San Diego, Calif. (July 14, 2026)—With four new flavors and a milestone anniversary, the San Diego Convention Center unveils its 2026 suite of limited-edition chocolate bars to be sold during this summer’s world-renowned Comic-Con International: San Diego (Comic-Con) event. A total of 7,000 handcrafted bars will be sold during Comic-Con from July 23-26, 2026.
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Convention Center’s chocolate tradition, which began in 2016 and has grown to become a highly anticipated fan experience.
Led by Executive Chef Sufi Karaien, Sr. Executive Sous Chef Joshua Peavey, and Pastry Chef Molly Pease, Sodexo Live!’s in-house pastry team handcrafts each bar with care in the weeks leading up to the major popular arts event. Each bar is then locally wrapped and sold exclusively to Comic-Con attendees at the Craft Chocolate Bar booth in Lobby 20.
“Celebrating 10 years of this tradition is meaningful for our team,” Karaien said. “Each year, we challenge ourselves to create new concepts, focusing on high-quality ingredients and bold flavor combinations that offer Comic-Con attendees something new to discover, enjoy, and share.”
First Look at the 2026 Flavors
- Top Yum takes classic s’mores flavors to new heights with its blend of dark chocolate, caramelized cookie crunch, and toasted marshmallows.
- Mint Condition offers a premium chocolate experience, complete with milk chocolate, milk crumble, and mint chocolate ganache.
- Canyon Quest is a flavorful adventure of twists and turns, featuring dark chocolate, sea salt, sour cherries, pepitas, and sunflower seeds.
- Daybreaker brings a tropical, beachy vibe with white chocolate, coconut-curry ganache, curry powder, and toasted hazelnuts.
After the chefs develop the flavors, they collaborate with the Convention Center's creative trio of Hailey Adams, Grayson Van Loon, and Dylan James to bring the bars to life with custom themes, illustrations, and videos.
The craft chocolates will be priced at $12 each. As in past years, golden tickets will be hidden inside four chocolate bars, each redeemable for a $100 Starbucks gift card.
In addition to the chocolates, event concessions include specialty tacos, pretzels, pizzas, locally made ice cream, craft sodas, and additional grab-and-go options throughout the building.
With a robust program of speakers, exhibits, films, and games, Comic-Con attracts more than 135,000 attendees, creating a regional economic impact of more than $160 million and tax revenues of more than $3 million to the City of San Diego. San Diego has hosted Comic-Con for more than 50 years.
For information about Comic-Con, see Comic-Con.org.
Images for Media Use
Download high-resolution photos of this year’s chocolate bars.
About San Diego Convention Center
The San Diego Convention Center is the region’s premier gathering place, hosting conventions that create economic benefits and jobs for the San Diego region, paid for by outside visitors to the destination. The San Diego Convention Center Corporation is a public benefit corporation created by the City of San Diego to exclusively manage, market, and operate the waterfront facility.
About Sodexo Live!
Sodexo Live! manages prestigious convention, cultural, and sporting venues and major events all over the world. With 35,000 employees and 440 sites, Sodexo Live! offers clients a range of bespoke catering, sales, and event management services, helping to transform the consumer experience into unforgettable memories. Sodexo Live! commits to unlocking customers’ full potential while favoring local communities. Sodexo Live! contributes to the success of prestigious events such as Royal Ascot, the Tour de France, Roland-Garros, the Rugby World Cup and the Paris 2024 Games, and showcases exceptional venues such as the Eiffel Tower Restaurants, Bateaux Parisiens, Yachts de Paris, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Hard Rock Stadium, the Scottish National Gallery and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Media Contact
Maren Dougherty, San Diego Convention Center
