This was the first Hello Kitty Con in the US, and like all first events, there will be errors that organizers learn from...so I'm not giving this anything lower than a 4. I only went on the last day (Sunday), at around 12:30pm and stayed all the way until they closed (7pm). I'd have to say I was quite lucky throughout the day with quick lines, and seeing almost all I wanted to see/buy (no, I did not get a tattoo)! If you even slightly dislike Hello Kitty, don't even bother coming...or reading the rest of this review. It's like Hello Kitty threw up all over the place and turned it into the cutest place in LA. Going to throw some TIPS out....why am I writing tips when I don't know if there's going to be another one? Because I'm hoping there will be!!! +TIP #1: Pick up your badge prior to your event date - The Saturday before the event, friends and I were participating in the Hungry Hunt right around the event and they convinced me to pick up my badge after we ate so that I could avoid lines on Sunday. Thank goodness they did, because I avoided one huge line! +TIP #2: Pick up your free bag first - When I got in, I was about to head to the bags, but one of the staff members told me not to because the bags would be passed out all day so I should come back at the end. While I was waiting in line for something, I was checking out the Hello Kitty Con app and read that they RAN OUT OF BAGS! I jumped out of the line, raced outside to see, and was about to cry because the bags were indeed out! I ran back inside and started asking people if I could buy their bags off of them. Luckily, one family of 7 gave me one of their EXTRA bags! -_______-" +TIP #3: Walk around the market at least once really quickly so that you can see everything you want to buy. THEN buy it during your 2nd, 3rd or 4th round. I walked around the market about 5 times. Yep...I had that much time! +TIP #4: Pop-Up Shop - Every time I wanted to visit the Pop-Up Shop (which carries items exclusive to HKC2014), the wait was 3-4 hours! No way! Finally one hour before the convention ended, the line was super short and they decided to open it up again. I hopped in line and waited 30 minutes only! Woo hoo!!!! +TIP #5: Make friends...lots of friends. Yes, this place is crazy crowded...but hey, Hello Kitty fans all like to stick together! Also, Hello Kitty believes "You can never have too many friends" If HK says so, I say so too! Can't wait for the next one (crosses fingers)! read more

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Hello Kitty heaven! Am I in Hello Kitty heaven? That is exactly how I felt when I first entered the Geffen Contemporary Art at the MOCA, where the first ever Hello Kitty Con is currently being held! Hello Kitty Con is an amazing celebration of everything Hello Kitty in honor of Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary. Everything here is Hello Kitty! They've got hello kitty charging stations, hello kitty ATMs, hello kitty signs and even hello kitty toilet paper in the bathrooms!! There's so much hello kitty here and something for everyone! There's a hello kitty tattoo parlor, a hello kitty supermarket with different vendors, a hello kitty vintage shop selling classic hello kitty items from the past, a hello kitty game center and a hello kitty pop up shop selling exclusive Hello Kitty items! There are plenty of photos ops all over! From super kawaii cardboard cutouts to photo booths where you can make animated gifs, you are sure to be clicking that camera continuously. I certainly did and it resulted in over 400 photos in just my first day. I got to go to the VIP opening party and so was very lucky to see everything without the massive lines but the following day, the lines were crazy! There are definitely a lot of hello kitty fanatics everywhere! As a visitor to Hello Kitty Con, it's wisest to know which area you really want to hit and go there first before it gets crowded! I skipped the line to the pop up shop because it was a four hour wait just to get in (happy I saw it during the VIP night but sad I didn't get a chance to get my Hello Kitty Con coin purse! I had figured I could get it the next day and couldn't because of the wait). Ahh wish I got that HK coin purse replica :(, Nevertheless, Hello Kitty Con was an awesome experience! I got to meet Yuko Yamaguchi, Hello Kitty's head designer from Tokyo as well as some of the other designers and get personalized drawings. I got to see lots and lots of super kawaii items from Hello Kitty tea sets to paintings to plushes. I even got a makeover from Sephora. Overall Hello Kitty Con was fun and super cute! I am a big Hello Kitty fan and this Hello Kitty Con truly made me one happy kitty :). read more

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Hello Kitty Galore!!! Review for Saturday Picked up badges days in advance----check Came early and waited in line----check Left HK con with tons of Hello Kitty exclusive items---check Happy camper----ME We didn't have an issue finding a parking space in the parking structure; however, price went up from $4 to $10 due to the event. But it was all worth it. I was glad one of our friends picked up our badges earlier during the week to prevent standing in long lines the day of. We got there around 6:30AM and there were already people in line. WOW!! Let me remind you the event started at 10AM. But that was ok because we got to meet new people. People from different states/continent came to this event all decked out! Then rain started to come down, but that did not scare the fans...most came prepared with umbrellas and those who didn't were very creative at trying to stay dry for the event for the most part. Since Saturday was not the first day of the event, it was a little more organized than previous days. Or that's what I heard from others who were there on Thursday and Friday. There were lines to everything; however, I got my hands on most of the stuff I wanted before the end of the event. Wished the lines were not as long so I can enjoy the whole event and more freebies would be nice. Nevertheless, I had an awesome experience at Hello Kitty Con. Perhaps next time we will buy tickets for multiple days so we can enjoy everything. Until next time, hopefully bigger and better!! read more

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First ever Hello Kitty Con and let me tell you, I was so happy to attend this event! We went on the last day of the event and the turn out was amazing. Although, you had to stand in line for just about everything. We took an Uber there from my friend's house near Santa Monica and for them being first time Uber customers they put HelloKittyCon for the promo code and got up to $50. for the first ride. We got dropped off where people were standing in line, little did we know we were in the "second" line we had to stand in. We were told we needed to grab our badges first. So 2 out of the 4 of us went to grab our group's badges which took about 30 minutes to do. Once we got that we went back to the line to get into the convention and it went by pretty fast. People watching was the best. Some went all out and dressed up in the cutest Hello Kitty outfits. Everyone there was so friendly! So doors officially opened at 10 we got there about 9:15. We got in about 11:00 so about an hour in line to get in and instead of going straight into the convention, we hit up the food trucks because we were pretty hungry. They had a few vendors there and a Hello Kitty pastry truck, which was pretty awesome. At that point we just got whatever was the shortest line and scarfed our food down and head straight into the convention. We didn't have to wait to get in but inside it was packed. Again, lines for everything. Not to mention a separate line for the store which from my understanding was a 4 hour wait!!! The convention was held at MOCA and I was a little disappointed because it was a pretty small venue. Because it was so packed you didn't really get to explore because people were constantly bumping into you. We lined up - yes, another line to get into another type of area where they had a bunch of vendors... We got a shirt made for $25 bucks which I thought was a reasonable price. We also walked around a bit in there because there were a lot of picture ops. They had a Sephora with the special HK collection as well as Yuko Yamaguchi signing and drawing some memorabilia for you. We also watched Hello Kitty perform haha and took a ton of pictures on the other side of the museum. They had people doing free tattoos. If I could of I would of but it was all sold out. :-( We had a great time, but like all first time events I hope next year they will be a little bit more organized and get a bigger venue. Overall, 4 stars... I love you, Hello Kitty. read more

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Hello Kitty Overload! Cuteness Overload! This convention was held at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, which is located in Little Tokyo. Seems perfect since HK is from Japan, right?! Yes! However, I wish the venue was larger because the amount of Kitty fans was overwhelming. Packed, packed, packed to the core and lemme tell ya, with the lines going every which way, 1-day pass is definitely NOT enough time to completely do everything on your desired list. For the most part, it was organized. They had security guards directing kitty traffic in strict directions to prevent bottle necks but with the mass of kitty lovers, bottle necks were inevitable. And the worst part?!?!?!? The Friendship store closed off patrons from lining up around 3pm!!!! I was fortunate or unfortunate (you can decide) that I was one of the last 30 people in that line. We lined up at 2pm and didn't get into the store at 6pm!!!!!! That's 4 hours of standing in line to buy once in a lifetime, one of a kind, HKC swag at premium prices! The Friendship Store only had shoppers snatching anything and everything off the shelves. And to my dismay, the items that I wanted was completely SOLD OUT! This is DAY1 kittettes! HKC t-shirts were GONE! Friendship Store experience = 1 STAR or less. It was disappointing. Otherwise, everything else about the convention was pretty great. Who could HATE on kitty loving patrons, like myself? We talked to so many people during our time in line and we were all just overwhelmed with the CUTE factor happening under 1 roof. There was free swag to be snagged everywhere. Kitty ears, tattoo stickers, cupcake stands, MakerBot HK dolls, photobooths, balloons, yogurt HKC official backpack, and buttons. And if your one of the utimate lucky ones, you can get free tattoos, nails painted, faux tattoos, and etc. Who doesn't like free?! CUTE CUTE CUTE! That's just about all I have to say. CUTE! read more

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For the obsessive HK fan that I am, this con was AWESOME!!! Parking was only $10...a steal in Los Angeles... a lot better than the $20 we had to pay in WeHo for the Halloween carnaval! Anyways, the badge line was pretty fast, entrance line was fast...the lines for the stores and to the food were pretty long, but that's to be expected at any convention, think Anime Expo, BlizzCon, ComiCon, etc. There were a lot of workshops and things to do, lots of photo ops, chances to learn more about HK and her legacy. She really does bring people together. Everyone was friendly, from the security, to the people working there, and to the people who stand with you in line. The art was amazing, the free entrance to the Japanese Museum for the HK exhibit was a great deal. Everyone had their own flair of HK, from just bows, to full blown outfits with plushies plastered all over them, down to customized HK shoes. I really feel less like a freak around everyone here! LOL:) As for food, best way is to eat in the Japanese plaza.. waiting for the food trucks takes way too long, unless you must absolutely have those HK donuts. They're opening in OC! Lots of free stuff being handed out, free tattoos.. REAL TATTOOS, just FYI! You won't do everything in a day, but I tried to...:) read more

Hello Kitty Con - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I can't believe I went to a Hello Kitty Con!!!! That is part of why I didn't give it super low rating. Yes the lines were insane, yes, it was crowded, but Hello?...everyone was happy and in a good mood. How often will you experience that? Not too often in my book. Found out about the HK Con from my friend, purchased my tix for Sunday ASAP, glad I did, because the weekend sold out way fast, at 10,000 people per day, $30 per adult. The workshops I feel sold out way before I knew about the event. Must hold like 20 people? What I recommend is getting your badge the day before if you are so lucky to do that. Wish I did, and it would have saved me waiting in two lines that day. Meh! Never made it into the pop up shop (4 hour wait), but that's ok, because an employee told me I can purchase all those items online. Instead I focused on the convention and the shopping area. Picked up a blinged out Sephora HK vanity mirror, holy cow I splurged. Also bought a loungefly wallet that I absolutely adore. Waited in line at the Hello Kitty Cafe and ordered the $4 bottle water that is in the shape of a red bow. I did get the free Target bag, however my bag which I didn't realize until I got home, is missing the front main panel. It has the same back sewed on both sides, I had to cut off the straps on one side to make the bag functional. There is a main stage where there is a DJ, live musical performer and Hello Kitty herself. I found that great for the little kiddies. Almost everywhere you turn was a photo op with Hello Kitty anything. As for the tattoo parlor, heard that booked up immediately in the morning. My favorite was that almost everyone had something Hello Kitty incorporated to their outfits. Tons of creativity and HK pride. I was so in my element and with my kind. That's why I'm willing to forgive the fact that this event was insanely crowded. This was a once in a lifetime event for me. Next year will be focused on the Twin Stars and My Melody, 2015. read more

Hello Kitty Con - Walked away with this purchase. - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I had a rad time the two years I went to Hello Kitty Con. They had such bad ass shit to buy and exclusive expensive ass shit to buy and I bought everything and I am so glad-I still have all that I bought from both years I went). It's fabulous and can't miss for Hello Kitty fans everywhere. read more

Honestly, it really deserved a 4 star for poor planning on their part. BUT, as a semi-die hard Hello Kitty fan, I'll boost it up another star. I went on a Sunday a little past noon. The line was ridiculous. Lines everywhere... as expected. I was super bummed when they ran out of the Hello Kitty Con bags. As replacement, they offered a small Hello Kitty doll for kids and a Hello Kitty cupcake stand for adults. Eh, whatever, I'll take it. The outside consisted of many arts and craft activities for little kids. In addition, there was some food trucks, too. The Hello Kitty Cafe was featured. I wasn't too excited, although now I regret not buying the bow water bottle. All in all, we didn't spend too much time loitering outside. The inside was crazy, people everywhere ranging from little kids to elderly people. Many things to see and to buy. Although I didn't spend too much time around, I think if I actually went by myself, I'd be there forever. There's also many photo booths and little things that were a nice addition. My only regret was not being able to enter the Market Place which was ANOTHER line to enter. The security guard informed that the line lets people in approximately every 4 hours. Well damn, I'm not gonna wait that long for it. Apparently, the Market Place had limited edition items which you couldn't get elsewhere. At the end of it, I was pretty good in resisting myself to only one sweater and one bag. The lines were really a problem, but then again, every event will bound to have a line. Maybe just fix something about that Market Place line, cause it was ridiculous. Other than that, I'll be there for the next one. read more

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I went in support of the girlfriend. We went on a Saturday. Thank goodness we didn't have to drive or bother with parking, because we took the MetroLink to Union Station and Uber'd it to the MOCA. I also managed to pick up our badges a couple of days before hand, again, thank goodness, because when we arrived at the venue around 9:20am is where the problems with this even had started. Our Uber driver didn't even get a chance to get to our final destination because we asked her to drop us off about a block away. Why you ask? Because there was a massive line already forming around the block on Alameda. So we get out of the car and stand in the back of the line. We wait and wait and wait. It's already 10am(the time when the event is supposed to kick off) and the line still is NOT moving. I think we waited another 15 or 20 more minutes and the lines began to finally move. It took us another 15 minutes or so to finally get to the entrance. Once inside, it was nothing but... you guessed it... LINES! I'm not gonna lie, I expected some lines, but I didn't expect this whole event to be nothing but lines. We didn't even bother getting in line for the store because I overheard someone say that it was going to take about 3 to 4 hours to even get in. Even DISNEYLAND on it's busiest day for CarsLand isn't even that long of a wait, and CarsLand is a long ass wait. We did get into ONE line that day, and it was to get those Hello Kitty bags. Luckily, that moved fairly quickly. The only thing we could get any access to was the Super Super Market. No lines there, but it was just stupid crowded. It didn't help that there were mothers there with strollers, running people over. We were hungry, but we dared not line up for one of the food trucks. You honestly couldn't even tell which line was for which truck, because the lines were wiggling around everywhere. We left because we saw everything we could see without having to wait 3-4 hours to see it, and because we were hungry. We left the hellhole that was the Hello Kitty Con and went over to the Japanese Village Plaza to eat. Funny thing, there were a bunch of Hello Kitty merchandise there that they were selling at the convention, without all the lines. We got to Union Station, hopped on the train back, and that was the highlight of this trip. This event was the most ill prepared and planned convention I have ever seen. The venue was too small, logistics were horrible, and over sold tickets. Even my girlfriend said she would never come back to this thing again. read more

This review is for Day 1 (Thursday) of the first ever Hello Kitty Convention 2014. Event is for all ages. Mostly females, but there were dudes there too. Take advantage of badge pick-up the day before the convention starts to avoid long(er) lines at the door. Come early and take advantage of the whole day because you will need it with all the lines. We came around 2pm and stayed til the very end when it started to clear out, and we were able to revisit things that were crowded earlier in the day. Some attractions were already closed as early as 530pm, like the Carnival attraction which sounded like fun but we weren't able get into. Love that they made the art so interactive and provided so many cute photo ops. Several different photo booths available where you can email yourself the pics. Again, lines can be really long but the pics are worth it. They also showcase Vintage HK stuff including the first ever HK product which was a coin purse normally kept in a high security safe in Japan. Dabs MyLA has a huge colorful and fun exhibit too. The gift shop had a 2-3 hour wait just to get in then I heard there was another line to pay for things. The Super Market has a number of vendors selling HK items. Vendors include Loungefly (which had a line to purchase), JapanLA (also a line), SPAM was selling HK Spam musubi makers ( I bought one hehe), etc... Dressing up was fun as you get people coming up to you to take pictures. You can also take part of a Cosplay contest. Limit of 20 people. The winner won a HK sewing machine. Participants got HK band-aid or HK duct tape. Line entrance: depends what time you go. We showed up at 2pm and there was a 5-10 minute wait to get in. Food: DONT COME HUNGRY!! We made the horrible mistake of not eating before coming. The lines are ridiculously long and there are not enough vendors. We waited 2 hours in line to order our food and to get the food in our hands. As the event ended, however, lines died out but you'll discover things are sold out too. We ate at: - Hello Kitty Cafe: cute overpriced Hello Kitty desserts. An assortment of 4-piece tiny cake set was $15. Very rich and decadent. A (disposable) plastic water bottle with special edition HK logo on it was $4. I didn't drink it. They also sold out of HK macarons, cake pops $4 each, and HK box of 3 donuts $14. Free tiny tote bag with $25 purchase. - Don Chow tacos (fusion mexican/asian burritos/tacos/etc. which was OK) shortest "meal" line. - They also had Grilled Cheese Truck, Crepe, a shaved ice truck, a refreshment tent that sold water, tea, soda $1-4. - No shade. Bring an umbrella - a third hand if possible. Limited number of picnic benches provided at a first come first serve basis. We didn't seem to have a problem finding seats. They also have these cute Hello Kitty cardboard cut outs folded into chairs. Activities/Workshops/Tattoo: You have to purchase tickets for these in advance. They're sold out. Didnt get to participate in the art school, Nail art, tattoo stuff. Womp Womp. Artists were also available for signing. We got to meet tattoo artist Misha as she was on her way out. Katy Perry was also there and she went shopping and got a tattoo. There was a line for the pumpkin patch: tiny pumpkins that you put stickers on - stickers are all the same. Also a very long line to get your penny pressed with a Hello Kitty imprint on it. Free HK/Target backpack when you show your badge at a booth. Makes carrying things easier. Not the best quality and they tend to rip a little easy but they are super cute. Parking: lots available for $10 normally but they may change prices during special events. MOCA does not have its own parking. My friend and I took an Uber so we wouldn't have to hassle with parking. Look for the Hello Kitty App to keep you up to date with everything at the con! Next time maybe we'll buy tickets for multiple days so we can enjoy everything because one day is not enough. Take lots of pictures, dress up, and enjoy as much as you can. Positive vibes everywhere, workers are so friendly and happy and willing to take pictures for you of you and your friends. Even though the lines were ridiculously long, it was a fun/kawaii Hello Kitty filled day. read more

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Overall, I'm glad I spent a few hours at the first Hello Kitty Con!!! I could have done without the long wait, just to get into the main building where all the displays and stuff were. Due to the building being at full capacity, the organizers had to limit fans getting in. (You really shouldn't get in way with women, who are going to shop). Once inside, it was pretty packed where the vendors were (duh!!! Shopping!!!! And not just shopping, but shopping for Hello Kitty stuff!!!!) I do have to say EVERYONE was really nice and in a good mood. There were lines for everything and people seemed obliged to do just that. I found parking pretty easily and near the venue. No super hassles, except going to the main venue. People were dressed up in fancy outfits or decked out in their fav HK shirt (like me). So many cute HK trinkets and memorabilia to gaze at and remember a simpler time, a younger time, where Sanrio was a must stop shop for all girls at the mall. This convention took me back in time. So, thank you for the opportunity to visit. It was fun! read more

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When I first found out about Hello Kitty Con, I knew I had to go and that I had to go on the first day! This review is based on my experience from Thursday, October 30. The $3 lot by MOCA was full and all the lots close to the Con were pricey. SInce I'm familiar with the area, I drove a few blocks down Alameda and found $5 all day parking... YAY! Lines lines lines, everywhere! The line to pick-up badges went smoothly and after a short wait in line, we were in the MOCA grounds by 10:20 am. I'm glad that I went on the first day because there weren't as many people as on the weekend and less kids! Crying kids are the worstttt when you're in line. I couldn't help but LOL because of all the sad husbands, boyfriends, young sons, and dads who got dragged here. The looks on some of their faces ranged from being overwhelmed to sheer disgust. This is definitely a female driven event. One low was seeing some woman yelling at the security who was trying to contain the line for the UpperDeck card. Hello Kitty would not have approved of your less than friendly behavior! I got to see and do everything I wanted to do! I consider myself very lucky because I really did enjoy my whole experience there. Some people just looked mad throughout the whole Con! I did miss out on some of the signings but I got to take in the whole Hello Kitty Con experience and that was most important to me. I got my free Con bag, got a "Hug Life" temporary tattoo, and even got to decorate a pumpkin with HK stickers. I was able to hit up all the booths I wanted to in the Super Supermarket. I even got to take a picture with Hello Kitty! Loved all my freebies and the staff working were all very nice. My fave freebie was the UpperDeck trading card [you can see this pic in my uploads]! Definitely framing it! I also loved the 3D figure from MakerBot! I didn't try any of the food trucks. My sister and I went into the plaza and got yummy food there. Highly suggest leaving the Con to get lunch / dessert! Little Tokyo offers many food gems! Lots of picture opportunities. Bring water and I wish I had brought a fan for standing in the warm sun. My advice is to come with a game plan and be patient! You will enjoy it! It was really fun being surrounded by other Hello Kitty fans! Thanks Sanrio for planning such a fun event! read more

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Review for Saturday. I was really looking forward to this event...but was quickly disappointed upon arriving. I get to the event by 9:20am thinking I was going to be one of the earlier ones. I was wrong. The lines were already so long! Luckily, my boyfriend picked up the badges days earlier, so we didn't have to stand in an additional line. As we were standing in line, a staff member was informing us about a store with exclusive merchandise and the location of the line. I told my BF that we would be standing in that line as we entered, but when we asked staff about it, they told me that the lines were closed. Huh?! First time I've ever heard that before. By the time I got into the convention, it was a little past 10, and the lines were closed with a 3-4hr wait. I don't think anything is worth that wait. There was no way anyone could enjoy this event with the amount of lines. Penny smasher- lines! Pumpkin decorating- lines! Activities- lines! Food trucks- lines! We decided to forego that line and pass on purchasing any HK items. We picked up our free HK tote bags fairly quickly and headed to the super market area. It was insanely crowded. I could not take great pictures or see the items that were being sold. Ventilation inside was awful, mothers with strollers were trying to get around, and once again lines were being "closed" due to fire hazards. This event was poorly planned. With the amount of tickets that were sold, they should have taken into consideration the amount of people that would be there and the capacity of the venue. Not sure if there will be future HK Cons, but I would not go back. My suggestion is to buy your items at the Sanrio store! read more

It was the first Hello Kitty con so it was a bit unorganized. It took an hour to check-in and get your badge, then it took another 20 minutes to get into the actual con. After that, EVERYTHING is a line and I mean everything. If you want to take pictures of artwork, get into the shopping area, see the limited edition items, view the clothing collection...lines, lines, and more lines. Outside it was crowded because all the lines were just running into one another and it was not organized. I'm a big fan of Hello Kitty and I'm sure I'll continue to go every year. The ticketing process and workshop organization will probably improve as they continue having it. It would be better to have it at a bigger location as well. It was crowded and if you don't get there early and stand in line for the store, you won't have a chance at the limited edition items. No chance. I'm still a fan and will continue to go to the future Hello Kitty cons. This first one was just a rough experience due to organization. I still ended up getting some great items :) Until next year HK... read more

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For a first year con, Hello Kitty did a great job! You can tell the convention was not prepared to hold the number of people it had at MOCA. There was a line to pick up your badge, a line to get into the main area, a line for each vendor, each photo op, and even the restroom. The Hello Kitty Food Hunt was happening at the same time, so there were lines across the street at the eateries in Little Tokyo, as well. Overall, the staff were really enthusiastic. Some were decked out in Hello Kitty accessories, like cute stockings, and rings, and hair pins. Some entertained the line goers by asking trivia questions for pins and other collectibles. Some talked about what they read about Hello Kitty not being a cat, because she owned a cat. I can't wait to see this convention next year at a larger venue. I see potential. I want to see some of the other Sanrio characters. read more

I went on a Friday late afternoon. Everyone was pretty much tired from the hype so I got to explore a bit. The place was small, exhibits were lacking and there was no chance I was waiting the last two hours in line for some limited edition items. I did like the booths which were located in a different area and bought one scarf that I have not seen online (yay). I loved the give away bags but sadly mine broke, I love the badges, I didn't like the weird headbands which at the end of the night they were giving out like hotcakes. Saw cute hello kitty harajuku type girls, took a pic with hello kitty herself and got a bow water bottle. Can't wait for this year's event!! read more

Hello Kitty Con - Awesome lanyard! - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I was hella excited to part of the first ever Hello Kitty Con, but I was disappointed and irritated with the production and organization of the event. PROS Staff: The Hello Kitty Con staff was overall friendly. I had many questions through out the entire event and each member was informative and in great spirit. The Museum of Contemporary Arts: The museum was probably the best part, since I didn't have to wait in line to maneuver around the exhibit. They had a lot of unique and historical Hello Kitty items and artwork on display. CONS Long Lines: To enter into the venue there was a line (of course), but to get into certain areas there was another line. Several staff members told me people start lining up at 6am, so it's inconvenient if you have kids that want to get in to the start the workshops. There was a line to buy regular Hello Kitty items and then there was a line to participate in Hello Kitty workshops and another 4-6 hour wait time line to buy "exclusive" Hello Kitty Con items. A line within a line within a line, I thought it was BS to have to wait in a 4-6 hour line just to purchase items...LINECEPTION much? Unorganized: The staff was friendly, but lost. They need to have coordinators outside of the venue to inform people where to go cause like other people I was also lost and standing in lines for no reason. Food: Hungry? There are 5 food trucks to choose from, just wait about an hour or more for some food. I was really disappointed when the the Hello Kitty Cafe truck ran out items when it was only noon. Parking: You will be driving around Little Tokyo for a good 20 minutes until you can spot parking. Unless you can drive early enough to park in the surround parking lots and pay about $25 for parking. Prices: Every adult had to pay $30.00 and $20 for every child ages 5-12. It doesn't seem bad of a price in the beginning but once you get to the event, you get realized you have been ripped off. If you want to participate in the activities, you must pay an additional fee. The freebies they supposedly were giving out ran out by noon. Keep in mind if you're like myself that does not live in the area, you are paying extra for transportation, shelter, and food. After leaving the event, I felt that I should have saved the money I used for Hello Kitty Con for a different event. To the head operators of the event, as a hardcore Hello Kitty fan I do appreciate the production of Hello Kitty Con, but please take note of the reviews and comments and consider some changes for the next Hello Kitty Con. You have numerous fans and you are obviously profiting mega bucks from all the tickets sales, vendors, publicity, and merchandise, so pick a larger venue to host or limit the amount of tickets you're selling. Take advice from Comic Con SD, they have a larger turnout rate, but they got their stuff down. read more

Hello Kitty Con - Hello Kitty freebies - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I see this event got good reviews from other people. Maybe it was better on the other days. I went on the last day, Sunday Nov. 2nd. I have to say,this is by FAR THEE WORST event I have ever gone to in my entire life! I have had more fun at the DMV...the lines were shorter too. They picked the wrong space to hold Hello Kitty Con. The event space was way too small! The place was packed to capacity at all times! It was very very disorganized. It took 3 LINES just to get into the event. Yes THREE! Line 1. pick up badges, line 2 to get through the gates to another area that was outside. Line 3 to get into the actual convention! There was also a line to pick up the bags to put your stuff in. I feel like that bag should have been given out with the badges. It would have cut down one line and also prevented people from taking extra bags! Some people had 4 bags...which caused other people to not be able to get a bag! I had 2 bags but ended up giving one of mine to someone who didnt get one. After they ran out of gift bags, they started giving out EMPTY band aid boxes. Yes EMPTY! they also had banks and jewelry boxes but they were only giving those out to certain people who they chose to give them to! I heard a couple of people ask if they could PLEASE have a bank or jewelry box instead of an empty band aid box. The people were YELLED AT by the staff members and told to take their band aid boxes and get off the line! I heard at least 3 people get yelled at! How rude! Hello Kitty convention is supposed to be a happy place! Staff should not be yelling at people! We paid 30 bucks to get into this crappy event! If the people wanted a damn cheap piggy bank, just GIVE THEM ONE! Inside of the event it was packed and there was nothing but lines inside! There was a line to play a game to win a bank that wrapped around and went up some steps. There was also a line just to get into the marketpace/store where you could buy merchandise. To get on that line you had to go back outside of the convention and stand on an extremely long line! I stood on that line for over an hour! When they finally let me in, I was met with ANOTHER LINE which would have been another 1.5 to 2 hour wait! I got off the line because I refuse to wait in line for 3 hours for some over priced knick knacks. No way! They kept closing off the market place and only letting groups of people in every hour. There were a few places that they kept closing off and telling people to try coming back to later because it was too crowded. They didnt even feature any of the other Sanrio characters....I guess they didnt have any room anyway. This was such a terrible experience. I didnt get to do any of the things I wanted to do. I didnt get to play any games to win prizes and I didnt get to go inside the marketplace to see the limited edition things that they had for sale because it was just too crowded and the lines were insane! I ended up leaving with my legs and feet hurting and didnt even get anything but some stickers, a button, a bag and a 4 dollar water bottle that i was lucky enough to get without standing in line because someone else was nice enough to get it for me! I would really like my $30 dollars back! I told one of the staff members that the event was terrible and I wouldnt be coming back next year. She said there won't be one next year and the only thing I could think of in response was "GOOD!" I am so disappointed in Hello Kitty Con. I have been a fan of Hello Kitty since I was a child! I was excited about this event all month! I bought my ticket a month in advance and anticipated this day and it ended up being a sh*t show! I hated this event! I wish ZERO stars was an option. read more

This review is for the last day of the HK 2014 Con. I had been reading fans' thoughts on the mobile app and had figured that the event planners would be making improvements upon the convention based on fan feedback each day. I could not have been more wrong. Apparently, people were saying that Sunday was the worst out of the four days, and too bad, it was the only day I had bought a ticket for. I really really hope that if there ever is another HK con - and I truly hope there is - the event planners will read these yelp reviews and seriously take the fans' ideas and concerns into consideration. This con could've been so amazing on so many levels. Instead, it was a huge disappointment, leaving much to be desired. 1) The event oversold tickets. Of all the unethical things to do. The staff were constantly telling us not to line up here and there because we were creating fire hazards by lining up. Really? The fire hazards alone were the sheer numbers of people at this venue. You fuckers oversold tickets. Period. Unethical. Period. 2) If you were going to be greedy about overselling tickets, at the very least, change the venue of the event. How about the LA Convention Center? Hell, even the Pasadena Convention Center. Anywhere but the MOCA. Making fans wait 3-4 hours just to get into the store to buy merchandise was unconscionable. 3) Mail badges prior to the event like some other conventions do. And let us pick up the lanyards at the event. The lines will move faster. Having to wait 1-2+ hours to pick up badges SUCKS, especially when we couldn't pick them up until 9 am...and I was waiting in line since before 8 am. There were people waiting since 6 am. Unbelievable. 4) After getting badges, there was a second, even longer line just to get into the convention. Once you're in, no one tells you that if you leave to get a drink/snack/use restroom, you will NOT easily be allowed back in unless you wait in yet ANOTHER long-ass line. We made this mistake, and I just about DIED when I found out. Lines, lines, lines! I've never experienced anything like this at any other venue, not even at Disneyland on the busiest day of the year. 5) Food/beverages: how can you expect to nourish the thousands of convention-goers with only 5 food trucks? And we are HK fans, so why only ONE HK food truck? What a disappointment! And do you not care about our comfort at ALL? There was basically no place to eat or rest unless we got supremely lucky. Sure, we could've gone over to the Japanese Village, but why should we? Plus, we were afraid to venture too far from the convention or even go outside again because we'd have to get back in a line just to get back inside. 6) I didn't understand why we had to wait 3-4 hours to get into the store until i finally got into the store: it was SO DAMN SMALL, and there was such a disappointing amount of merchandise. I understand that by Sunday, a lot of stuff had sold out. But still, the space was small, and my guess was that you still weren't selling that much to begin with. This was a Hello Kitty convention. I don't think it was wrong of me to expect to see a hundred times more merchandise in a much bigger space. You guys could've made so much more money. Had I known how little you were actually selling, I would never have waited in that awful line. Yes, I feel pretty stupid about it. All in all, this convention was just awful. I felt really sorry for the little kids who were there as this was not a kid-friendly event. The merchandise and activities were mostly geared towards adults, no child should ever have to wait in any line that long, there weren't enough restrooms, and even getting adequate food and drinks was an ordeal. It really shouldn't have been this hard. read more

I have to review this just because it was one of the worst experiences I've been through in regards to something that should be FUN. I went on Sunday, the last day. As everyone else said - LINES!!! It was the stuff nightmares are made of. Lines for everything, wrapped around buildings, rooms, broken in 1/2 and starting again across the room. The staff was clueless and would point you across the room - "the line starts over there"...but you go over there & there are 4 completely different lines! Just general chaos. I simply can't imagine how children suffered through these insanely long lines. Rude staff. Unbelievable. One staffer actually told my boyfriend he couldn't take pictures. What?! Is she insane? There are pictures being taken everywhere you look. The staff that were minding (sort of) the LINES, seemed massively confused. I thought one guy was going to cry. They didn't even know where their own lines started. They did run out of bags as so done else mentioned & YES, they were very rude about it. They handed you an empty band aid can. We didn't even get to see 70% of the convention, which is crammed into a small space, so that tells you how sad this was. Some lines were 5 hours long. So we basically came & tortured ourselves in pointless lines for a few hours then were forced to leave or be driven to insanity. Yes, mass consumerism...but sort of expected. However...can you imagine how much they could have made if you didn't have to wait in a 5 hour line to purchase something?? Wish I could give it zero stars. read more

About four years ago, Sanrio did a wonderful (and free) indoor event in Santa Monica called Small Gift Fair. It was friendly, it was held in a spacious airplane hangar, it wasn't too crowded, and it was fun. I was hoping the Hello Kitty Con would be the same. Oh, no. It wasn't. While the HK Con had many of the same things that had been on display at Small Gift, it was the polar opposite of that fun event. In fact it was a complete nightmare. It should have been called the Wait on Line Con, since that's about all most people got to do most of the time. I was there on Friday (Halloween). There wasn't a line to pick up badges (getting there about 8:30 am might have been a factor there) but that wasn't the norm for the day at all. In addition, I took the Gold Line Metro train, which left me off right across the street from the Con, so I wasn't worried about parking. 1. They clearly oversold this event. For the activities offered and the space allotted, there were just too many people. The way the various areas were laid out made the traffic even worse...for instance, whose bright idea was it to put the autograph table in the Supermarket?! I got to the Con at 8:30 for a 10am opening. It was already crowded, but I must have been within the first 200 people. Good thing; if I'd gotten there even a half hour later I wouldn't have seen anything at all in the Con. Since I was there early I was able to get to a few things, such as the bag pickup, without the horrible lines, but that ended by 10:30 or so... 2. The bags given out were very cute, but very cheap. My bag actually ripped open less than a minute after I received it, as I was walking away from the bag distribution booth! I went back and got a replacement, but they didn't seem happy to give it to me at all. The HK and Target logos on the bag straps rubbed away when you touched them. And I'm not surprised to hear that some greedy fans went back for extra bags...that sort of dishonesty would have been easy, thanks to the Con's poor planning. Most conventions and events will punch a hole in your badge when they give you your swag bag, or take a ticket from you. At HK Con, they just wrote an X on my hand in red marker. If I'd wanted to, I'm sure I could have washed that off and come back later for a second helping. I didn't, don't worry. 3. The lines for everything were horrendous. Absolutely, positively horrendous. In some places you couldn't even *get* on the line, there were that many people. Food trucks, games, temporary tattoos, photo ops, everything. It was impossible. People basically spent the day going from line to line. And some of the lines crossed each other, so it was hard to know which one was which. On the main floor, for instance, the lines for the tattoo shop, Target and the money grab booth all crossed each other, and people were standing there asking each other which line they were in. 4. Since I was there early, I made it into the first art class. The artist teaching the class was sweet and lovely, but had no idea how to teach the group how to draw the characters. They had different teachers every day, so maybe others had more luck with this. 5. They weren't very forthcoming about how the HK Ink tattoo studio worked. It turned out that they only took the first 25 people who signed up every day - this, at a Con where they sold around 6,500 tickets per day. And of course those spots went quickly. I didn't want a tattoo, but I happened to be near the tattoo shop around 12 noon, and I saw numerous upset fans get turned away from the line. 6. I had the same experience others did with the Target area: after waiting 30/45 minutes, they came around and kicked us all off the line due to "fire hazards." What? They gave us stickers as an apology, but still...it was a poorly managed situation. And a fire hazard? With the number of people they'd packed into the venue and the layout, the entire damn thing was a fire hazard. After a while, I just gave up and left. It's a shame, but this HK Con was just that...a con. read more

This event was horrendous. The organizers of the event are complete IDIOTS!!! How did those idiots think that they were gonna hold like 6,000 people a day in that tiny, tiny venue in an area with very little parking? Parking, long lines, and crowds were ridiculous! I was so excited to attend the event and check out the merchandise but I was extremely let down by the unorganization and chaos, and the merchandise for sale was not good at all. I could find better stuff from stores on a regular day. They hyped it up like it was gonna be this fantastical event and it was not! It was so uncomfortable in the venue because everyone was literally elbow to elbow and there was no air. The greedy organizers should not have sold that many tickets and the venue choice was just bad. read more

Holy cow! LINES!! Did I mention LINES?? I was so looking forward to this. I didn't know what to expect at all. Well, Hello Kitty Con people..Take a few tips from Wonder Con and Comic Con. This was the most disorganized thing ever. Why oh why did they choose such a small venue? They needed to house this in a convention center. Thus the name "Con" shortened for: CONVENTION. 1)Parking was a Beaaatch. $25.00 was all that was left when we got there. That was around noon on Sunday. 2) Registration. Wait in line. Then get your badge, Hello Kitty Con map and off you go. 3) Line: Off you go to another line! This line was nuts.. wrapped around the building. This line was to get inside the actual convention. 4) Once inside (well outside because that's where you had to start) It was more lines. The funny thing is no one was really around trying to direct people. It was just a fly by the seat of your pants operation. It was clear at this point they were winging this whole thing. Or (and I think this was it) they really didn't get how HUGE this really was. 5) Staff-Rude, yelling and didn't really know how to handle the situation. They stood there yelling at people to get in line. I actually saw one staff member laughing at people in line and mouthing to another staff "This is nuts, way nuts!" Really? We had to ask how you got inside the actual convention. "Wait in this line" we were told. Once inside that's when the real action started. You could not move. When we asked how to get to the Supermarket-a lady told us how sorry she was but that "The fire marshal was threatening to shut us down so we have to keep crowds at a minimum." Now, wouldn't you think someone would have thought about this BEFORE all this started. We gave up and walked out after about 10 minutes of trying to find our way out and even to see anything. Heading out we saw food trucks..not enough room to hold those because people were waiting in more lines for those. The saving grace of this whole day? The Japanese American National Museum. Wow.. if you missed this people you missed the best part of the day. They had The Super cute World of Hello Kitty. Art that was inspired by HK, displays of HK through the years, including plush, items from early 80's, 90's and 2000's and current HK items. The gift shop was not crowded-That's where we purchased our things. To be honest the only way I would give this another chance is if they had it in a place that was big enough, had the proper KNOWLEDGEABLE staff that should have been working there, proper ways to handle crowds and maybe not to oversell tickets. JANM museum was great and I would go back there in an instant. So, to end this: Hello Kitty Con: Bigger venue!! read more

Hello Kitty con is for the obsessive HK fan who will wait in long long lines to buy stuff that you technically don't really need but ... Want so badly! It's best to go with a strategy. If you wanted to get a fee tattoo, you had to get there early. People started lining up as early as 6:00 am. I'm serious. My friends and I waited in the rain On Saturday at around 7:30 and we were maybe 15 people deep in line!! We decided to head to the Friendship Area where all the exclusive con merchandise was held first. The staff was super accommodating and made sure that everyone knew where to go and reminded people to be safe. They Only let a group of people in at a time to prevent sheer madness. The exclusives all were snatched up by 11:00 am so there were a lot of disappointed people walking around looking like this I didn't partake in any of the panels, workshops or foodstuffs (free yogurt from Yoplait helped me get through the day though) so it left me with a lot of time to soak in the nostalgia of the vintage shops and exhibit at the Japanese Museum- which BTW, is a must go!!! The artwork and special HK pieces are to die for... The only thing I didn't bother to wait in line for was the bathroom.. Really, who has time for that??! Ahem, in which I regret now because I heard there was HK toilet paper!! For being the first ever HK con, it was much fun and I hope they make it bigger and better next year. read more

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i am a big fan of hello kitty---almost my whole life now. i was so excited for HK con, but...despite all the prep, it was just way too crowded to be enjoyed. for the next years---hopefully they find a bigger venue and have crowd control...no one wants to stand in line for hours just to get from place to place. badge pick up-1hour. to enter the actual convention-1.5 hours. we arrived super early and was in line for almost 3 hours, was inside with the 1st group... but people just KEPT coming...i was afraid that the capacity was overfilled. i thought that the fire marshall would come and shut it down...i saw several women faint, so sad... 6:30am-2pm, and 70% of the time spent in line for one thing or another. saw people posting the badges for sale on craigslist for ridiculous amounts $$$...planned to do the same, but after the ordeal, it would be so unfair to do so. passed the badge over to another eager family..for free....so hopefully they were able to enjoy it... read more

Hello Kitty Con - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I been a fan of Hello Kitty since my sister introduced me to her at a very young age with pencils, stationary, and pencil boxes you name it! Now, we are able to enjoy it with her girls at the Hello Kitty Con. I got us all tickets to attend the Hello Kitty Con and it was a great experience to share this with them and my other girlfriends and their daughters as well. Let's get to the juicy details of the HK Con. - I heard about the insane lines after lines through two elite yelpers and realized with kids going with us it's not a good idea to go early so we got there at 11am. - We parked at a $6 parking structure off of Commerical & Alameda Ave. It was a far walk to MOCA but it wasn't too bad. - To our surprise, there's still a long line to get in but it wasn't too bad. - As we waited in line, the workers/staff were handing out pins, stickers, HK rings, and smiles =) everywhere. - Although, the lines were super long, everyone was tolerable of the wait and was showing a lot of excitement. - There were vendors/licensees that sold HK products in the Supermarket area. I got a souvenir HK sweater and custom made shirt. Everything was pricey of course so you had to pick and choose what you wanted. - I didn't bother with the shop upstairs since it was 3-4 hour wait and it reminded me of the shop at Puroland in Japan so why bother. - Their were a lot of photo op everywhere and it was so fun to take so many pictures of the arts, decor, vintage HK stuff, and awesome back drops in every room! - We were extremely disappointed in TARGET collaboration with HK in the Carnival Room. We waited about 2 hours to get in line and we were almost at front when they announced they were no longer letting people inside. The security guards didn't even communicated that the line was cut short and that they were no longer accepting people inside. The people inside took their time playing the games. I feel bad for our kids and other kids waiting to play games. - Outside, they had a fake tattoo area, nail shop, caricature area, pumpkin patch, penny machine, arts & crafts, and a huge line for the shop. - There ware food trucks outside with long lines. I think they should've had more food options. So, luckily we ate before going and were okay all day. - My favorite was seeing Hello Kitty two times and Yuko Yamaguchi. I missed out on all the freebies like free drawn picture, signing, and classes that were sold out. - We stayed until 7pm even though they were closing until 9pm for HK Birthday. We missed our free opportunity to go to the Japanese Museum. Overall, it was a enjoyable experience but I would complain about the venue being small, long lines, and the collaboration with Target being unorganized. I'm glad my friends and I had a great time regardless. I know Sunday is madness. Good luck to the attendees on Sunday. read more

Con indeed. I flew to LA from Oregon just to go to the first Hello Kitty Con. The best part of it was spending time with my mom (who also flew in from SFO to attend). It should have been called "Line Con" because all we did was stand in lines all day. Much of the time, you didn't even know what the line you were standing in was even for. Also, there were tons and tons and TONS of people crammed into a tiny space. I would not be surprised if someone ended up getting trampled to death, the sheer mass of people was so overwhelming. I'm only giving it two stars because I love Hello Kitty and there was a lot of cuteness....which happened to be the only redeeming quality of this event. I kind of feel ripped off, as there were so many people, it was almost impossible to enjoy ourselves. Good concept, terrible execution. read more

Hello Kitty addict speaking here. Let me just say I feel so grateful I can attend the first ever Hello Kitty convention. Pricing: It's ridiculous in my opinion. Comparing it to Anime Expo, HK is $30 a day or $120 for all 4 days. Anime expo is $70 for a 4 day pass.. And anime expo lasts longer than 7pm, is larger, and has more places to sit down, eat, shop and such. Location: I know they wanted to incorporate the theme of Little Tokyo/Japan/Museum/Hello Kitty in one, but I feel like it would've been much roomier in the LA convention center. The lines are very long, and if you're not planned early, you'll probably miss out on alot of stuff. I luckily was able to pretty much see everything in one day. Tickets were oversold for this small venue. Please plan better next year (hoping it is a yearly thing now). Sight seeing: The pop up shop closed early in the evening as it was announced by speaker, and lines don't ever end but its worth the wait. The art signings are limited 30 people each 1 hour session. The supermarket is nice and small, so it makes it less over whelming and you can pretty much see everything here in one day. (unless you're interested in the lectures/special guests and $10 for each workshop you preordered.) You really need to plan accordingly to get everything checked out, but it can be done in probably 1-2 days. There's mostly displays of products and sculptures. The pop up shop has con exclusives and most of the stuff in the official Sanrio stores, the super market has merchandise from bigger companies that can probably be found on that particular franchise's website. Some things has early released products for con only (beats or hoodsbee). There are a few things you can get like stickers/pins/balloons/temp tattoos for free which is nice. The bag you get for free is 1 per person. Anime expo's "swag bags" had no limit and the guidebook came with the bag as you get your badge. The guidebook in HK con is at another booth. Later I discover why they don't put the necessities with the bag. The HK con bag is very fragile and rips easily. Not sure why they are up-tight about 1 per person when Anime Expo has no problem giving them out to many people and AX has more people. The only things worth seeing outside is the activities for pumpkins, and the HK cafe food truck. Outside is pretty much a bore and can be seen quickly. They moved the penny stretcher outside for some reason so it took me forever to find it at the end of the day. The DJ occasionally performs with hello kitty which is entertaining. The vintage shop has actual thrifted items you can buy from the old hello kitty product line. Also the museum exhibit is a nice bonus if you have time to leave the con and check it out. Complaints: Overall, its an amazing experience. Kind staff and it was pretty good for a first time con. I'm surprised they didn't do a quick bag check before entering. It should maybe be recommended for safety. The badges don't have names on them so anyone can borrow a badge and walk in for a bit or resell them. I guess that's good for those who didn't get a ticket on time. The bags need to be more sturdy and organized. Put the guidebooks with the bag and handed with your badge and headband, that makes more sense imo. There are no receipts with most purchases, unless its electronic emailed receipt. Parking is hard to find of course, or pay for all day parking. I wish the con were open just an hour later so I could have time to see the museum, but overall, I managed to pretty much see everything in 1 day, including a signed autographed drawing, a photograph taken on a green screen, penny stretcher, pop up shop, the entire indoor and outdoor displays, the food trucks, and the super market. I was also very upset that they randomly announced that Saturday, November 1st will have the con hours extended til 9pm in celebration of Hello Kitty's birthday. I was so angry because I pay $30 like everyone else only to get less hours? It should be open 'til 9pm PERIOD every day. That was a last minute announcement, tsk tsk. It needs a bigger venue or less tickets sold. MORE food, tables, restrooms, and hello kitty themed dining. Come on Sanrio, you have Puroland, Hello Kitty Cafe, maid cafes. Why skimp out on the ideas? Want to globalize kawaii culture? Then actually do the walk, not talk the talk. I'm wishing this to be an on going event each year, and hope in time it improves. However, I recommend any hello kitty fan come here *^* I sure did. read more

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Late review, but this convention really was piss poor. There were lines wrapped around everywhere for everything, the exhibits were lame (one of them showed us the old bags that were used to put your purchases in when checking out at the Sanrio stores). There were lots of kids here but none seemed to be having too much fun as there was very little for them to do besides wait in another line. The food options were limited and it was very very crowded. I was happy to get my souvenir bag, convention tag, and exit with my life and sanity still in tact. I was so completely disappointed... As this was their very first convention I am sure things will go better in the future. I hope you took some notes Sanrio! read more

I'm a die hard Hello Kitty fan, but whoever planned this event, did not think about the large fan and ROOM. ---WAY TOO CROWDED--- I would have rather paid $500 to the Hello Kitty Con to not have to wait in line....this was terrible. The location was small, it was too crowded, it was hot and stuffy. I can image parents taking their kids, and not only having to stand in line, but also watch their kids. My ticket was for Sunday, and basically, all bags were sold out. I was lucky to take the last picture with Hello Kitty. But when I went inside, I could not believe the 100+ line for the Sephora Booth. WTH? There was even a line of 100+ people to go upstairs, and the line started outside with an additional 200+ people. Security was telling us to not block the aisles...but WTF? We are walking slow, but it was wall to wall people, packed like sardines. Funny thing is, a lot of the items from the vendors are available straight from their website. I didn't see any "straight from Sanrio" or "Japan" items for sale. My boyfriend bought me the tickets and he was more disappointed in the set up of the convention than I was. I ended up buying Hello Kitty Items at the Sanrio store in Little Tokyo across the street. When I got home, the same Hello Kitty items were available on Sanrio.com from Sephora. read more

I HAD THE MOST AMAZING TIME EVER! I'm still sad that hkcon is over. I bought multiple tickets for all 4 days starting in June as well as workshop tickets for bento box and jewelry making. Got there super early each day except Saturday and had no trouble getting parking in the Japanese Village structure. I loved that you could come in and out of the event, so was able to try the different restaurants for lunch/dinner and go back to hkcon. I loved that the venue was indoors AND outdoors vs. being stuck inside all day. Lines were super long but was to be expected. My mom, best friend and boyfriend all went with me on different days and they also all loved it! I did everything I wanted to do: get super cute treats from the hk cafe truck, attend panels/lectures, attend workshops, got an hk bow tattoo, got temp tattoos, bought gifts from the super store, went to the museum, won cool prizes, pressed pennies, free event bags and date books, took tons of pics and lots more. Every single staff person I came into contact with from waiting outside in line at 7am to inside the venue, the sales people, guards, etc were all SO FRIENDLY!!!! Seriously, I was very impressed. One complaint I have is about Loungefly having not so cute 'limited edition' bags because I really wanted one but didn't like them at all and I also wish that there would have been more things to buy like in a regular Sanrio store. Maybe have a separate huge *discounted* Sanrio store with all their regular items...I would have def bought more but there was really nothing that I HAD to have. I was excited to go back every single morning and so was everyone who went with me. Can't wait for the next HKCON whenever that will be! *going into things with a positive attitude= leaving happy too :D read more

I enjoyed my time here. I only give it 4 stars, because...I missed out on the Free Hello Kitty Band-aid Tin. I was going around asking about it...if I can buy it or get it for free...and they just say they can't give it out. Then to find out, it WAS being given out for FREE., which I missed out on. So sad...and now people are selling it on ebay for outrageous amount. So sad. I think that it should of been given away to every ticket buyer. read more

Its a great thing that Hello Kitty Con happened this year for the first time..but given that was the first the organization of the event was not great at all. For one, the hello kitty bags were given in handfuls to guest, which left a lot of people without the con bag. Most of the products in the market place were sold out and there was not enough displays, as expected. Hopefully if there is another HK con it will be much more organized and 10 times better than 2014. read more

Hello Kitty Con - Hkcon - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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This was the very first HK Con ever, and with any first time event- you know that it's either going to be awesome or a huge clusterf*ck. This one was a mix of both, but overall I had a really great time despite the negatives. I'm not going to waste time recapping everything that was there-there's a billion pics and articles since the media coverage was crazy. I got my tickets the day they went on sale and I've been looking forward to this months- I did Thursday/Friday/Saturday with 5 workshops so maybe that's a factor as to why I'm not so pissy since I wasn't trying to do everything in only 1 or 2 days. I got in line early Thursday/Friday, was able to do everything I wanted except the Yuko Yamaguchi signing. PROS (some of many): Literally everything including the bathroom signs were so so cute! They did a great job transforming a blank space into Hello Kitty wonderland. It was fun finally meeting a lot of the other Instagram HK crazies in person and hanging out as we waited in line together for hours. Also great meeting new fun random friends along the way. Super fun workshops-I had Onch Jewelry, Paul Frank wall hangings, Cupcakes w Duff Goldman, missed plushies while waiting in line, and cookie decorating was fun. $10 for the first 3 was a steal - cookies and plushies...I'm not really so sure those were worth $10. Free tattoo! Come on that's a huge positive aspect-the best HK Con souvenir a girl could ask for! I expected there would be just 1 tattoo specific for the convention, so it was exciting when we found out that there were over 100 to choose from. I had looked up the artists ahead of time and they all did quality work. Yes they could've packed the place to be able to get more tattoos done, but as someone who got it, I'm glad they went for a few quality artists vs booking just anybody with a tattoo gun. However the negative attached to this is I know for fact there were several Sanrio and vendor employees w guaranteed appointments that weren't in line hours early like I was, so that was total BS. With such limited spots, they should've prohibited that especially since they didn't even pay for their entry. I saw comments about how rude staff were, but everyone was very nice to me-in my opinion they handled the mobs of p*ssed off tired people really well. If I had worked it, I would've snapped on day 1. Constant questions and often rude people were handled with courtesy from what I saw. Also a good idea that they kept the same security people at the same stations every single day, all day so they knew more or less what was going on. Crowds were ridiculous, but it was generally pretty orderly considering. CONS (again, some of many): Most of the 2-5hr lines were mainly because of capacity issues- I heard the fire marshall was on site threatening to shut things down from the beginning. They never should've chosen to hold an event this size in a small warehouse/art gallery. It's BS that they didn't know many people would show up because they sold 6000 tickets/day-they knew exactly how many people would be there. The line for the upstairs shop (the only place to buy the HK Con exclusive stuff) was 1.5hrs the first day at 10:30am, by the time I got to the front of the line at noon it was out the door and 3hrs long. How did they think that such a retardedly small shop with from what I heard had a capacity of 75 was enough for an event with that many people. Pretty sure the 15-20 employees were counted in that 75, so that's how few people were allowed up at a time. The Con exclusive stuff was cute and pretty reasonably priced (relatively, for Sanrio merch), but half the store was just regular 40th anniversary things that you can buy in stores or on Sanrio.com right now. I did get some good stuff and wish I had gotten more, but I wasn't waiting in that line again. They ran out of stock on a lot quickly, but they actually did hoard some stock for the other days-I know because I was pissed off they had only gray Con shirts in L, not black after being open only 2hrs. I didn't show up till around opening on Saturday because I was only there for workshops. Took a look at the line wrapped around the building and said eff it- went to the JANM exhibit instead, which was a great idea since it was empty with everyone in line. Didn't have to deal w/ crowds, and you could really look at the exhibit without someone blocking things every 2 seconds to take a picture. It was far from perfect, but I have no regrets and feel extremely lucky to have been part of the first ever Hello Kitty Con. Despite making sh*t tons of money, I'm hearing this likely won't be an annual thing, maybe every 5 years? *fingers crossed* read more

The worst event I have ever participated in! I was gifted tickets to HK Con for my birthday and I was super excited! I'm sure you've already read all the other reviews--lines on top of lines. With my ticket, I lined up to get my badge (45 mins), then I went to the Hello Kitty exhibit at the JANM, which was fab! I loved it! After my 25 mins there, we got in line to enter the convention (1.5 hrs). We walked around the outside area and decided to get in line for the Hello Kitty Cafe (45 min). We bought a box of 3 donuts for $10--not surprised. All the benches were taken by families who needed a seat, so the husband & I found some shade and ate our donuts standing up. Then the nightmare of all lines...pop-up shop!! When we heard that the line takes about 4 hrs, we were like nahhhh they're just trying to scare us. Umm, no. That was not a scare tactic. It was #truth. We waited & waited...2.5 hrs into the wait, Peter & I weren't even speaking to each other anymore. The misery was painted on our faces. We decided to dip and we didn't look back. I am immensely disappointed that I didn't get to experience all the vendors inside the convention. I wasn't there for the temporary tattoos and face painting! & WHY would I want to pain a Hello Kitty pumpkin? I wanted to see the art gallery, the tattoo parlor, and all the other cool adult Hello Kitty stuff. Ugh! I feel cheated & I feel like a failure for letting my tickets basically go to waste. Hello Kitty Con 2014 was such a disaster. All I ended up with are 2 Hello Kitty reusable bag backpacks, & our badges with pins. Sigh. read more

I should have known anything HK would draw a huge crowd! I went on a Friday and arrived by 8 a.m. I wasn't too far from the front of the line, but they had four lines, which was both good and bad. Anyway, my friend who had arrived the day before, gave me a lot of tips, which helped. I picked up my badge the day before, I went immediately to the line for the Friendship Store (I got in immediately, but later that line was a four-hour wait). It sucked that they had already run out of items, such as the coin purse, after only the first day. They should have saved some stock for EACH DAY. That's common sense! I'm not paying $80 on eBay for an $8 plastic coin bag. One employee said they might bring some out later, which pissed me off. I did not wait over two hours in line only to have to wait another 3-4 hours to get into the store later. WTH? Anyway, I did get most everything else I wanted. The paper bags they give you are crap, though, so I'm glad I brought my own. I heard horror stories of people saying they discovered their bags ripped later on and found they lost some merchandise. :( Yes, lines were for everything, including the penny stretcher. I waited an hour for that. We went outside to eat bc there were no lines in J-town (unless you were waiting for a Hungry Hunt pin somewhere). The exhibits were super cute, but it was really a madhouse. I heard it was even worse on Sunday because there were so many kids that there was a line to get in HK Con all day. This was due to the fact that each adult w/ a badge could bring up to FOUR kids under 5 years of age. They need to get rid of that policy next year ASAP. I can't imagine any child under 5 having fun at this event, unless they like to wait in lines all day. I got to see the HK exhibit at the JANM with my badge, too (same day free admission), which was a $20 deal, making the $30 + fees ticket a steal. Looking forward to HK Con next year and hope it's at a bigger location like that LA Convention Center! This town is not big enough for HK and all her fans! I also took a $10 workshop (which sold out) for creating a plush. It was fun, but the class was only an hour so a lot of people couldn't finish in time. They should really give more like 1.5 - 2 hours for this workshop! I heard you got to keep a $30 scrapbooking set from the scrapbook workshop (which I think was only $10 as well), so that one would have been a better deal, but the plush we made was super cute. HK in a cupcake! I would totally go back next year, though, just because I love HK. As with any popular convention, I do expect lines. I heard Comic Con is insane, but I'm pretty sure that's better run than this. However, given that it's only the first HK Con ever, I think they should get some slack. read more

The entry line was long and disorganized - I saw people cutting left and right. The lines for the store were 4 hours long. 4 hours?!?!!? The security inside had NO clue what they were doing. My wife and I waited for nearly an hour in the Target line only to have security tell us the line was a fire hazard and they were closing the line and to come back later. This happened as we were only a few people away from getting in. If this line was a fire hazard, why did you let it exist for so long and make us all waste our time? Naturally we were frustrated but some of the security people were completely unsympathetic and borderline rude. Then there were lines to take pictures at certain things and when people tried to cut, mostly unknowingly since the place was a mad house, it was up to us to police the line. What was security doing? Who knows. This whole thing was just a big mess and way too many people for the confined area. Clearly whoever organized this has never done anything on this scale and it's a shame as this could have been a way better experience. read more

My recommendation is go EARLY. We thought we were early, but obviously not enough. Got there at 8:30am, the event does not open till 10:00am, the line was all the way around the building. Another advice, bring an umbrella, the sun can be quite unbearable. The sheer number of people were horrendous, prepare to wait in line for EVERYTHING, at least an hour wait for everything, women's bathroom, taking pictures with Kitty, buying stuff at the marketplace, kids activities, food trucks, the line to get into the store is 4 hours long. Plan accordingly, not a great place for young kids, just because of the sheer amount of people there. Totally crazy!!! People were buying stuff like they were free. Personally I don't think it was worth it, I will hesitate to go to the next one. read more

Such a disappointment! Massive lines. All in all, it was stupid. The museum exhibit was also dumb. I wasted my time and money.