Your first convention, step by step

Attendees with backpacks and tote bags crossing the wide polished concourse of a large convention center — Attendees crossing a convention center concourse

What a convention day is actually like

Expect a lot of walking on concrete, a lot of standing in lines, and constant noise. A typical Saturday runs from about 10 a.m. to well past dinner, and most of it is unscheduled: you drift between a panel room, the vendor hall and a hallway full of costumes, then sit on the carpet with a sandwich and watch people go by. The schedule always holds more than one person can do, so everyone misses most of it. Regulars treat the program as a menu and choose a few things on purpose.

An audience seated in rows of chairs in a darkened room, seen from behind, facing a stage out of frame — An audience seated in a darkened panel room

Two players sitting at a table in the middle of a tabletop game, with miniatures, map tiles and potion-bottle props laid out between them

What to do once you are inside

Five ways to spend the badge

Panels and screeningsTalks, Q&As, workshops and premieres in rooms off the main hall. Seats are first come, first served, and the big ones fill early.

Start here

Open the schedule the week before, star two panels a day that you would be sad to miss, and get in line 30 minutes early for each. Leave the rest of the day loose.

Art And PrintsThe artist alley is rows of independent illustrators selling prints, stickers, zines and commissions at their own tables, usually for $5 to $40 a piece.

Start here

Walk the whole artist alley once without buying, noting table numbers you liked. Go back on the second lap with a set amount of cash and buy your first print.

AutographsGuests sign at scheduled times, and photo ops are booked in timed slots. Both cost extra on top of your badge and are priced per guest.

Start here

Check the guest list for one person whose work matters to you, look up their signing times and price on the convention's guest page, and bring one flat item for them to sign.

CosplayDressing as a character, from a thrifted outfit to a full build. You can wear it all day, join a meetup for your fandom, or enter the costume contest.

Start here

Wear a simple costume you can sit, eat and use the restroom in for one afternoon. A closet cosplay built from clothes you already own counts.

Tabletop GamingBoard game libraries, card tournaments, miniatures tables and role-playing sessions that often run until the building closes.

Start here

Find the tabletop room, look for a table with a "players wanted" or "learn to play" sign, and sit down. Demo games are free with your badge and teach you the rules.

Open a card to see what to do first. Art And Prints, Autographs, Cosplay and Tabletop Gaming each end in a button that adds that plan's gear to the kit. Panels and screenings need nothing beyond the base kit.

Etiquette and rules everyone follows

A costume is not consent. Ask before you photograph, touch or hug anyone, and take "no" or "not right now" without comment. Step out of the walkway to take the picture.
Props get inspected. Most shows check costume weapons at the door and tag the approved ones. Real blades, metal weapons and anything that fires a projectile are turned away, so read the prop policy before you build or buy.
Artists set their own rules. Ask before photographing a table, never haggle on a handmade piece, and do not block a booth while you decide.
Keep signings short. Have your item out and open to the right page, say the name you want written, and move along so the line behind you gets its turn.
Look after your body. The old convention rule of thumb is at least five hours of sleep, two real meals and one shower every day. Wash or sanitize your hands often, since a crowded hall is where everyone catches the same cold.
Find the staff. Every convention posts a code of conduct and has a security or operations desk. If someone makes you uncomfortable, report it there. That is what the desk is for.

What a convention really costs

Badge

About $20 to $40 for one day at a small local show, and $60 to $120 for a full weekend at a mid-size one. Prices climb as the date gets closer.

Parking and food

Downtown convention center garages commonly charge $15 to $40 a day, and concession meals cost about what stadium food does. Transit and packed snacks cut both.

Autographs and photo ops

Priced per guest, from around $30 for a comic artist's signature to well over $100 for a headline actor. Prices are listed on the guest page ahead of time.

The show floor

This is where budgets fall apart. Decide on a spending number at home, bring it in cash, and stop when the envelope is empty.

Hotel

The largest cost of a travel show. Convention room blocks open months ahead and sell out fast, which is one more reason to start local.

What trips beginners up

Expect lines. At a large show, a popular panel can mean an hour or more of waiting, and you will not get into everything. At a small one you can usually walk straight in.
Expect to be worn out. Eight hours of crowds and noise is tiring even when you are having a great time. Plan a quiet break every few hours.
Expect spotty phone service. Thousands of phones in one hall swamp the network. Screenshot your schedule and ticket, and agree on a meeting spot with your group.
Do not wear new shoes or an untested costume. Break both in at home first. Blisters end more convention days than anything else.
Do not schedule every hour. Back-to-back panels in different wings leave no time to eat, and the best moments tend to be unplanned.
Do not buy on the first lap. Vendors repeat, prices differ between booths, and carrying a poster all day is its own punishment. The exception is a limited item you came for.

Two players' hands moving pieces across a board game spread over a wooden table, with cards and tokens around the board — A board game mid-turn at an open table

Finding conventions and learning more

Convention calendar sites list shows by state, date and theme, with past attendance figures so you can tell a 2,000-person hotel show from a 100,000-person one. Once you have picked a show, its own website is the best source: the policies page, the guest list and the schedule answer most first-timer questions. Most conventions also have an attendee group or forum where people arrange ride shares, costume meetups and game sessions in the weeks before.

Free convention calendars

AnimeCons.com Free directory of anime conventions with dates, guest lists and attendance figures

Why the kit is this small

The badge is the real purchase, and everything else exists to keep you comfortable for a long day on your feet. A small bag, water, phone power and something kind to your feet cover every kind of convention. The rest depends on what you plan to do there, so the lines for prints, autographs, cosplay and tabletop gaming sit behind add-ons. Turn on only the ones that match your plan.

A crowd of attendees, some in costume, going up and down the entrance stairs of a convention center under a welcome sign

Pack the con bag

Every line, with its options side by side

The first line, the badge, is not something you buy here: it comes from the convention's own website. For everything else, compare the options on each line, then set your tiers and check out from the cart. Clicking a card selects it there, and clicking the selected card again takes that line out. The backpack, water bottle, power bank, insoles and hand sanitizer start in the kit. The poster tube joins when you switch on Art And Prints, the top loaders and paint markers with Autographs, the sewing kit and fashion tape with Cosplay, and the dice with Tabletop Gaming.

Item 01

Convention badge

Essential · Admission

The badge is your ticket to everything on the schedule, and you wear it the whole time you are in the building.

Not sold on Amazon · buy from the convention

Not sold on Amazon. Buy it from the convention's own website: about $20 to $40 for one day at a small local show, $60 to $120 for a weekend at a mid-size one. Avoid resold badges, which are often tied to a name and ID.

Item 02

Small day backpack

Essential · Carry

You carry water, food, a charger and everything you buy for eight hours, and a two-strap bag keeps your hands free in a crowd.

budget

ZOMAKE Lightweight Packable Backpack, Foldable Small Travel Day Pack

4.6(20.1K)

$16.99

Fan Conventions

Your first convention, step by step

What a convention day is actually like

What to do once you are inside

Etiquette and rules everyone follows

What a convention really costs

What trips beginners up

Finding conventions and learning more

Why the kit is this small

Pack the con bag

Convention badge

Small day backpack

Reusable water bottle

Portable power bank

Cushioned shoe insoles

Travel hand sanitizer

Poster tube with shoulder strap

8x10 rigid top loaders

Metallic paint markers

Travel sewing kit

Double-sided fashion tape

Polyhedral dice set