cameras to act out a scene in a battle, which then gets cut into a 15-second video starring them.

According to Elizabeth Luciano, History’s VP of marketing, the fandom is rich for this show so it was important to let the fans in on the action. The Bludgeon Booth is such a big hit, in fact, that the lines got hundreds of people deep before they decided to switch over to wristbands, giving people assigned times to come back for their big shoot.

Fans choose weapons and the Viking they will be fighting in the video. As a bonus, after someone hits the target with the weapon of choice, a splatter of blood hits them, adding to the slow motion effect in the video. Attendees get the video minutes later to push out socially.

Comic-Con attendees are also likely seeing Vikings horns around the Gaslamp District this week, given out by brand ambassadors and Shield Maidens for local bars and restaurants to fill with drinks. Those with horns will get drink discounts at Analog Bar, Florent Restaurant & Lounge, East Village Tavern + Bowl, La Puerta, Garage Kitchen & Bar, The Shout House and The New Yorker in San Diego for the week.

“We’re trying to do one better than what we did last year but also to take what worked best last year,” said Luciano, “and this was super popular last year.”

Luciano says the horns work as great word of mouth for its brand around the Comic-Con area, with the horns becoming a coveted piece of swag.

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