Rancho Santa Fe, CA (June 26, 2025) – In just a few weeks, four-legged heart-savers will don their capes and lick-shine their shields in preparation for Helen Woodward Animal Center’s 13th Annual PAWmicon! The biggest crowd-pleaser of the summer is returning with some very exciting changes. Not only will the event return to the Balboa Park lawn in front of the Comic-Con Museum (where it soared to PUP-ularity in 2019), but it will kick off Comic-Con week with a special Tuesday evening celebration! The adorable event invites pets, and their people, to celebrate the spectacular feats of superhero adopters and the amazing pets who save them right back. Helen Woodward Animal Center and Blue Buffalo bring you the annual PUP Culture-themed Cosplay spectacle – PAWmicon, Tuesday, July 22, from 5 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Balboa Park on the President’s Way Lawn.
Helen Woodward Animal Center launched PAWmicon in 2012 based on an observed parallel between orphan pets and Comic-Con attendees. While comic book enthusiasts wait all year for Comic-Con International, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite action-adventure stars, orphan dogs and cats at Helen Woodward Animal Center will wait a lifetime to meet their superheroes – individuals with one sole mission…to rescue an orphan pet. Planned as a cute adoption gimmick, the promotion drew the attention of fans and animal-lovers across the city, eventually blossoming into an annual event that has grown in pup-ularity and gained global attention with each passing year.
Helen Woodward Animal Center is delighted to welcome pets and people back to PAWmicon for some nose-to-nose, meet-and-greet action. This family-friendly event is FREE to attend and encourages Pop-Culture Fanatics to grab their canine sidekick and celebrate with themed photo backdrops, animal art vendors, , games and activities for kids, opportunity drawings and more.
The highlight of the event is the all-important PAWSplay Contest for superheroes and their heroic dogs. The PAWSplay Contest is separated into three fun categories including Superheroes & Super Villains; Pop Culture Pets, and Dynamic Duos, Trios & More, for those who want to dress up alongside their fuzzy family member or have multiple pets in costume. This year, for the very first time, will include a NEW HUMAN-ONLY CATEGORY for human friends competing without a pet! This gives animal-lovers who do not have a pet or are unable to compete with their own pet, an opportunity to heroically support Center orphan pets too!
Admission into PAWmicon is FREE but tickets should be reserved in advance. PAWsplay Contests entries are $20 per pet. The MARVEL-ous event will take place on President’s Way lawn, located at the intersection of Park Boulevard and President’s Way just behind the Air & Space Museum and Starlight Bowl. For a map of the Balboa Park event spaces click here.
Get FREE admission tickets and/or enter paid contests here: www.animalcenter.org/events/pawmicon. (Proceeds from PAWSplay contests and activities, all support Helen Woodward Animal Center pets and programs.)
At its core, this unique event has one life-saving mission: To inspire individuals to perform a superhero action of their own and adopt an orphan pet. Grab your snuggly superhero and the whole family and head to PAWmicon in Balboa Park on Tuesday, July 22, for a celebration of heroes big and small!
For more information about PAWmicon, visit pawmicon.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Helen Woodward Animal Center PR Director Jessica Gercke: JessicaG@animalcenter.org, cell (619) 977-0999
Helen Woodward Animal Center PR Manager Austin Hale: AustinH@animalcenter.org, cell (919) 830-0679
Helen Woodward Animal Center PR Manager Mike Makie: MichaelM@animalcenter.org, cell (619) 884-4799
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About Helen Woodward Animal Center
Helen Woodward Animal Center is a private, non-profit organization where “people help animals and animals help people.” Founded in 1972 in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., the Center provides services for more than 90,000 people and more than 10,000 animals annually through adoptions, educational and therapeutic programs both onsite and throughout the community. Helen Woodward Animal Center is also the creator of the International Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive, the International Remember Me Thursday® campaign and The Business of Saving Lives Workshops, teaching the business of saving lives to animal welfare leaders from around the world. For more information, go to: www.animalcenter.org.
