Costume and Prop Guidelines
Please read this entire policy before attending Paisley Comic Con.
Compliance with these guidelines is mandatory for all attendees.
There are no exceptions made to these rules for special licences, memberships, or training. Paisley Comic Con, venue staff, and security personnel reserve the right to consider any weapon or prop to be breaking these rules if deemed to be unsafe or likely to cause danger or undue disruption.
We will take issue with anyone bringing, buying or selling something that could maim, damage or cause serious bodily harm.
The following items are forbidden:
Simulated or costume weapons are allowed as a part of your costume. We are not trying to spoil anybody's fun, but need to ensure everybody's safety.
If bringing a prop weapon, please be responsible with it; we really would rather not have to remove you from an event, and ask that you use your common sense.
Melee Weapon Props, With the exception of items mentioned in the forbidden items list, are permitted:
If you are in doubt, or have any queries please contact us.
Have fun and stay safe.
Compliance with these guidelines is mandatory for all attendees.
There are no exceptions made to these rules for special licences, memberships, or training. Paisley Comic Con, venue staff, and security personnel reserve the right to consider any weapon or prop to be breaking these rules if deemed to be unsafe or likely to cause danger or undue disruption.
We will take issue with anyone bringing, buying or selling something that could maim, damage or cause serious bodily harm.
The following items are forbidden:
- Any items restricted or prohibited from being carried in public by UK law
- Functional firearms (including but not limited to air soft guns, BB guns, cap guns, paintball guns and pellet guns)
- Functional projectile weapons (including but not limited to blow guns, crossbows, longbows, slingshots, water balloons and water guns)
- Sharpened metal-bladed weapons (including but not limited to axes, daggers, hatchets, knives, kunai, shuriken, swords, sword canes and switch blades)
- Blunt weapons (including but not limited to brass knuckles, clubs and nunchaku)
- Instruments that cause excessive noise levels (for example megaphones or air horns)
- Explosives (for example firecrackers or fireworks)
- Chemical weapons (for example mace or pepper spray)
- Aerosols or compressed air chambers (For example paint, silly string, whippy cream)
- Projectiles (For example party poppers, glitter/confetti cannons)
- Heavy items that could be used as weapons (for example iron pokers, heavy cast iron pans, or crowbars)
- Power tools such as actual chainsaws or drills.
- Protruding nails, barb wire or other sharp items
Simulated or costume weapons are allowed as a part of your costume. We are not trying to spoil anybody's fun, but need to ensure everybody's safety.
If bringing a prop weapon, please be responsible with it; we really would rather not have to remove you from an event, and ask that you use your common sense.
- Cos-Con and security teams reserve the right to inspect any prop weapon at any point during an event to deem whether it is safe or simply to see how awesome it is.
- If you do not want to have your costume weapons inspected or if you are not willing to comply with these policies, please do not bring your costume weapons to Paisley Comic Con.
- Unrealistic and toy guns (with brightly coloured plastics, with flashing lights and stickers), or that are clearly science fiction based (phasers, plasma guns, blasters), and are under 150cm in size, are permitted.
- Foam firing toys such as Nerf guns are permitted, but their foam bullet darts are not.
- Whips are permitted but can only be unravelled for photographs. Any found cracking, or trying to simulate cracking a whip will be immediately removed from the venue. (You hear that Indy?!?)
- Prop strung bows shaped to look like a bow under tension without actually being under tension are allowed if not contrived somehow to fire projectiles effectively.
- Costumes, props, performances, and displays must not involve or create naked flames, explosions, arcs or bursts of exposed electricity, or open portals to other dimensions.
Melee Weapon Props, With the exception of items mentioned in the forbidden items list, are permitted:
- The maximum size permitted is 150cm, or 200cm in the case of a staff.
- Larger items must be capable of being dismantled into smaller pieces and be so dismantled if the event is crowded.
- Scythes are a particularly difficult item to carry safely. As such, they must be made to disconnect into two parts for carrying regardless of size.
- Shields are allowed as long as they do not exceed 1 metre in height or width, and any hard edges and corners are suitably rounded off and padded.
- Theatre items such as hollow aluminium retracting swords with no sharp edges are permitted.
- Foam weapons built round a core such as those used for live action roleplaying are permitted.
- Duelling, fights to the death, or swinging of melee weapons are not permitted (unless as part of an organised stage based activity)
- Action poses for photography is permitted providing there is adequate space and it does not interfere with the comfort or safety of any other attendee(s).
If you are in doubt, or have any queries please contact us.
Have fun and stay safe.
