Those basic questions...

[ofthewood]

...that any newbie would ask, and I'm sure you've been asked before, and I'm really sorry about it but I couldn't find answers that postdated 2003 and I figure the event has evolved a bit since, especially with venue changes. To sum myself up: I've obsessed about the event since I first heard of it, and about masquerade since a few months before

Comments

[aethyrkitten]

4. Again, depends on the year. On average, I'd say 2 is when everyone gets kicked out. Some years it's 1, some years it's more like 2:30, but 2 is a good average to aim for. You are, of course, welcome to leave early, we don't lock you in or anything, but when the venue shuts down, it tends to be a bit sudden - rather, not that the shutdown itself is sudden, but generally half the people at the masquerade aren't paying attention until a security guard asks them to go to the entrance. ;)

As for other advice... don't take yourself too seriously! Relax and have fun. Good manners and common sense will get you a long way with both staff and other partygoers.

If you're ever having a problem, find someone with a badge. We'll be more than happy to help you, whether it's a little thing like "Where'd my shoe go?!" to a big thing like "Where'd my 3 year old go?!" If the person you approach can't help you, they WILL be able to find someone higher-up who can.

Umm... there's a lost and found, usually in the ticketing booth. If you find something that's lost, or lose something that may have been found, always stop by there to ask.

Don't accept food from a shady-looking goblin. That's just common sense in fairyland. ;p

Costumes, as people have mentioned, are varied. As long as it looks like you made some kind of effort, and you fit into some brand of fantasy (urban fantasy, high fantasy, steampunk, historical fantasy, etc), you're probably going to be fine. If you have a finished costume idea and you're STILL not sure, e-mail one of the appropriate addresses listed on the site (uh, but not ALL of them, please ;p) with an exact description and someone will let you know if it's okay or not. Some people DO just go in evening wear and a mask, and that's acceptable too. Not getting "costume envy" is something else I should advise you about; some of the people who attend the ball do this kind of stuff for a LIVING, so there's a good chance someone's costume will always be uber-cool compared to yours, so don't sweat it too much.

Stay safe! It's really easy to get into the atmosphere and lose track of how much you're drinking or how hot you're getting in the throngs of attendees, and next thing you know, you're in the bathroom hurling, and ya ain't pukin' pixie dust. Please take good care of yourself, and if you find yourself having any kind of health problem, find a person with a badge immediately and we'll take care of you as best as we can, whether we need to sit you down in front of a fan or call you an ambulance. I cannot stress enough that crew are always, always there to help you. Please don't be afraid or too intimidated to go up to someone with a question or a request.

If you're not having a good time, come find me. ;p I'll tell you funny stories or something.

Uhhh what else what else... if you're having trouble finding a hotel, you're welcome to grab yourself a spot in my room or I can recommend some places for you, just if you're staying with me, please let me know beforehand so I can adjust my budget and know how much everyone needs to pay, that kind of thing.

And if you have any more questions, either email an address from the website or post again, or you can contact me directly if you prefer. Good luck! I hope to see you there!

[ofthewood]

Not realizing it's over 'til it's over sounds very familiar for some reason... Glad to hear the officials are so welcoming in so many respects - taking costume advice pleas is a new extra mile to run. No worries about alcohol or substances or questionable ingestion choices, heat and dehydration was my major health concern, but again - thanks for thinking of it.
I'm planning on a mid-range elaborate (as fancy as I can make by myself, in other words) fey costume for myself, a period-looking kilted male, and a pair of reasonably nice (again hand-made by self) masks - so long as that's not leaping out at you as wrong, it seems in-theme to me, and will total me easily ninety hours of work. I'm not too susceptible to costume envy, although I certainly envy talent in an "I wish I could do that, it's awesome" (as opposed to "You're better, and that makes me diminished somehow") kind of way. I'm not looking to be the best, just hoping not to bring down someone else's suspension of disbelief.
Lastly, I haven't praised you enough. I shouldn't need lodgings, but thanks very much for the opportunity. I've purchased tickets for Friday night and I'm working at designing the most interesting costume I might actually be capable of building. A lot of this is because you and the two others who've offered me their experience made me feel as if I had a little understanding of what was going on - I've had little control and little warning with certain changes in my plans lately and this gave me a rare taste of familiarity with the situation. Thanks very much for taking the time to help me out - on behalf of myself and my date, and for alleviating my family's concern. And thank you for making it seem a more tangible goal - the potential for my attendance rose up suddenly out of multiple changes in travel plans, and until this even that chance didn't seem exactly feasible.
I think I might be able to calm down and enjoy my terror over not having a completed costume in peace, now... ^-^

[aethyrkitten]

Alcohol is usually available at the bar for people with ID, so there's nothing wrong with having drinks (unless you're handing them out to peoples' kids of course); it's just easy to lose track of how much you've had. Again, you being from Texas, you probably have a better idea of how much you can drink in summer heat and still stay safe, but a lot of people may not. But if you feel yourself getting too hot, or if you didn't sneak in some nuts and you're feeling sick from hunger and they're out of food at the lounge and grill, grab a crew member. We'll take good care of you. Above all else, we are committed to giving you a wonderful, magical night, and whatever mundane problems we have to fix to get you there, we'll take care of them if we possibly can.*

*DISCLAIMER: Sypher Core and its affiliates cannot cure cancer, make kittens laugh, resurrect the dead, perform miracles including but not limited to: walking on water, turning water into alcoholic beverages, producing fish, bread, or any other food items from thin air, turning evildoers into statuary, or any other act of transubstantiation or transmogrification. No lepers allowed.

That's really the only serious thing to look out for - we all try so hard to make it a magical and immersive night for the guests that it's easy to forget sometimes that whatever wondrous critter you are for the night, you've still got to take care of the everyday regular you underneath that costume. We try to be alert and ninja our way over to anyone who's having trouble, but of course with an event as big as the masquerade is these days, you can't keep an eye on everyone, so there comes a point where anyone having trouble will just have to come to us.

Thanks very much for taking the time to help me out - on behalf of myself and my date, and for alleviating my family's concern.

Oh, it's not a problem at all, I have fun telling people about little things like that - sometimes the first year can be off-putting if you don't already know someone who's dragging you along, so anything I can do to alleviate concerns is absolutely worth it for me. If your family has any more questions or issues they'd like to discuss, please don't hesitate to throw them out there, here or by email to an LOJ email on the website. I'm not the best PR person in the world, and I definitely don't have Strider's skill with poetic phrasing, but I do genuinely love working on and attending the masquerade, so practical information I've got lots of, in-character dialogue, not so much. ;)

Also, random loose ends... as far as traveling to LA goes, I'm told that Spirit Airlines have GREAT deals on tickets if you sign up for their email newsletter (spiritair.com). A friend of mine says she got tickets from Detroit to Los Angeles for something like $37 via that newsletter. So if you're strapped for cash, it could be a way to go.

And as far as costume, what you're describing sounds just fine to me. If you're still having anxieties when it's closer to the event, go ahead and email someone off the website (or if you're shy you can email me and I'll ask on your behalf) for confirmation.

[ofthewood]

Heh, well, unfortunately for the next six months I am someone's kid, and thus my boyfriend will be drinking on his own if he does. The most powerful drug I'll have in my system at any point will be caffeine.
That is a top-of-the-line disclaimer.
And I'm very glad you enjoy introducing people to the event - it's probably necessary for anything you want to continue to grow, so it's best you don't mind it. I can state for a fact that it does help people ^-^ In my case my parents were just wary of shipping me off to L.A. to go to an event about which their daughter couldn't answer simple questions like "Is there food? Does it run late?"
Thanks for the airline tip - may be able to use that this time, if lucky, as I'm not sure we've got airfares figured out.
Thank you, again - your practical information and love for the event have contributed much to others' enjoyment, and your aid and your passion for the fantasy in general have certainly shaped my experience - it won't be forgotten, whatever that's worth.