We love to see our attendees dress up in all sorts of creative and interesting costumes! However, for safety's sake, we have some rules about what costumes and props are acceptable at BronyCon. When planning your costume, please keep the following rules in mind:

  • Decency and Appropriateness: Congoer attire must cover all areas normally covered by a swimsuit. Costumes and props must also be PG-rated. Hate speech is not permitted on attire or props in any language.
  • Costume Safety: Costumes must not be dangerous to anyone who bumps into them accidentally. Costumes and props that pose an indoor safety hazard to their owners, such as stilts, roller blades, or party cannons, are also not allowed.
  • Volume: Costumes and props that make noise must have volume controls and should be kept at an appropriate volume. The owners of such props and costumes must turn down or mute the volume when asked to by Security. Bass cannons are not allowed at BronyCon.
  • Live Steel: Live steel props are any props crafted from metal with a pointed end or blade-like edge, whether blunt or sharp. All such objects are strictly prohibited in convention spaces. This rule does not apply to objects with only the appearance of metal, such as wooden swords wrapped in aluminum foil.
  • Weapons: Projectile weapons such as bows, slings, or crossbows must be disabled and unloaded. Bows must be unstrung or strung with a flimsy and loose material such as twine. No bolts or arrows may be carried as part of a costume unless they are fake, not fireable, and not sharp or dangerous.
  • Gun-like Props: In accordance with Baltimore law, all props that can reasonably be perceived to be a real firearm due to their color, size, shape, or other characteristics are prohibited from the convention. Gun-like props that do not fall under this restriction must have an orange tip as part of the prop at the point of manufacture. (That is, using orange tape or paint on the tip does not qualify unless you made the prop yourself, e.g. out of Styrofoam.) Furthermore, no airsoft guns of any kind are allowed in convention space, disabled or otherwise, and no ammunition of any kind may be carried. Toy guns (such as NERF guns) must be unloaded and their magazines, if present, must be removed except during photos. In all cases, take care to avoid gun-like props with color schemes commonly found on real firearms such as black, gunmetal gray, or tan.
  • Guns: Real firearms, even if disabled or unloaded, are strictly prohibited in all convention spaces. If you are an off-duty law enforcement officer carrying your sidearm through convention space, please come see the Head of Security when you enter the con so there are no unfortunate misunderstandings.

If you want to make sure your prop follows our prop policy, please email a picture and description of your prop to [email protected] You can also check your prop onsite with any member of our Security team. Any prop being used in an unsafe or threatening manner may be confiscated by Security. Security may ask you at any time to put a prop away or change out of a costume based on its acceptability. The Manager on Duty of Security has the final say as to the acceptability of any prop or costume.

Please be advised our policies are subject to change and should be reviewed closer to the convention to ensure your costume still falls within our rules.

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