You are required to observe and strictly adhere to this Code of Conduct at all times as a condition of admission and continued participation in the Comicpalooza event at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. As used in this Code of Conduct, “You” means a person attending, participating in, or otherwise present during Comicpalooza, including all attendees, exhibitors, volunteers, event staff, talent, sponsors, contractors, agents, licensees, invitees, guests, and other individuals; the term “Management” means Comicpalooza LLC, its affiliates, authorized agents, successors, and assigns.
Badges/Passes: All persons over the age of five are required to have and display an official event credential, called a badge, at all times. (A Pass is what you purchase to attend Comicpalooza and a badge is what you wear to show proof of purchase and acceptance of this code of conduct.) Adult badges are required for attendees aged 13 and up; Kids passes are available at a lower cost for children 6-12; children under 6 are free and will not need a badge. If you want your child, under six years of age to receive a badge, you may purchase them a Kid’s Pass. Badges/passes are non-transferable. 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.
Passes can be purchased online or at the door. Badges/passes purchased in advance are sold at discounted prices. Badges/passes, VIP and Speed 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 for those six and older, it does not guarantee access to the 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: You must submit to a bag check at each of the entry points before entering the event. Prohibited items, as defined throughout this Code of Conduct, cannot be brought into the event.
Behavior/Personal Conduct: You 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 the event – 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: All persons under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Children aged six to 13 are required to have and display an official event credential, which is typically available at a reduced cost.
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 are 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: You are required to comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, and orders of governmental authorities as a condition of admission and continued participation at the event.
Cosplay/Costume Rules: This event is family-friendly; therefore, you must ensure that your cosplay/costume is 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 agents, 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. You will be issued a wristband and have any 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 the event 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 in its discretion will not be allowed to be brought into the event. (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 the event, 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 another characteristic 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. You should report any observed, experienced, or otherwise apparent incident of harassment immediately to a security guard or uniformed event representative at the information booth located in Exhibit Hall C of the main lobby. Anyone who observes or experiences harassment concerning the event outside of the event dates/hours, including social media, is asked to immediately contact Management at 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: You agree to and hereby irrevocably 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. You agree that any claims made in connection with the event shall be subject to Texas law and brought individually in Harris County, Texas. You acknowledge that Management shall not be liable for special, indirect, consequential, or punitive damages to any extent.
Pets/Animals: Pets and other animals are prohibited without written permission in advance. The only exception is for authorized service animals trained to provide a service to a person with a disability that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II, Regulation 35.136.
Photo Ops: Photos with the celebrity guests are available for purchase separate from admission passes. No admission pass/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: Prohibited items at the event include skateboards, skates, rollerblades, hoverboards, 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 in its discretion. (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, in the photo/autograph hall, and other activities/events as determined by Management.
Risk Assumption: You 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 and camping are prohibited. 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: You acknowledge that You will, and expressly consent to be, filmed, photographed, or otherwise recorded as a condition of attendance during the event. By entering the event premises, You relinquish any reasonable expectation of privacy. You hereby grant Management 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 your attendance during the event, 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 actual or suspected 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 the 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 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.
A Speed Pass works like a VIP pass; however, it is limited to one specific celebrity or one specific line-up.
While waiting in the VIP line for a celebrity panel or autograph 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.
While waiting in the VIP line for a celebrity photograph, the VIP/Speed pass holder may have up to three people with them (a total of four people) that will appear in the photograph together.
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, then You are prohibited from tampering with or removing any security measures, such as zip ties, or removing such items from their sealed box or packaging prior to leaving the event.
If You experience or observe any incident, injury, unsafe condition, inappropriate behavior, or other actual or suspected violation of this Code of Conduct, then You are directed to immediately contact a security guard or uniformed event representative at the information booth located in Exhibit Hall C of the main lobby.
