With the warm weather slowly creeping up and the risks we’ve experienced over the past few years feeling far less scary, preparations for anime conventions are well underway! These conventions can range from smaller local affairs to large events that people travel far and wide to attend.
Cons can be a great way of meeting people of the same interests and hobbies, showing off your cosplays, finding unique and rare merch, and immersing yourself in nerd culture. However, for a newbie, cons can be incredibly busy and overwhelming spaces that be hard to navigate!
When packing your bag for the day, there are a few key essentials you’ll definitely want to bring with you...
1. A Water Bottle
Water bottles (preferably refillable) are essential. It can get hot and busy, so having your own bottle of water will be a lifesaver and will stop you from paying over the odds for drinks from vendors. 
2. Snacks
Snacks aren’t hard to come by at conventions, but they can be expensive if you’re relying on buying them from stalls or onsite cafes. Bringing your own snacks can help you save money and avoid queues during the busiest times.
3. A Pair of Headphones
Headphones will be handy if you find cons overwhelming or will have periods on your own. They also help with notifying people that you might want to be left alone at that time if you’re in cosplay.
4. A Small Makeup / Cosmetics Bag
A small bag for your sundries will always be useful, but especially at con. If you’re wearing makeup it’ll allow you to make touchups when needed, and if you’re not wearing makeup, it's a storage space for you to pack painkillers or your small essentials.-
Deodorant/perfume
It may feel a bit more unusual to pack but with how busy and hot cons get, keeping these on hand will allow you to stay feeling and smelling fresh as you navigate the stalls and get photos.
5. Portable chargers
Charging your phone is going to be vital if you’re planning to take pictures and videos throughout the day, so be sure to get one charged up and ready before you head out!
6. Tote bags
Tote Bags are the underrated hero of conventions, bringing your own can help you avoid merch bags breaking and save on wasting vendor's supplies.
Packing your bag is half the battle to surviving an anime convention, the other half is making plans that’ll make your experience far more pleasant. We also highly recommend:
- Agree on a meeting spot so that if you or your friends/family get separated or lost, you can all congregate at an identifiable agreed area. We suggest finding a signposted hall entrance or large stall that you can easily find as you’re meeting spot.
- Write down important numbers so that if you do run out of charge on your phone, you can still contact any important numbers during your day.
- Bring painkillers just incase you find yourself experiencing the dreaded wig headache or heat stroke.
- Bring spare clothes if you’re planning to cosplay or if you feel you might get tired of the outfit you’re bringing. Having a change of clothes at your hotel or with you can really help if you feel worn down.
Conventions are a great environment to get amongst a mixture of niche communities and enjoy interests unapologetically, being prepped for the days ahead will allow you to really immerse yourself without the extra stress!
Are you going to a convention this year? comment below your favourite ones in your country!
My fav is Anime Midwest!!
Bella em
Thank you, this was really helpful, especially for my first convention!
Marz em