Daily Cost of Attending a Convention
Attending conventions isn't cheap. While there are some that have free entry like Harajuku Day LA, most require you to buy a badge, and that's just the one of the many costs of attending a convention. I will break down the costs below:
- Breakfast & Coffee: $15 - $20
- Parking: Free - $25
- Badge: $10 - $45
- Merchandise: $100 - $200
- Lunch: $20 - $30
- Snacks: $10 - $20
Total Average: $300 per person for a 1 day convention.
Three hundred for per person attending a convention for one day is my best answer to someone who asks me how much does attending a convention cost. It is a lot of money, some people save up for the event, others just go to explore without a single dollar to spend besides their badge. This is just an average price too, some people will not buy any food or snacks and others will spend hundreds at several artist alley tables and booths. Let me give you some tips on how to minimize your costs so you can have more money for the merchandize you want.
From the list above you can see that half the list food, and this is rightfully so. Conventions require lots of walking and lots of standing that can tire you out. Lots of people like to start their day with coffee and have snacks throughout the day. My first piece of advice is to bring your own food because food at conventions can be overpriced. I spent $12 on a hotdog when I vended in Collectacon in the Long Beach Convention Center and water bottles cost $5 each. I know some conventions bring special food trucks with unique food options. I completely suggest trying something new from them so at the least I suggest eating a good breakfast and bringing some snacks from home you may already have to keep you satiated until lunch time.
Parking is expensive, and convention center parking is even more expensive. It does come with the benefit of being able to carry you convention haul at the end of the day. If you do not plan on buying a lot of large merchandise then I suggest using public transportation or a ride share. I go to WonderCon every year and I reside in Los Angeles, it takes me 1 bus and $3.50 to get there and back. Rideshare applications like Uber or Lyft can also be cheaper than driving and parking to a convention. Many conventions and expos have convenient ride share pick up spots.
There are some conventions that are longer than a day, and those tend to sell a convention length ticket cheaper than single day tickets. For example, for Anime Expo, it is more expensive to buy 3 1-day badges than a 4-day badge. If you plan to attend a convention multiple days look into getting the multi day pass options which would make each individual day cheaper.
If you are having a hard time staying within budget I suggest you use cash as a way to limit yourself. Using both card and cash during conventions is very beneficial, I explain why its important to bring cash to a convention is a previous blog post. Some booths give discounts with cash and that will allow you to save money and buy more merch.
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