BAY AREA KEI

Bay Area Kei is committed to the well-being and safety of our attendees. Our Code of Conduct outlines the expected behavior of all attendees, staff, volunteers, and vendors. Bay Area Kei reserves the right to remove or ban anyone not in compliance with our Code of Conduct. By attending our events you agree to abide by the rules below.

“Attendee” refers to anyone within Ursa Major event space, including anybody within the free-to-enter areas, badge holders, staff, vendors, and volunteers.

Code of Conduct last updated: June 21, 2024

Attendees

• Treat all attendees with kindness and respect.

• Stalking, bullying, verbal or physical harassment, or discrimination based on race, gender, religion, orientation, or age will not be tolerated. Bigotry, homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of prejudice are not allowed.

• Respect other attendee’s personal space. Do not touch anyone, including their clothing and personal belongings, without their express permission.

• Please refrain from photographing or filming specific individuals without their explicit permission.

• Do not criticize or police anyone’s clothing or appearance.

Venue

• Treat the event facilities with respect. Do not block aisles or doorways, or impede the flow of traffic. Do not litter, deface any hotel property, or tamper with equipment or furniture.

• The use of illegal substances in the event space is strictly prohibited. Do not smoke or vape in the event space.

• Consuming alcohol is permissible in the event space for attendees 21 years of age and over. Please drink responsibly and in moderation. Don’t drink and drive. Bay Area Kei reserves the right to remove any attendee that appears publicly intoxicated from the convention.

We take all complaints seriously. If any attendee, including vendors, volunteers, and staff, has made you feel uncomfortable, please alert the closest available volunteer or staff member immediately. You can also report any incidents to staff members at the Info Desk, which is located on the Lobby Level next to the Sakura Room.

• Badges must be worn on your person and easily visible while in badged event areas.

• Badges are non-transferable, and may not be duplicated or altered.

• The last day badge holders can request a refund for any reason is November 29th, 2024. Afterwards, you may only request a refund prior to the event (before December 6th) if you cannot attend due to illness. Refunds do not include Eventbrite fees.

• Bay Area Kei reserves the right to revoke badges for any reason.

• Badges purchased online may only be picked up by the registered badge holder. You can not designate someone else to pick up your badge for you.

• Attendees ages 18 and over must provide ID that matches the name used for registration at badge pick-up.

Please click here for more information about badge purchase.

Shopping Events

Shopping events consist of:

• Ursa Market (Sakura Room, Saturday)

• Gothic & Lolita Market Pop-Up (Spring Room, Saturday)

• Swap Meet (Imperial Ballroom, Sunday)

Attendees are not expected to wear J-fashion attire in order to enter shopping event areas.

Other Events and Programming

We strongly encourage attendees to wear J-fashion attire while attending other convention events and programming, but it is not required. J-fashion attire includes, but is not limited to, lolita fashion, ouji, gyaru, fairy-kei, wafuku, et cetera. Individual events may have specific dress codes that will be enforced. All attendees are expected to abide by the following rules:

• Do not wear clothing with sexually explicit imagery, or carry props or accessories with an obvious sexual function. Clothing and accessories that are commonly worn in public spaces, such as collars and harnesses, are permitted.

• Do not wear clothing or accessories that display profanity, hate speech, or hate symbols.

• Ursa Major is specifically a J-fashion convention, not a general Japanese subculture convention. As such, we do not consider cosplay appropriate attire. However, attendees are welcome to wear J-fashion coordinates inspired by fictional themes or characters.

For the safety of all attendees, please do not use selfie sticks, tripods, or large photography/filming equipment in crowded areas.

Bay Area Kei reserves the right to search bags for prohibited items at any time. Prohibited items include the following:

• Glitter, confetti, and balloons

• Weapons, including realistic prop firearms

• Smoking devices, such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaporizers, pipes, and bongs

• Illegal substances

• Laser pointers, fog machines, strobe lights, or any visually disruptive devices

• Speakers, megaphones, or any other device that produces disruptive sounds

Ursa Major is an all-ages convention, and badges for minors are available with the purchase of an adult badge. Individual events may have stricter age restrictions that will be enforced.

Youth Badges (11-17 years of age): Any attendee between 11 and 17 years of age at the time of the event MUST be accompanied at all times by an adult guardian aged 25 or older. Youth badges will be available for purchase as an add-on option both online or at the door. Youth badges purchased online can only be picked up by the corresponding registered adult badge holder. Each adult guardian may be responsible for a maximum of four Youth badge holders in total.

Child Badge (10 years and under): Children aged 10 or under may attend with a child badge, which is available at no additional cost with the purchase of an adult badge. Infants (age 2 and under) are not required to hold a badge. Child badges will be available as an add-on option both online or at the door. The child must be present at badge pick-up and MUST be accompanied by their legal guardian at all times.

Bay Area Kei staff are not responsible for supervising any minors during the convention. Any minors under the age of 18 found participating in event space without their accompanying guardian will be removed from the convention.

For more information about badge purchases, please visit the Registration page.

• Face masks are strongly recommended in our shopping areas. Shopping areas include:

  • Ursa Market

  • Gothic & Lolita Market

  • Swap Meet

• Masks are required to be worn in all other enclosed event spaces at all times unless actively eating or drinking. Please wear a well-fitted mask that covers your nose and mouth.

• We will be limiting the number of people allowed inside our event spaces at once to prevent overcrowding and ensure attendee safety. Please social distance whenever possible, and be respectful of others' personal space.

Due to the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 epidemic, we reserve the right to introduce additional restrictions at any time.

Additionally, we ask that if you feel sick, please stay home. You may request a refund due to illness by contacting us directly at bayareakei@gmail.com.

Photography and filming by attendees is generally permissible in Ursa Major event spaces. However, individual events may have stricter policies prohibiting photography and filming.

We may enforce stricter photography policies for any event at any time.

We encourage all attendees to ask for consent before taking photos or filming other individuals. However, all attendees should understand that Ursa Major is a public event space where photography and filming may take place. There is always the possibility that you may be photographed or filmed.

In addition, Bay Area Kei staff will be engaged in event photography and filming during Ursa Major. Attendees should understand that by attending Ursa Major, they may appear in promotional material on our social media and website. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

For our attendees who prefer not to be photographed or filmed, there are ‘No Photography’ pin badges available at the Info Desk for your use. We expect all attendees to be mindful of these pins, as well as any signs or other visual markers in event spaces prohibiting photography and filming. We thank you for your respect and cooperation in regard to this issue.