All persons attending, participating or otherwise present during Comicpalooza, including attendees, exhibitors, volunteers, event staff, talent, sponsors, contractors, agents, licensees, invitees, guests, and other individuals (collectively, “All Persons”) are required to observe and adhere to this Code of Conduct at all times as a condition of their admission and continued participation in Comicpalooza, May 26-28, 2023 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. As used in this Code of Conduct, the term “Management” shall mean Comicpalooza LLC, its sole member, authorized agents, successors and assigns.
Badges/Passes: All Persons are required to have and display an official event credential at all times. Adult passes are required for attendees 13 and up; a Children’s pass is available for those attendees under 13.
Badges/passes are non-transferrable. All Persons agree not to share, sell, trade, or transfer their badge for any duration of time to anyone for any reason.
Badges/passes are non-refundable. Celebrity guest appearances and event programming are subject to change or cancel without notice. If a celebrity guest should cancel, only pre-sold autographs, photo ops and Speed Passes specific to that guest will be refunded – not the event admission badge/pass.
Comicpalooza passes can be purchased online or at the door. Badges/passes purchased in advance are sold at discounted prices. Badges/passes, VIP Passes, Speed Passes (if offered) and some specialty passes grant admission to Comicpalooza and to many activities, including panels, programming screenings, gaming, music and other entertainment, Dealer’s Room, Artist Alley and special attractions. These badges/passes do not include photographs or autographs with celebrity guests.
While a badge/pass is required for entry, it does not guarantee access to event, panel, room or session if the venue has reached capacity, as all programming and event space have capacity limits set by the Fire Marshall.
Bag Check: All Persons must submit to a bag check at each of the entry points before entering Comicpalooza. Prohibited items, as defined throughout this Code of Conduct, cannot be brought into the event.
Behavior/Personal Conduct: All Persons must be courteous to and tolerant of others; respectful of personal property; and abstain from conduct causing or likely to cause damage, harm or offense to anyone. Activity of any kind preventing free movement of others; causing a nuisance; or otherwise disrupting Comicpalooza – such as throwing items, use of projectiles, fighting, assault, harassment, loud shouting/amplified sound, vulgarity, lewd conduct and abusive profanity or behavior – is prohibited. (See also Harassment.)
Children: Children are defined as any person under the age of 13. All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. All Children are required to have and display an official event credential – available at a lower cost than the adult badge.
Commercial Activity: Selling, offering for sale, promoting, soliciting, fundraising, distributing (novelties, samples, literature, publications, flyers, cards, coupons, etc.), and all other commercial or charitable activities are prohibited, with the exception of licensed exhibitors during approved hours within their assigned exhibit/activation. Guerrilla marketing and other unauthorized advertising or branding is prohibited. Market research, surveys, petitions, polling, or other information/signature-gathering activities are prohibited. No solicitation of tips or donations is allowed for any reason or cause.
Compliance with Law: All Persons must comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules, regulations and orders of governmental authorities as a condition of their admission and continued participation at Comicpalooza.
Cosplay/Costume Rules: As Comicpalooza is a family-friendly event, All Persons must ensure that their costumes are appropriate in all respects. Nudity, thongs, body paint/sheer material in lieu of appropriate clothing, and hate symbols (such as swastikas) are prohibited. Shoes must be worn at all times. Military, law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, government agent, or similarly themed costumes must be easily distinguishable from modern, official uniforms. Oversized costumes and props are strongly discouraged; prohibited in autograph/photo lines, on elevators/escalators and general assembly audiences; and may result in expulsion from the event due to obstruction of an entrance/exit or interference with the free movement of others.
Cosplay Props/Inspections: All cosplay props/objects are subject to inspection prior to entry. Pre-entry inspections will be conducted on the 1st floor, near the Exhibit Hall doors in the Concourse of Hall C and on both ends of the 2nd floor. All Persons approved will be issued a wristband and have their checked item physically tagged. Any attendee who removes their wristband or tag during the event will be required to leave and will not receive a refund. Cosplay props/objects must be inspected in the same manner EACH DAY of Comicpalooza prior to entry.
Fake or replica weapons of any kind or type must be easily distinguishable from real weapons (both from up close and from a distance) and be constructed from safe, lightweight material, such as plastic, rubber, foam, cardboard, or papier-mâché. Items capable or appearing to be capable of firing projectiles are strictly prohibited. Items deemed noncompliant, unsafe, or inappropriate by Management will not be allowed to be brought into Comicpalooza. (See also Guns/Firearms/Explosives; Weapons: Bladed/Pointed/Blunt.)
Food & Beverage: No food or beverage purchased outside the George R. Brown Convention Center is allowed at Comicpalooza with the exception of baby formula, toddler’s snacks and medically-necessary supplies. Concessions are available on event premises and from several restaurants operating within the facility. Eating and drinking is restricted to designated areas.
Guns/Firearms/Explosives: Possession, display, sale, storage, or distribution of firearms, ammunition, bullets, bump stocks, silencers, tasers, stun guns, gun powder, explosives and incendiary devises is prohibited – even if disabled or inoperable. The only exception recognized by Management is for firearms carried by licensed peace offers. For purposes of this prohibition, the term “firearms” includes all items that are or appear to be handguns, rifles, shotguns, automatic rifles, assault-style rifles, machine guns, air soft guns, tasers, stun guns, ballistic knives, pepper spray, pellet guns, crossbows, or any other device capable of expelling a projectile through a barrel or cylinder. (See also Cosplay Props/Inspections; Weapons: Bladed/Pointed/Blunt.)
Harassment: Harassment on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, physical appearance, or other characteristics is prohibited. While an exhaustive list is impractical, harassment can occur in person or online and take one or more of the following forms: Offensive behavior or verbal comments; vulgarity; lewd conduct; hate speech; threats or intimidation; assault; inappropriate physical contact; stalking; display of offensive images; non-consensual photography or recording; hate symbols; intentional disruption of sessions or other event activities; or unwelcome attention. All Persons should report any observed, experienced, or otherwise apparent incident of harassment immediately to management@comicpalooza.com, the nearest-available uniformed security guard, or at the information booth located in Exhibit Hall C of the main lobby. Anyone who observes or experiences harassment concerning Comicpalooza outside of the event hours or event weekend, including social media, is asked to immediately contact management@comicpalooza.com. (See also Behavior/Personal Conduct.)
Health and Safety: Visit www.comicpalooza.com/general-information/health-and-safety/ for Health and Safety Guidelines.
Limitation of Liability: All Persons hereby WAIVE, RELEASE, ACQUIT and FOREVER DISCHARGE Management from any and all claims, liabilities, demands, losses, expenses, penalties, or costs of any kind for or related to any and all personal or bodily injury, illness, exposure to COVID-19 and any other communicable or infectious disease, disability, death, or loss, damage, or destruction of any property, caused by, resulting from, or arising out of attending or participating in the event, even if caused in part by the negligence of Management. Any claims made in connection with the event shall be subject to Texas law and brought individually in Harris County, Texas. All Persons acknowledge that Management shall not be liable for indirect, consequential or punitive damages.
Pets/Animals: Pets and other animals are prohibited at Comicpalooza without written permission in advance. The only exception is for authorized, documented service animals.
Photo Ops: Photos with the celebrity guests are available for purchase separate from admission passes. No admission pass/ticket/badge includes a photo op with a celebrity. Each photo op may include up to four people maximum. Approved show props are often allowed and many celebrities will accommodate special poses; however, they are not guaranteed. All requests are subject to approval by the guest/talent and/or the photographer.
Prohibited Items: Skateboards; hoverboards; skates; rollerblades; bicycles; helium balloons; drones/UAVs; illegal narcotics; drug paraphernalia; confetti; firecrackers; explosives; bullets; ammunition; flammable liquids; incendiary devices; scooters/wheeled vehicles other than ADA mobility assistance devices and strollers; handcarts; lasers; stilts measuring 24 inches or more; luggage; roller bags; coolers; and other items likely to create a nuisance or cause injury or damage to persons or property (as determined by Management) are not allowed at Comicpalooza. (See also Bladed/Pointed/Blunt Weapons and Sleeping/Camping)
Recording/Filming: Non-commercial photography and filming for personal use, including social media, is allowed only when it is not disruptive to the event or movement of others; however, photography or recording of any kind or type is prohibited during panel discussions and other activities/events as determined by Management. Commercial photography and filming are only permitted by those with approved media credentials obtained in advance of the event.
Risk Assumption: All Persons acknowledge that there are inherent risks and dangers associated with attending or participating in the event and assume all such risks, including bodily injury, death, personal injury, emotional distress, exposure to COVID-19 and other infectious or communicable diseases, as well as the loss, damage or destruction of property.
Sleeping/Camping: Sleeping or camping is prohibited on the premises during Comicpalooza. Possession of tents, sleeping bags and other camping equipment is prohibited.
Smoking/Vaping/Tobacco: Smoking, vaping and use of smokeless tobacco products is prohibited.
Use of Image: All Persons acknowledge that they will, and expressly consent to be, filmed, photographed or otherwise recorded as a condition of attendance during Comicpalooza. By entering the event premises, each Attendee relinquishes any reasonable expectation of privacy and grants to Comicpalooza LLC an irrevocable, royalty and attribution-free right to use, publish and otherwise exploit (and allow others to use and otherwise exploit) any photograph, video, image, recording, or any other record of attendance during Comicpalooza, in whole or in part, in perpetuity throughout the universe, in all media and means, now known or hereafter developed or discovered, for any promotional or other commercial purpose.
Violation: Any violation of this Code of Conduct, as determined by Management in its sole discretion, is grounds for immediate removal from the event, whether observed personally by event staff or reported by a third party. Management may, but shall have no obligation to, allow an offending attendee the opportunity to immediately correct their behavior before requiring their removal. Any attendee removed from the event will not receive a refund or be allowed to reenter the event.
VIP/Speed Passes: VIP passes (and Speed Passes, if offered) allow the holder to access the exhibit hall 30 minutes before general admission; use a priority line to access all celebrity guest panels separate from general admission guests; and use a priority line to access celebrity autograph and photograph opportunities separate from general admission guests - provided the VIP pass holder has purchased the separate autograph and/or photograph opportunity.
While waiting in the VIP line for a celebrity panel, autograph or photograph, the VIP pass holder may have up to two children, under 13 years old, wait with them. Children 13 and over must have their own VIP pass to utilize the VIP privileges.
A Speed Pass works like a VIP pass; however, it is limited to one specific celebrity or one specific line-up.
Weapons: Bladed/Pointed/Blunt: Possession, display, sale, storage, or distribution of bladed and blunt weapons is prohibited. The term “bladed weapons” includes pointed weapons as well as knives, swords, daggers, switchblades, machetes, scissors, razor blades, needles, icepicks, axes, hatches, chainsaws, saws, pickaxes, edged/pointed martial arts weapons, sickles, scythes, spears, pikes, polearms, halberds, arrows, throwing stars, caltrops, and other items featuring a sharpened edge or point. The term “blunt weapons” includes bats, clubs, maces, mallets, hammers, paddles, golf clubs, brass knuckles, non-edged/pointed martial arts weapons and other melee weapons and items capable of causing blunt trauma. If a weapon of any kind or type is purchased from an exhibitor, All Persons are prohibited from tampering with or removing any security measures, such as zip ties, or removing such items from their sealed box or packaging until they are removed from Comicpalooza.
All Persons who experience or observe an incident, injury, unsafe condition, in appropriate behavior, or other violation of this Code of Conduct are directed to contact the nearest security guard or Management immediately.
