On Wednesday, July 18th, otherwise known as Preview Night of San Diego Comic-Con, Paramount+ hosted a small opening right on 5th avenue of the downtown Gaslamp district. The opening celebrating upcoming releases for new series, seasons, and feature films for the streaming giant in avenue dubbed The Lodge: A Paramount+ Experience.
As many who have traveled to San Diego before during this highly anticipated week, the downtown Gaslamp district is always one of the best features of the Con with many storefronts and restaurants making total transformations celebrating the arts.
The Paramount activation was easy to spot with its iconic blue and white text. The theme this year follows a snowy wood lodge and snow covered pine. Once inside you are greeted with literature about the upcoming release schedule and money for food and drink.
The snowy lodge theme expanded within with wood paneled walls covered in vintage ski apparel, a stone fireplace centerpiece and moose head trophies.
Each corner of the room would then transform into another property. You can take a picture behind the register of the Krusty Krab. You experience Yellowjackets by grabbing a complimentary jar of honey and jump in a booth in the middle of the woods, or get briefed on a dangerous mission in preparation for Special Op: Lioness. The choice is yours!
That wasn’t all. Once you made your way through the front room you would make your way down a ramp into a dark neon lit bar area where the next set of stops can be made. Right away you come upon a photo op with next to the huge stone fixture bathed in red light featuring a rack of creepy wooden masks to don for a picture in celebration for the next chapter of Pet Sementary.
Continue on and you have the option of getting a caricature done of yourself from an artist in the bridge of the Star Trek Enterprise, get inked at the Ink Masters booth, sit in the Dutton rocking chair at the speakeasy to celebrate a new season of 1923.
Thirsty and hungry? Paramount has you covered with waitresses serving Good Burgers (secret sauce and all!) as well as complimentary non alcoholic and alcoholic beverages to wet your whistle while perusing the various areas. All in all a well executed stop at the Lodge in Paramountland.
Fans of Paramount also have the opportunity to take part in a city-wide digital scavenger hunt via www.ParamountPassport.com. You can vist the website on your phone or scan a QR code at any of the following activation sites.
Once registered, guests can scan an item at all of the following locations (you will need to interact with the space) to earn a passport stamp. Once a guest visits all seven locations they can head to the Paramount Passport Redemption area located at The Lodge, A Paramount+ Experience for a limited edition prize. Participating locations:
- The Lodge, A Paramount+ Experience (Happy Does Bar, 340 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101)
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (58 11th Ave San Diego, CA 92101)
- Yellowjackets (Hard Rock Hotel 207 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101)
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (San Diego Convention Center, Booth #3529)
- TMNT: Mutant Mayhem (San Diego Convention Center, Booth #4113)
- Digman! (San Diego Convention Center, Booth #4029)
- Ghosts (San Diego Convention Center, Booth #229)
The Lodge is open Friday, July 21-Saturday, July 22, 12 noon-10 p.m.; Sunday, July 23, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.. Admission is free, but is on a reservation system. There will be a stand-by line daily if there are no reservations available. No SDCC badge is required.
