Event Details

Event Policies

Rules

ID and Pass Policy
Convivial participants are required to have their badges and state issued ID accessible at all times. This includes, but is not limited to, General Attendees, Staff, Press & Dealers. Your Pass is property of Convivial and is subject to revocation at the discretion of Convivial. Additionally, if you lose your pass, you will be responsible for purchasing a replacement.

Alcohol Policy
No outside beverages will be allowed in any venue associated with Convivial. When a drink is purchased at a venue it must be finished and disposed of at that venue. No drinks are aloud outside of event venues. No one under the age of 21 is allowed alcohol. Any one under the legal drinking age limit caught with alcohol will be removed from the event and turned over to the proper authorities.

Convivial Staff
Convivial Staff are the legal representatives of Convivial /ConnectiCon and will be wearing badges that clearly designate them as Staff. They are responsible for making sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience while at Convivial. While not specifically part of Security, they are also responsible for enforcing the festival’s rules. Festival attendees are to follow the directions of any Staff member. Anyone caught willfully disobeying the directions of any Staff member will be removed from the Festival.

Security
The Convivial Fest Security is there to make sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience. To this end, they are designated with the responsibility of enforcing all the rules of the festival and all applicable State and Federal laws. Festival attendees are to follow the directions of Convivial Security at all times. Any disputes or problems with the Convivial Security should be brought to the attention of the coordinator on duty and the Director of Security. Anyone caught willfully disobeying directions of Security will be removed from the Festival. Roving Security members will be completing rounds of the associated Venues including all the floors, stairways and public areas of the Festival Venues. Their job is to advise the convivial attendees as to the rules of the festival and enforce these rules. Additionally, they will be noting any damage to the Venues as well as reporting via radio code to ConOps any violations or emergencies. Anyone caught violating the rules of the Festival will be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

NO Unaccompanied Bags Allowed at the Festival. Any bag left unattended by its owner will be turned in to the proper authorities. This may result in it being turned over to the Police and/or Fire Department for disposal. If you have a bag with you, carry it on you at all times. If you do set it down, stay very close to it. Please do not allow anyone you do not know to handle or carry your bags / backpacks / purses / luggage.

Ejection from the Festival
The following activities, amongst others at the Venues’ managements discretion, will result in the summary dismissal of involved attendees from the festival, so please don’t do them!

• Fighting

• Willful destruction of property (public, hotel, or privately owned)

• Physical and Sexual Harassment (this also includes molestation)

• Theft

• Piracy

• The posting of sexually explicit material in public areas

• The posting of any flyers anywhere in the hotel other than clearly marked posting areas (e.g. hallways, elevators, etc.)

• Selling merchandise from a hotel room or outside of the dealers’ room without express written permission of the Con Chair

• Use of drugs

• Any violation of state or federal law

• Refusal to show state issued ID/ Pass

• Willfully disobeying the orders/directions of any Security or Staff member

• Any other activity Venue/Festival officials determine to be illegal or of a dubious nature

Props & Costumes Policy

Proper Attire

To follow the regulations of associated venues, proper footwear should be worn at all times. Proper attire must be worn at all times. Clothing and costumes must meet Venue standards for appropriateness. There will be absolutely no nudity or partial nudity. This includes the possibility of costume malfunctions. Basically, if you couldn’t wear it out in public without getting arrested for indecent exposure, then it can’t be worn at the Festival. When in doubt, check with a Venue / Convivial Staff. Venues/ Convivial Staff reserve the right to deny entry to members who are not in compliance with the dress policy.

Props Policy

Convivial strives to create a safe environment for all of our members. We take safety seriously, and if we feel your weapon or prop is dangerous, you will be asked to remove it from the Festival Venues. We appreciate your careful consideration and adherence to the Convivial’s Props Policy.

Any props brought into Convivial must be in compliance with all current City of Hartford, State of Connecticut, or Federal laws and statutes. No exceptions.

Costume accessories that appear to be items from the banned items lists below and also from the Permitted Prop Weapons MUST be checked at venue security and flagged by our trained staff that the item in question is indeed a prop and safe to bring around the Festival.

All other obviously safe costume props will not be inspected or flagged, even at the request of attendees. It is no longer our policy to flag items at the request of attendees.

Behavior with Props

Misuse of any weapon or prop, such as swinging it in a public area or causing hazards to passersby, will result in your privilege being revoked immediately.
If your prop is deemed unsafe, then you will be asked to take it to your car or hotel room. Subsequent violations will result in being escorted out of the festival so that you may store your weapon or in severe circumstances, confiscation of the prop.
Any weapon purchased in the dealers’ room that is boxed, should remain boxed and stored in your private quarters. Weapons are not to be taken out of their packaging or wrappings while at the festival. Take them back to your car or hotel room before returning.
All weapon-like props must be checked by a venue staff member at the festival and may need to be peace bonded. This usually involves placing a zip tie around the weapon and sheath / holster to prevent it from being removed. Please keep these zips on for the duration of the festival.

All Convivial Staff and associated venue Employees’ decisions on weapons/props are final. Policy maybe subject to change without prior notice.

Weapons Policy

• NO LIVE STEEL at all will be permitted on the any premises involved with Convivial Fest. Live steel is defined as, but not limited to:

  • Swords

  • Axes

  • Knives

  • Bayonets

  • Brass Knuckles

  • Any other objects made of metal, which can take an edge regardless of whether the object is actually sharp.

• Nunchakus or other regulation martial arts weaponry are not permitted.

• NO AMMUNITION of any kind is allowed. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Nerf ammunition

  • Real ammunition, live or inactive

  • Air gun/Cap/Pellet ammunition

  • Arrows with nocks and/or hard tips

• NO FIREARMS AND/OR PROJECTILE WEAPONS of any type are permitted. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Pellet guns, Air Guns, or BB Guns

  • Water guns

  • Working replicas of actual firearms

  • Real firearms

  • Mini or pistol crossbows

  • Dart guns or Blowguns

  • Electronic Weapons (IE Tazers or Stun Guns)

  • Batons/Nightsticks

  • Bows (strung)

• NO EXPLOSIVES OR CHEMICALS are permitted. Fireworks, smoke powder and sparklers are included. These are not allowed whether it is on stage or anywhere else during festival activities.

Permitted Prop Weapons:

Fake weaponry/props made from foam, paper mache, tissue paper, wood etc. are also permitted as long as they do not endanger other con-goers. (Ex. tripping someone, clothes lining them, etc.).

Please keep props down to a manageable size. A 15-foot tall sword may look cool, but it does have to be carried around without hitting anyone or anything. If you accidentally hit someone with the weapon, it should break before the person would be harmed. Hand-held props should be no more than 50lbs and 8 feet high. Props that are part of a costume (Wings, accessories) may be larger, but need to be examined on a case by case basis.

Costume accessories that appear to be items from the banned items lists above and also from the Permitted Prop Weapons MUST be checked by venue security and flagged by our trained staff that the item in question is indeed a prop and safe to bring around the festival. All other obviously safe costume props will not be inspected or flagged, even at the request of attendees. It is no longer our policy to flag items at the request of attendees.

Lastly, if you have any questions, ask. Some issues may be decided on a case by case basis, so please ask ahead of time.