Town Hall Takeover “HYPE CON" (12 - 24 years) - School Holiday Program

Youth Fest & FReeZA presents HYPE CON Town Hall Takeover at Broadmeadows Town Hall! A youth led pop culture event filled with performances, music, movies, e-games, virtual reality, workshops, cosplay competitions & more! Join in on the HYPE!  

This program is facilitated in partnership with Hume Youth Services, Hume Libraries and supported by the Victoria Government. 

Please note - Registration through Eventbrite is required to secure your place. Please ensure you complete both pages of registration form to avoid booking cancellations.

Booking terms
Hume Youth Services are hosting a range of free activities to enjoy these school holidays. All programs have limited availability and some require online registration.

The Youth Engagement and Pathways Unit support young people aged 6 - 24 who have strong connections to City of Hume. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian/responsible adult to choose programs that are suitable for their young person.

Youth Services Unit have right of refusal for your booking, if selected programs do not meet the needs or age of your young person.

Bookings close 2 business days prior to the activity date to allow for all participant information to be processed.

Child safe commitment
Hume City Council is a child safe organisation with zero tolerance for child abuse. Council actively listens to and supports children to be strong, confident and self-determined citizens. Council provides a safe working environment that values child safety, diversity and inclusion for all children aged 0 – 18 and adheres to the Victorian Child Safe Standards and related legislation. Council acknowledges the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of all children; especially children from Aboriginal or culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and those with a disability.

HYPE CON Town Hall Takeover - Cosplay Guidelines & Costume/Prop Guidelines

HYPE CON is committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment for everyone.
It is our Duty of Care to provide an environment safe from harm, and it is the Duty of Care of our attendees to ensure that your behaviour, costumes/props, do not place others at risk.

There are certain legislative regulations and venue restrictions as to the props and costumes that we all must meet. These are the minimum expected standards of all cosplayers at our expos.

Behaviour whilst at the Event and in Public Spaces

· Be aware of your surroundings and the safety and comfort of others.

· Know where your props are in relation to others

· Be aware of how you are carrying them – do you know who is behind you? Could they hurt someone if accidentally dropped or swung in their direction?

· Does your prop break-down for easy transport and could it fall apart?

· Remember that even when you’re outside the venue in public spaces it is your responsibility to make sure your costume and props don’t interfere with the public.

The following set of guidelines for cosplaying at HYPE CON is not exhaustive, nor definitive, and are collated to meet Hume City Council’s health & safety polices & procedures.

If you have any questions about the cosplay costumes and props at HYPE CON, please contact us via youth@hume.vic.gov.au or visit Props Check table upon entry and speak with our team.

Cosplay is a part of what makes HYPE CON awesome and the best way to show those who have never seen the passion of cosplay outside the event is to be well behaved, courteous and respectful of the public. Represent cosplay and cosplayers in the best possible way!

HYPE CON Town Hall Takeover uses the following Core Cosplay Guidelines for cosplayers to follow, in order to get the best experience out of the weekend. Below them, we go into further details about what items are restricted or prohibited at HYPE CON.

1. Respect Everyone: HYPE CON is dedicated to providing a safe and harassment-free experience for everyone. This means always asking consent when taking photos or touching peoples costumes. HYPE CON does not tolerate any type of abuse or harassment. If you feel like you are being harassed, pressured into doing something you are not happy with or are otherwise uncomfortable, do not hesitate to contact a member of the Hume Youth Services Staff or security staff. You can find these people by looking for people wearing Blue Hume City Council lanyards. Anyone seen to be harassing someone or not following guidelines, will be asked to leave immediately.
2. Appropriate Costumes, some costume choices are not appropriate. Just be sure that what needs to be covered is covered (breasts, groin and buttocks) and make sure your costume is not sexualised, culturally insensitive or in poor taste. You may either be asked to cover up, change out of the costume or asked to leave the event if staff deem you are not upholding the guidelines.
3. Excessive Weight: Heavy props can be dangerous, particularly in crowds like the ones you might encounter in the Town Hall. We ask that all attendees keep in mind the weight of their props and costumes and make sure they will not cause any damage or become too unwieldy during a full day of fun at HYPE CON.
4. Excessive Size: HYPE CON will only allow props which are up to 1.5 metres in overall length into the Town Hall. If your prop is larger than 1.5 meters, you will have to surrender it at the Props Check station & pick it up when you leave the event. If you’re carrying your prop at HYPE CON including outside of the Town Hall, please remember to be aware of your surroundings and always consider the comfort of your fellow attendees & the public.
5. State and Federal Weapons Legislation: Each state and territory of Australia has different legislation regarding weapons (including imitation weapons & props) which included licensing, storage requirements and restricted items. You can find the links to Victoria’s specific laws regarding imitation and replica firearms:
   
   Victoria: VIC Police Firearm Classifications & Imitation Firearms Quick Guide
   
6. Metal and other potentially hazardous materials: Props made from metal, glass and other materials that can be heavy or dangerous in any other way will have to be presented to Props Check for assessment. Props Check will be aiming to make sure that props are unlikely to cause any damage to people and property, even if the damage is accidental. Hazardous Materials includes but is not limited to: bio-hazardous, combustible and dangerous chemicals.
7. Cosplay Props Check-In: Prop Check is the first stop for any cosplayers with props which may require inspection. The Prop Check team will assess all props to make sure they comply with all the guidelines above and are safe to carry around the expo.If a prop is determined to be unsafe to be carried around the expo we will offer to store the item at the props check-in. Items stored like this may be collected for photos outside of the vendor’s hall and should be collected before leaving the expo. Prohibited items will be held for the duration of the day attended and only given back when the owner is leaving. If the prohibited item is found in breach of State or Federal law, the police may be contacted. Final decisions regarding whether or not props and costumes will be allowed into the expo lie with Props Check staff. Venue security and members of the HYPE CON team may also request you check an item if they find you to be breaching of any of the above guidelines or behaving dangerously with your props or costume.

DISCLAIMER: Cosplay Props required to be cloaked are done so at the owner’s risk. While every care is taken to make sure that items brought to or at the event are safe, HYPE CON takes no responsibility for any damage dealt to props, cosplay weapons or cosplay items either on the person, or kept in the props/weapons check-in area.

Pro-tip: Please be aware that everyone needs to be wearing footwear while attending HYPE CON. Please be aware that Roller Skates/Blades, Skateboards, Wheelie shoes, and Hover-boards are not permitted for use inside any part of HYPE CON even if they are a part of a costume.