2017 Costumes & Weapons Policies and Guidelines

Costumes must cover appropriate areas of the body. What is illegal to have uncovered when not at U-Con must remain covered when at U-Con.

Modern uniforms (from the Civil War era to present day) may not be worn as costumes, particularly anything that could be confused as an authentic uniform, e.g police officer, soldier, paramedic, and the like. Active duty military personnel are permitted to wear their uniforms.

Costumes and cosplay, as with any item or activity at the convention, must not harm, mar, or leave residue on other persons or the venue’s surfaces.

U-Con prohibits all functional weapons, no exceptions. If your job requires carrying a weapon–i.e. military, security, law enforcement–and you are off-duty, we require that you do not carry your weapon with you at U-Con.

Bladed and/or edged weapons, firearms (real or realistic), water guns, or props which fire projectiles are not permitted. This list is not all-inclusive. However, items such as futuristic weapons (e.g. Phaser), fantasy weapons (e.g. the Elder Wand) and non-projectile boffer weapons (e.g. Nerf batliff) may be allowed provided they are not handled in a careless, threatening, or destructive manner against persons or property.

If you have any questions regarding your items or costume, it is your responsibility to raise them with Ops/Registration during operating hours. Items purchased at the Exhibitors Hall that contradict this policy must be immediately removed from U-Con gaming space (i.e. take them to your car, or stow them in your hotel room).

U-Con Staff may inspect any item or costume at any time during the convention. They may ask that you Peace Bond your accessory. This includes securing the equipment so as not to do harm to others, indicating that the weapon or prop holder will ensure the prop is not used in any way to harm others. Peace Bonding and the identification of what is deemed as a “weapon” is at the sole discretion of U-Con staff and volunteers and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Failure to comply with these policies and/or the instructions of U-Con Staff may result in immediate removal from the convention without refund.

Note: Attempts to use the letter of the policy to defeat the purpose of the policy are unacceptable. Any pattern of behavior which is consistently barely within acceptable limits for individual actions is also unacceptable.

Thanks all!