Between work and hating crowds, I never really go to these things—I'm a regular customer anyways— but I really do appreciate that the event is still a thing. Yeah, as SpongeBob says here, it's a transparent attempt to put a bandaid on the mostly self inflicted issues that plague the industry...
But you gotta appreciate that this event centers the actual stores, getting people to go to them and hopefully remember where they are, and actually spend money there. Often times you see the stores partner with food trucks, artists, and cosplayers. Turning the thing into a whole community event that's great for kids and broke folks.
And by offering free, cheap, or discount comics, the whole thing helps demystify the medium a bit. As scarcity and a mentality prioritizing collecting over reading are also issues that strongly affect the industry. Even if some of the FCBD exclusive issues do just feed that beast. But said beast has excess money to spend right and now, so you can't blame the industry much for wanting to constantly court it.
Anyways, whatever's hot will be made available online one way or another not long after. Yay free comics. Yay local businesses. Yay free stuff.
You can always check out https://www.comicshoplocator.com and hopefully find a shop close by! They could always use a visit and some support, even if it's a regular day.
Or you can try looking for comics to check out online! DC and IDW's special issue offerings are already up on Amazon, if you're looking for those.