BAY AREA KEI

Ursa Major is an annual three-day EGL & J-fashion convention that takes place in San Francisco, California in December. Convention activities include shopping, a swap meet, a holiday ball, panels, workshops, and themed gatherings.

Ursa Major 2025 will take place from December 12th–14th in the Kabuki Hotel, located in San Francisco Japantown.

GENERAL ADMISSION

Shopping events have free admission for the general public after 2:00 PM. Shopping events include:

• Vendor Hall (Saturday)

• Artist Alley (Saturday)

• Swap Meet (Sunday)

BADGED ATTENDEES

Purchase of a convention badge grants entry to all convention-hosted activities, including, but not limited to:

• Shopping events (Vendor Hall, Artist Alley, and Swap Meet) prior to free general admission hours (2:00 PM)

• Panels and workshops

• Holiday Ball and Coordinate Contest

• Karaoke

• Game Lounge

Please note that Swap Meet tables are not included with a convention badge. Tables will be available for purchase at a later date for badge holders only.

Head to our Registration page for more info!

Please refer to our full COVID-19 Policy.

If you are interested in joining as staff, please review our staff application page. Staff are required to work at least 16 hours at-con, and must be available for virtual pre-con planning meetings.

If you are interested in helping out, but cannot commit to being present during any planning period, or are unable to work the minimum required hours, please apply to be an event volunteer instead. Volunteers are not required to have in-depth prior knowledge of the event beforehand, and we do not require any specialized skills to volunteer. Volunteer applications for Ursa Major 2025 will open in September.

Ursa Major is a J-fashion convention, and our badged attendees will likely arrive dressed in a J-fashion style. However, attendees are not required to be dressed in J-fashion at events open to the general public, such as shopping events.

For most badged activities, attendees are strongly encouraged, but not required, to wear J-fashion coordinates. Several events, such as the formal ball, will have stricter dress codes that will be enforced. Wearing cosplay is discouraged, although attendees are welcome to wear coordinates inspired by fictional characters or themes. For more information, please see the dress code section of our Code of Conduct.

For those looking for coordinate theme ideas, since the name of our event is Ursa Major, consider wearing coordinates that feature bears and stars! You may also be inspired by the state of California or Greek mythology. Since our event takes place in December, winter or general holiday themes would also fit right in.

The shopping spaces on Saturday are free to enter and open to the general public, so please understand that there will be shoppers that may not be entirely familiar with what J-fashion is. We aim to provide a welcoming environment that encourages people to learn more about J-fashion! However, if someone is making you feel uncomfortable for any reason, please alert the nearest staff member as soon as you are able.

Yes! Anybody interested in learning about J-fashion is welcome to attend. We will have informational content for those who wish to learn more about J-fashion, and social activities if you are looking to make new friends in the community.

We do ask that anybody who comes to this event and is not an active J-fashion wearer be respectful of attendees dressed in J-fashion. J-fashion is not a costume worn for public attention, even though attendees might be more dressed up than usual for the event. Do not take photos of anybody without permission, and do not ask invasive questions or harass attendees. We will immediately remove anybody engaging in these kinds of behaviors from our event space. Please be sure to read our Code of Conduct.

Yes—children aged 13 and under may attend for free with the purchase of an adult badge, and must be accompanied by an adult guardian at all times. Additionally, youth badges are available for attendees aged 14-17.

Please see the age restriction policies in our Code of Conduct for more details.