HaruhiCon is a 3-day fan convention hosted at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole for multicultural enthusiasts of Anime, Manga, Japan and Japanese Culture!
HaruhiCon blooms in Spring, built by fans, for fans. We as a team have more than a decade of experience in all aspects of fandom spaces and events. Our mission is to build a space for the fandom community to come together celebrating their interests and their talents.
Featuring Highlights such as Workshops, Quizzes, Anime Parties, Cosplay Masquerade, Cherry Cabaret, Blossom Ball, Bring and Buy, Cosplay Chess, Charity Cosplay Café, Karaoke, Games Rooms, Vendors and a suite of rooms to host fan-submitted panels on all the weird and wonderful topics your heart desires. We're sure you'll find something you love!
We've put some of the need-to-knows below, but you can always check the FAQ for more info.
Look out for the 🌹 icon for things you can sign up for!
🌸 Registration
Registering for the convention is a two-part process~
Step 1: Grab your ticket online! You will receive a confirmation email with your ticket code, badge name, hotel booking link and your invite to join our Community Discord, and a separate receipt from Stripe.
Step 2: Pick up your custom HaruhiCon Badge at the Registration Desk*. Your badge features unique HaruhiCon badge art and your chosen badge name. You'll also get your own tote bag, conbook (a printed guide with loads of information about the convention for you to explore!) and a lanyard.
*registration is formally on Friday, but don't panic if you're arriving later! You can collect your badge and tote bag etc. at our Ops Desk throughout the whole weekend.
A HaruhiCon Badge guarantees you entry to all 3 days of the event. There are no day tickets and badge sales are limited by capacity - we want to make sure you have room to enjoy yourselves! - so make sure you register online ASAP to avoid disappointment.
🌸 For Attendees
There's lots to do at HaruhiCon, including the Games Room (hosted by Tokonatsu), the Vendor Hall, the Bring and Buy, the Blossom Ball and the parties but it's so much more than something you just see and shop at. There's lots of opportunities to take part in events or even submit your own!
To get an idea of the layout of the schedule and the convention check out The Schedule page.
🌸 Fan-Panels
Your opportunity to flex your creativity to an audience of fellow fans!
We love when panels contribute to the convention themes of anime, manga and all things Japan, but don't let that limit your creative mind!
Suggestions for panel ideas include:
Workshops: Whether practical or presentation only, walk your fellow attendees through the craft of your choice
Interactive: Command the room for quizzes, gameshow parodies, live dubbing, anything that gets people involved
Informative: Invite attendees to learn more about your interests, could be travel, LARP, idols, animated penguins etc.
Performative: Got your own mini show that'll capture your audience? This is your time to shine
Discussion: For those that want to have a stimulating conversation or just a bit of a giggle over something
🌸 Volunteers
No event can run without volunteers and we need YOU!
Volunteering to help at HaruhiCon is completely optional and can include tasks such as badge checking at event room doors, making sure panels run on time, looking after our vendors, backstage work for our stage shows, and more! This is your opportunity to peek behind the curtain of what it takes to run a convention, earn the never ending gratitude of the committee and access a few other perks 👀.
🌹 Learn more about Volunteering here!
🌸 Cosplay Masquerade
Show off your cosplay on stage, whether it's bought or made, from anime or comics, in a group or flying solo, walk on or skit, all are welcome here.
🌹 Submit your Cosplay Masquerade entry here
🌸 Cherry Cabaret
Inspired by the roaring success of HotaruCon's FireFly Lounge we bring you the ̶Ch̶e̶e̶k̶y̶ Cherry Cabaret 💃
Our very own Saturday Night cabaret lounge variety show. Non-competitive and cosplay-optional, the aim is to entertain!
Singing, dancing, poetry, magic, comedy, burlesque, drag, gymnastics, if you can do it...we'll see what we can do to stage it!
For everyone else, you're invited to bring a drink, pull up a chair and enjoy a show like you've never seen before.
🌹 Submit your Cherry Cabaret entry here
🌸 Cosplay Chess
Watch your hosts take to the board to defeat one another in a completely normal game of chess.
The fact that there are (a minium of) 32 Cosplayers standing on a human size chess board mirroring their every move...like we said....completely normal game of chess.
If you're a Cosplayer sign up to join the chaos, you'll be assigned to a team and have to co-ordinate 'battles' with your opponents. How you defeat them however...well that's up to you. In character? Break the 4th wall? Send them to the Shadow Realm?
If you're not on the board, take a seat in the audience for a showdown you won't want to miss. Excitement awaits in this nail biting match!
🌹 Sign up as a Chess Piece here!
🌸 Charity Cosplay Café
Our pop up café inspired by classic Maid Cafés with a super cute theme. For a small fee you can enjoy some refreshing tea and cake on Sunday afternoon or sign up to help as a Maid or Butler if you want to help out (and maybe earn a slice of cake 👀).
There's games to play and you can even get cheki polaroids with the maids and butlers! All profits go to the Con Charity.
🌹 Sign up as a Maid or Butler here!
🌸 Blossom Ball
HaruhiCon's grand finale is the Blossom Ball and what better way to send off the weekend than dressed to the nines and waltzing the night away to your favourite music from anime and video games? There's no formal dress code for the Blossom Ball, so please wear whatever you're comfortable in, but if you do have a ballgown, an elegant suit, or an outfit that feels extra special, this the perfect opportunity to bloom on the dancefloor.
🌸 Bring and Buy
The pop-up charity shop of conventions: this is where you can bring your own items for sale or buy a vast selection of vintage, rare, or just totally random stuff! Run out of space on your figure shelf? Manga that you're just not going to read anymore? One fan's trash is another fan's treasure, as they say. All you need to do is label up your goodies and drop them off at Bring & Buy, then return to collect any unsold items and, of course, your cash! There's a small administration charge and a portion of the proceeds goes towards the Convention Charity for every sale, but the rest goes back to you.
🌹 Submit your items for the Bring and Buy here!
🌸 Games Room
Hosted by the Tokonatsu committee, this super cool, personally curacted collection of games gives you the opportunity to try something you haven't played before, join a game with your fellow attendees, or just chill out with a classic favourite. Digital or traditional gaming, we'll have a bit of both. Whether you're a hard core gamer or maybe just looking for somewhere to hang out for a while between panels, there's lots of options for solo gamers and multi-player. One major rule though; no food or drink is allowed in the Games Room for obvious reasons, so you'll need to leave it at the entry desk.
🌸 Vendors Hall
Looking for unique art or merch from your favourite anime? This is the place to be, and you'll also find the Bring & Buy here. Come have a browse, support small businesses and independent traders, and be amazed by the creativity and variety on offer.
Want to become one of our lovely vendors? You can apply for a spot via the website, and we'll take care of you at every step of the process, whether that's making sure you've got an accessible table, keeping you updated on ribbon or stamp rally organisation via our vendor-exclusive Discord channels and emails, or just keeping you hydrated while you sell.