International Sailor Moon Day is almost upon us — cities all over the world will be celebrating the world’s most popular magical girl franchise tomorrow afternoon. Are you prepared to spend a day filled with friends, love, and friendship? Do you have everything you need for a global magical girl jamboree? Here are some tips on how to make the most of your International Sailor Moon Day, wherever you are.
If you are in Austin:
If you’re planning on attending our event, International Sailor Moon Day Austin, look no further! We’ll be partying down at The Highball from 1:00 – 6:00 PM. This event is:
- All ages friendly — families and kiddos welcome!
- Free and open to the public!
- 100% magical!
What to bring:
Are you all packed up for your ISMD Austin extravaganza? Here are some things you gotta know:
Vendors:
Bring some extra cash to check out our super rad vendors! You’ll be able to buy cute stuff from the following local business and artisans:
Robby Cooke
The Kawaii Empire
Victoria Elliott
Caitlin Zellers
Jenny Gacy
Mylo Merritt
Laura Lewis
Noel Kalmus
Scrain
Killer Queen Jewelry
Geek Fire Labs
Eythink
Arlene Cornejo
Realm
…and POMEmag, naturally!
Keep in mind that while many vendors will have a Square reader, some may be cash only.
Photo Booth
Want to get a fabulous portrait taken by our photographer, Erika Rich? At 2:00 PM, you’ll be able to get in line to participate. Keep in mind that this photoshoot runs from 2:00 – 3:30, so when it’s over, that’s it! However, you’ll be able to use this area as a selfie booth from 3:30 through the end of the event. After the event, we’ll be posting low-res versions of the photos on our Facebook page, and you can buy high-res photos and prints of your portraits from Erika’s website once they are available.
There will also be props and all kinds of cool stuff by the photo booth! Anyone who walks away with any of our fabulous props will be banished to the Negaverse, so please be respectful and make sure that everybody gets a chance to use them!
Costume Contest
Costume contest trophies courtesy of Melissa from Anime Austin Convention and Kei from The Ivory Moth
Starting at 12:30 PM, you can arrive early to sign up for our wonderful Project Shoujo Costume Contest. Prizes range from gift cards at local coffee shops to rad jewelry and bath products from our vendors to the grand prize, which includes a $100 gift card from Stitch Lab. Sign-up closes at 2:00 PM, so get checked in ahead of time! Read more about our costume contest rules here.
Raffle
The interior of the Sailor Moon artbook that will be included in our fabulous raffle prize basket!
We will have a raffle with all kinds of additional prizes — stop by the POMEmag table and one of our staff members will hook you up! You’ll be able to win prizes ranging from cool jewelry to an artbook and trading cards from the original Sailor Moon anime (courtesy of Olive from The Kawaii Empire), so be sure to stop by!
General Housekeeping
If anybody is bothering you at the event, find one of our helpful volunteers and they will help you out! Look for an individual in a glittery, bobbly headband. These folks will have your back throughout the day. Read more about our anti-harassment policies on our event’s Facebook page.
Due to huge influx of attendees for this year’s event, we may reach capacity for admittance into The Highball! This means that there may be a line for entry into this event. You may want to bring water and comfy shoes in the event of a line. Thanks for your patience, Sailor Scouts!
Do you have any questions? Feel free to comment here, on the event’s Facebook page, or by emailing carolynn@pome-mag.com and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
If you’re outside of Austin:
Fear not, non-Austin POMEs! International Sailor Moon Day events are taking place all over the world tomorrow! Check out the International Sailor Moon Day meetup group to find an event near you! From Toronto to St. Louis, from Mexico City to Melbourne to Ross Island, Antarctica, Moonies and Sailor Guardians and Negatrash will be partying down in the name of the moon. If you’re looking for a fun day of Sailor Moon goodness, don’t miss out, y’all!
What to bring:
Events in different cities will follow all kinds of different structures — some are free, while others have an admission charge. Some are open to the public and some require an RSVP. Visit the ISMD meetup group to link up with your local event and see what you should bring!
Most ISMD events will have costume contests and Artist Alleys of some kind, so bring your cute Sailor Moon looks and be ready for a great time!
If you’re not near any International Sailor Moon Day events:
You don’t need to travel to celebrate Sailor Moon Day! If you’re not near any Sailor Moon-related events tomorrow afternoon, you can still celebrate by catching the entire series on Hulu or Crunchyroll. Did y’all know that Sailor Moon Crystal has been particularly excellent this season? If you’re just getting rolling with the new series, be sure to listen along with Moon Podcast Power: Make Up!! on iTunes, Soundcloud, or here on POME.
Plus, there’s a Facebook-only event for all the Moonies who can’t commute to an event so head on over there to keep yourself posted on all the festivities.
Look: Sailor Moon is really all about celebrating your friends, staying true to yourself, standing up for what’s right no matter how hard it is, and believing in yourself against all odds. All you really need to celebrate Sailor Moon day is a heart full of love and courage (and, in the spirit of Usagi, probably also a fridge full of snacks). So if you’re feeling social, head on out to an ISMD event, but whatever you do tomorrow, don’t forget to take some time out to do something that makes you feel good. Sailor POME says!