Hello Kitty Con

I went on a Friday late afternoon. Everyone was pretty much tired from the hype so I got to explore a bit. The place was small, exhibits were lacking and there was no chance I was waiting the last two hours in line for some limited edition items. I did like the booths which were located in a different area and bought one scarf that I have not seen online (yay). I loved the give away bags but sadly mine broke, I love the badges, I didn’t like the weird headbands which at the end of the night they were giving out like hotcakes. Saw cute hello kitty harajuku type girls, took a pic with hello kitty herself and got a bow water bottle. Can’t wait for this year’s event!

Late review, but this convention really was piss poor. There were lines wrapped around everywhere for everything, the exhibits were lame (one of them showed us the old bags that were used to put your purchases in when checking out at the Sanrio stores). There were lots of kids here but none seemed to be having too much fun as there was very little for them to do besides wait in another line. The food options were limited and it was very very crowded. I was happy to get my souvenir bag, convention tag, and exit with my life and sanity still in tact. I was so completely disappointed…
As this was their very first convention I am sure things will go better in the future. I hope you took some notes Sanrio!

ANOTHER LINE CON!
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THE DEETS:
— Hello Kitty madness!
— Best days, Thursday and Sunday
— Best times, an hour before closing
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OVERALL:
— Year One of Hello Kitty Con and I think it was a success! All the folks complaining about standing in lines all day and being stuck outside the venue obviously never been to a convention before and obviously never been to MOCA before. Having been a SDCC attendee in the past years has made me a convention pro. I’ve also attended events at MOCA before and just put 2 and 2 together. I know these things man! I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get the LE items going into this thing and I knew that I might not get anything on the Saturday I attended. I just wanted to be part of something amazing, exciting and a little crazy. I was surprised I was able to get an LE item at the JapanLA booth, which was the only thing I really wanted. I also did not plan on being there all day. So very little stress for me. My sweet bf was standing in lines for me, but I told him that I wasn’t going to stress over getting an item or a photo with an inanimate object.
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MORAL OF THE STORY:
— Get real people! Be realistic in your expectations when attending a convention. If you hate standing in lines for something you’re dying to have then you have two choices: a) Suck it up or b) Walk away. It was their first year for this convention, give the producers a break and just be thankful that they pulled such amazing resources to bring it together for you. Honestly, in my opinion the early stages of conventions are always the best. When they start regulating how tickets are being purchased and who can buy tickets when, that’s when it gets ugly. Just be happy for the small things, that’s what Hello Kitty would want.
#475

Honestly, it really deserved a 4 star for poor planning on their part. BUT, as a semi-​die hard Hello Kitty fan, I’ll boost it up another star.
I went on a Sunday a little past noon. The line was ridiculous. Lines everywhere… as expected. I was super bummed when they ran out of the Hello Kitty Con bags. As replacement, they offered a small Hello Kitty doll for kids and a Hello Kitty cupcake stand for adults. Eh, whatever, I’ll take it.
The outside consisted of many arts and craft activities for little kids. In addition, there was some food trucks, too. The Hello Kitty Café was featured. I wasn’t too excited, although now I regret not buying the bow water bottle. All in all, we didn’t spend too much time loitering outside.
The inside was crazy, people everywhere ranging from little kids to elderly people. Many things to see and to buy. Although I didn’t spend too much time around, I think if I actually went by myself, I’d be there forever. There’s also many photo booths and little things that were a nice addition. My only regret was not being able to enter the Market Place which was ANOTHER line to enter. The security guard informed that the line lets people in approximately every 4 hours. Well damn, I’m not gonna wait that long for it. Apparently, the Market Place had limited edition items which you couldn’t get elsewhere.
At the end of it, I was pretty good in resisting myself to only one sweater and one bag.
The lines were really a problem, but then again, every event will bound to have a line. Maybe just fix something about that Market Place line, cause it was ridiculous. Other than that, I’ll be there for the next one.

It was the first Hello Kitty con so it was a bit unorganized. It took an hour to check-​in and get your badge, then it took another 20 minutes to get into the actual con. After that, EVERYTHING is a line and I mean everything. If you want to take pictures of artwork, get into the shopping area, see the limited edition items, view the clothing collection… lines, lines, and more lines. Outside it was crowded because all the lines were just running into one another and it was not organized.
I’m a big fan of Hello Kitty and I’m sure I’ll continue to go every year. The ticketing process and workshop organization will probably improve as they continue having it. It would be better to have it at a bigger location as well. It was crowded and if you don’t get there early and stand in line for the store, you won’t have a chance at the limited edition items. No chance.
I’m still a fan and will continue to go to the future Hello Kitty cons. This first one was just a rough experience due to organization.
I still ended up getting some great items :) Until next year HK…

I can’t believe I went to a Hello Kitty Con!!! That is part of why I didn’t give it super low rating. Yes the lines were insane, yes, it was crowded, but Hello… everyone was happy and in a good mood. How often will you experience that? Not too often in my book. Found out about the HK Con from my friend, purchased my tix for Sunday ASAP, glad I did, because the weekend sold out way fast, at 10,000 people per day, $ 30 per adult. The workshops I feel sold out way before I knew about the event. Must hold like 20 people?
What I recommend is getting your badge the day before if you are so lucky to do that. Wish I did, and it would have saved me waiting in two lines that day. Meh! Never made it into the pop up shop (4 hour wait), but that’s ok, because an employee told me I can purchase all those items online. Instead I focused on the convention and the shopping area. Picked up a blinged out Sephora HK vanity mirror, holy cow I splurged. Also bought a loungefly wallet that I absolutely adore. Waited in line at the Hello Kitty Café and ordered the $ 4 bottle water that is in the shape of a red bow. I did get the free Target bag, however my bag which I didn’t realize until I got home, is missing the front main panel. It has the same back sewed on both sides, I had to cut off the straps on one side to make the bag functional.
There is a main stage where there is a DJ, live musical performer and Hello Kitty herself. I found that great for the little kiddies. Almost everywhere you turn was a photo op with Hello Kitty anything. As for the tattoo parlor, heard that booked up immediately in the morning.
My favorite was that almost everyone had something Hello Kitty incorporated to their outfits. Tons of creativity and HK pride. I was so in my element and with my kind. That’s why I’m willing to forgive the fact that this event was insanely crowded. This was a once in a lifetime event for me. Next year will be focused on the Twin Stars and My Melody, 2015.

First ever Hello Kitty Con and let me tell you, I was so happy to attend this event!
We went on the last day of the event and the turn out was amazing. Although, you had to stand in line for just about everything.
We took an Über there from my friend’s house near Santa Monica and for them being first time Über customers they put HelloKittyCon for the promo code and got up to $ 50. for the first ride. We got dropped off where people were standing in line, little did we know we were in the «second» line we had to stand in. We were told we needed to grab our badges first. So 2 out of the 4 of us went to grab our group’s badges which took about 30 minutes to do. Once we got that we went back to the line to get into the convention and it went by pretty fast. People watching was the best. Some went all out and dressed up in the cutest Hello Kitty outfits. Everyone there was so friendly!
So doors officially opened at 10 we got there about 9:15. We got in about 11:00 so about an hour in line to get in and instead of going straight into the convention, we hit up the food trucks because we were pretty hungry. They had a few vendors there and a Hello Kitty pastry truck, which was pretty awesome. At that point we just got whatever was the shortest line and scarfed our food down and head straight into the convention. We didn’t have to wait to get in but inside it was packed. Again, lines for everything. Not to mention a separate line for the store which from my understanding was a 4 hour wait!!!
The convention was held at MOCA and I was a little disappointed because it was a pretty small venue. Because it was so packed you didn’t really get to explore because people were constantly bumping into you. We lined up — yes, another line to get into another type of area where they had a bunch of vendors… We got a shirt made for $ 25 bucks which I thought was a reasonable price. We also walked around a bit in there because there were a lot of picture ops. They had a Sephora with the special HK collection as well as Yuko Yamaguchi signing and drawing some memorabilia for you.
We also watched Hello Kitty perform haha and took a ton of pictures on the other side of the museum. They had people doing free tattoos. If I could of I would of but it was all sold out. :-(
We had a great time, but like all first time events I hope next year they will be a little bit more organized and get a bigger venue.
Overall, 4 stars… I love you, Hello Kitty.

I was hella excited to part of the first ever Hello Kitty Con, but I was disappointed and irritated with the production and organization of the event.
PROS
Staff: The Hello Kitty Con staff was overall friendly. I had many questions through out the entire event and each member was informative and in great spirit.
The Museum of Contemporary Arts: The museum was probably the best part, since I didn’t have to wait in line to maneuver around the exhibit. They had a lot of unique and historical Hello Kitty items and artwork on display.
CONS
Long Lines: To enter into the venue there was a line (of course), but to get into certain areas there was another line. Several staff members told me people start lining up at 6am, so it’s inconvenient if you have kids that want to get in to the start the workshops. There was a line to buy regular Hello Kitty items and then there was a line to participate in Hello Kitty workshops and another 4 – 6 hour wait time line to buy «exclusive» Hello Kitty Con items. A line within a line within a line, I thought it was BS to have to wait in a 4 – 6 hour line just to purchase items… LINECEPTION much?
Unorganized: The staff was friendly, but lost. They need to have coordinators outside of the venue to inform people where to go cause like other people I was also lost and standing in lines for no reason.
Food: Hungry? There are 5 food trucks to choose from, just wait about an hour or more for some food. I was really disappointed when the the Hello Kitty Café truck ran out items when it was only noon.
Parking: You will be driving around Little Tokyo for a good 20 minutes until you can spot parking. Unless you can drive early enough to park in the surround parking lots and pay about $ 25 for parking.
Prices: Every adult had to pay $ 30.00 and $ 20 for every child ages 5 – 12. It doesn’t seem bad of a price in the beginning but once you get to the event, you get realized you have been ripped off. If you want to participate in the activities, you must pay an additional fee. The freebies they supposedly were giving out ran out by noon. Keep in mind if you’re like myself that does not live in the area, you are paying extra for transportation, shelter, and food. After leaving the event, I felt that I should have saved the money I used for Hello Kitty Con for a different event.
To the head operators of the event, as a hardcore Hello Kitty fan I do appreciate the production of Hello Kitty Con, but please take note of the reviews and comments and consider some changes for the next Hello Kitty Con. You have numerous fans and you are obviously profiting mega bucks from all the tickets sales, vendors, publicity, and merchandise, so pick a larger venue to host or limit the amount of tickets you’re selling. Take advice from Comic Con SD, they have a larger turnout rate, but they got their stuff down.

This was the first Hello Kitty Con in the US, and like all first events, there will be errors that organizers learn from… so I’m not giving this anything lower than a 4. I only went on the last day (Sunday), at around 12:30pm and stayed all the way until they closed (7pm). I’d have to say I was quite lucky throughout the day with quick lines, and seeing almost all I wanted to see/​buy (no, I did not get a tattoo)!
If you even slightly dislike Hello Kitty, don’t even bother coming… or reading the rest of this review. It’s like Hello Kitty threw up all over the place and turned it into the cutest place in LA. Going to throw some TIPS out… why am I writing tips when I don’t know if there’s going to be another one? Because I’m hoping there will be!!!
+TIP #1: Pick up your badge prior to your event date — The Saturday before the event, friends and I were participating in the Hungry Hunt right around the event and they convinced me to pick up my badge after we ate so that I could avoid lines on Sunday. Thank goodness they did, because I avoided one huge line!
+TIP #2: Pick up your free bag first — When I got in, I was about to head to the bags, but one of the staff members told me not to because the bags would be passed out all day so I should come back at the end. While I was waiting in line for something, I was checking out the Hello Kitty Con app and read that they RAN OUT OF BAGS! I jumped out of the line, raced outside to see, and was about to cry because the bags were indeed out! I ran back inside and started asking people if I could buy their bags off of them. Luckily, one family of 7 gave me one of their EXTRA bags! –_​_​_​_​_​_​_​-​«
+TIP #3: Walk around the market at least once really quickly so that you can see everything you want to buy. THEN buy it during your 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th round. I walked around the market about 5 times. Yep… I had that much time!
+TIP #4: Pop-​Up Shop — Every time I wanted to visit the Pop-​Up Shop (which carries items exclusive to HKC2014), the wait was 3 – 4 hours! No way! Finally one hour before the convention ended, the line was super short and they decided to open it up again. I hopped in line and waited 30 minutes only! Woo hoo!!!
+TIP #5: Make friends… lots of friends. Yes, this place is crazy crowded… but hey, Hello Kitty fans all like to stick together! Also, Hello Kitty believes «You can never have too many friends» If HK says so, I say so too! Can’t wait for the next one (crosses fingers)!

If it was only half of the people that attended the first ever Hello Kitty Con, I’m pretty sure I would have had an even better time. I mean come on, it’s Hello Kitty. Any true HK junkie would make the trip out here and expect Sanrio prices as well as other crazy HK fans.
I dragged Pat Baby to the event but he ended up not feeling as bad once we got there. There were tons of other guys with a WTF look on their face carrying the free HK totes on their back and wearing the free paper HK ears from Target on their head. There was so much to look at and of course, so many lines. There were lines for everything, even just taking pictures of things on the wall.
I was hoping to get a tattoo at the Ink Shop but they were all booked in the morning, again, lines. The 40^th anniversary merch on the second floor had a gigantic line that you practically had to wait in the whole day. The market was crowded but there were tons of collab merch. I snagged a HK Spam musubi kit :)
Other than wildly spending your money on trinkets that are actually useless (but who cares because it’s HELLO KITTY), badge holders had free entrance to JANM where there were tons of HK products to look at. I went at night to avoid a bunch of people and it was a perfect exhibit to explore.
It was a crazy day of cuteness overload! I’m glad I got to be a part of it and I’m looking forward to the friendship tour next year. There were lots of photo ops at the convention and I got a selfie with Hello Kitty herself! Despite the rest of the chaos, that’s all I really needed to be happy camper.

Review for Saturday.
I was really looking forward to this event… but was quickly disappointed upon arriving.
I get to the event by 9:20am thinking I was going to be one of the earlier ones. I was wrong. The lines were already so long! Luckily, my boyfriend picked up the badges days earlier, so we didn’t have to stand in an additional line. As we were standing in line, a staff member was informing us about a store with exclusive merchandise and the location of the line. I told my BF that we would be standing in that line as we entered, but when we asked staff about it, they told me that the lines were closed. Huh?! First time I’ve ever heard that before. By the time I got into the convention, it was a little past 10, and the lines were closed with a 3−4hr wait. I don’t think anything is worth that wait. There was no way anyone could enjoy this event with the amount of lines. Penny smasher– lines! Pumpkin decorating– lines! Activities– lines! Food trucks– lines!
We decided to forego that line and pass on purchasing any HK items. We picked up our free HK tote bags fairly quickly and headed to the super market area. It was insanely crowded. I could not take great pictures or see the items that were being sold. Ventilation inside was awful, mothers with strollers were trying to get around, and once again lines were being «closed» due to fire hazards.
This event was poorly planned. With the amount of tickets that were sold, they should have taken into consideration the amount of people that would be there and the capacity of the venue. Not sure if there will be future HK Cons, but I would not go back. My suggestion is to buy your items at the Sanrio store!

I went in support of the girlfriend. We went on a Saturday. Thank goodness we didn’t have to drive or bother with parking, because we took the MetroLink to Union Station and Über’d it to the MOCA. I also managed to pick up our badges a couple of days before hand, again, thank goodness, because when we arrived at the venue around 9:20am is where the problems with this even had started.
Our Über driver didn’t even get a chance to get to our final destination because we asked her to drop us off about a block away. Why you ask? Because there was a massive line already forming around the block on Alameda. So we get out of the car and stand in the back of the line.
We wait and wait and wait. It’s already 10am (the time when the event is supposed to kick off) and the line still is NOT moving. I think we waited another 15 or 20 more minutes and the lines began to finally move. It took us another 15 minutes or so to finally get to the entrance. Once inside, it was nothing but… you guessed it… LINES! I’m not gonna lie, I expected some lines, but I didn’t expect this whole event to be nothing but lines. We didn’t even bother getting in line for the store because I overheard someone say that it was going to take about 3 to 4 hours to even get in. Even DISNEYLAND on it’s busiest day for CarsLand isn’t even that long of a wait, and CarsLand is a long ass wait.
We did get into ONE line that day, and it was to get those Hello Kitty bags. Luckily, that moved fairly quickly. The only thing we could get any access to was the Super Super Market. No lines there, but it was just stupid crowded. It didn’t help that there were mothers there with strollers, running people over. We were hungry, but we dared not line up for one of the food trucks. You honestly couldn’t even tell which line was for which truck, because the lines were wiggling around everywhere.
We left because we saw everything we could see without having to wait 3 – 4 hours to see it, and because we were hungry. We left the hellhole that was the Hello Kitty Con and went over to the Japanese Village Plaza to eat. Funny thing, there were a bunch of Hello Kitty merchandise there that they were selling at the convention, without all the lines. We got to Union Station, hopped on the train back, and that was the highlight of this trip.
This event was the most ill prepared and planned convention I have ever seen. The venue was too small, logistics were horrible, and over sold tickets. Even my girlfriend said she would never come back to this thing again.

Hello Kitty Galore!!!
Review for Saturday
Picked up badges days in advance — -check
Came early and waited in line — -check
Left HK con with tons of Hello Kitty exclusive items — check
Happy camper — -ME
We didn’t have an issue finding a parking space in the parking structure; however, price went up from $ 4 to $ 10 due to the event. But it was all worth it.
I was glad one of our friends picked up our badges earlier during the week to prevent standing in long lines the day of. We got there around 6:30AM and there were already people in line. WOW! Let me remind you the event started at 10AM. But that was ok because we got to meet new people. People from different states/​continent came to this event all decked out! Then rain started to come down, but that did not scare the fans… most came prepared with umbrellas and those who didn’t were very creative at trying to stay dry for the event for the most part.
Since Saturday was not the first day of the event, it was a little more organized than previous days. Or that’s what I heard from others who were there on Thursday and Friday. There were lines to everything; however, I got my hands on most of the stuff I wanted before the end of the event. Wished the lines were not as long so I can enjoy the whole event and more freebies would be nice.
Nevertheless, I had an awesome experience at Hello Kitty Con. Perhaps next time we will buy tickets for multiple days so we can enjoy everything. Until next time, hopefully bigger and better!

For a first year con, Hello Kitty did a great job!
You can tell the convention was not prepared to hold the number of people it had at MOCA. There was a line to pick up your badge, a line to get into the main area, a line for each vendor, each photo op, and even the restroom.
The Hello Kitty Food Hunt was happening at the same time, so there were lines across the street at the eateries in Little Tokyo, as well.
Overall, the staff were really enthusiastic. Some were decked out in Hello Kitty accessories, like cute stockings, and rings, and hair pins. Some entertained the line goers by asking trivia questions for pins and other collectibles. Some talked about what they read about Hello Kitty not being a cat, because she owned a cat.
I can’t wait to see this convention next year at a larger venue. I see potential. I want to see some of the other Sanrio characters.

Hello Kitty con is for the obsessive HK fan who will wait in long long lines to buy stuff that you technically don’t really need but … Want so badly!
It’s best to go with a strategy. If you wanted to get a fee tattoo, you had to get there early. People started lining up as early as 6:00 am. I’m serious. My friends and I waited in the rain On Saturday at around 7:30 and we were maybe 15 people deep in line!
We decided to head to the Friendship Area where all the exclusive con merchandise was held first. The staff was super accommodating and made sure that everyone knew where to go and reminded people to be safe. They Only let a group of people in at a time to prevent sheer madness.
The exclusives all were snatched up by 11:00 am so there were a lot of disappointed people walking around looking like this
I didn’t partake in any of the panels, workshops or foodstuffs (free yogurt from Yoplait helped me get through the day though) so it left me with a lot of time to soak in the nostalgia of the vintage shops and exhibit at the Japanese Museum– which BTW, is a must go!!! The artwork and special HK pieces are to die for… The only thing I didn’t bother to wait in line for was the bathroom. Really, who has time for that??! Ahem, in which I regret now because I heard there was HK toilet paper!
For being the first ever HK con, it was much fun and I hope they make it bigger and better next year.

For the obsessive HK fan that I am, this con was AWESOME!!! Parking was only $ 10…a steal in Los Angeles… a lot better than the $ 20 we had to pay in WeHo for the Halloween carnaval! Anyways, the badge line was pretty fast, entrance line was fast… the lines for the stores and to the food were pretty long, but that’s to be expected at any convention, think Animé Expo, BlizzCon, ComiCon, etc.
There were a lot of workshops and things to do, lots of photo ops, chances to learn more about HK and her legacy. She really does bring people together. Everyone was friendly, from the security, to the people working there, and to the people who stand with you in line.
The art was amazing, the free entrance to the Japanese Museum for the HK exhibit was a great deal.
Everyone had their own flair of HK, from just bows, to full blown outfits with plushies plastered all over them, down to customized HK shoes. I really feel less like a freak around everyone here! LOL:)
As for food, best way is to eat in the Japanese plaza. waiting for the food trucks takes way too long, unless you must absolutely have those HK donuts. They’re opening in OC!
Lots of free stuff being handed out, free tattoos. REAL TATTOOS, just FYI!
You won’t do everything in a day, but I tried to…:)

When I first found out about Hello Kitty Con, I knew I had to go and that I had to go on the first day! This review is based on my experience from Thursday, October 30.
The $ 3 lot by MOCA was full and all the lots close to the Con were pricey. SInce I’m familiar with the area, I drove a few blocks down Alameda and found $ 5 all day parking… YAY!
Lines lines lines, everywhere! The line to pick-​up badges went smoothly and after a short wait in line, we were in the MOCA grounds by 10:20 am. I’m glad that I went on the first day because there weren’t as many people as on the weekend and less kids! Crying kids are the worstttt when you’re in line. I couldn’t help but LOL because of all the sad husbands, boyfriends, young sons, and dads who got dragged here. The looks on some of their faces ranged from being overwhelmed to sheer disgust. This is definitely a female driven event. One low was seeing some woman yelling at the security who was trying to contain the line for the UpperDeck card. Hello Kitty would not have approved of your less than friendly behavior!
I got to see and do everything I wanted to do! I consider myself very lucky because I really did enjoy my whole experience there. Some people just looked mad throughout the whole Con! I did miss out on some of the signings but I got to take in the whole Hello Kitty Con experience and that was most important to me. I got my free Con bag, got a «Hug Life» temporary tattoo, and even got to decorate a pumpkin with HK stickers. I was able to hit up all the booths I wanted to in the Super Supermarket. I even got to take a picture with Hello Kitty! Loved all my freebies and the staff working were all very nice. My fave freebie was the UpperDeck trading card [you can see this pic in my uploads]! Definitely framing it! I also loved the 3D figure from MakerBot!
I didn’t try any of the food trucks. My sister and I went into the plaza and got yummy food there. Highly suggest leaving the Con to get lunch /​dessert! Little Tokyo offers many food gems!
Lots of picture opportunities. Bring water and I wish I had brought a fan for standing in the warm sun. My advice is to come with a game plan and be patient! You will enjoy it! It was really fun being surrounded by other Hello Kitty fans!
Thanks Sanrio for planning such a fun event!

This review is for Day 1 (Thursday) of the first ever Hello Kitty Convention 2014.
Event is for all ages. Mostly females, but there were dudes there too. Take advantage of badge pick-​up the day before the convention starts to avoid long (er) lines at the door.
Come early and take advantage of the whole day because you will need it with all the lines. We came around 2pm and stayed til the very end when it started to clear out, and we were able to revisit things that were crowded earlier in the day. Some attractions were already closed as early as 530pm, like the Carnival attraction which sounded like fun but we weren’t able get into.
Love that they made the art so interactive and provided so many cute photo ops. Several different photo booths available where you can email yourself the pics. Again, lines can be really long but the pics are worth it. They also showcase Vintage HK stuff including the first ever HK product which was a coin purse normally kept in a high security safe in Japan. Dabs MyLA has a huge colorful and fun exhibit too.
The gift shop had a 2 – 3 hour wait just to get in then I heard there was another line to pay for things. The Super Market has a number of vendors selling HK items. Vendors include Loungefly (which had a line to purchase), JapanLA (also a line), SPAM was selling HK Spam musubi makers (I bought one hehe), etc…
Dressing up was fun as you get people coming up to you to take pictures. You can also take part of a Cosplay contest. Limit of 20 people. The winner won a HK sewing machine. Participants got HK band-​aid or HK duct tape.
Line entrance: depends what time you go. We showed up at 2pm and there was a 5 – 10 minute wait to get in.
Food: DONT COME HUNGRY! We made the horrible mistake of not eating before coming. The lines are ridiculously long and there are not enough vendors. We waited 2 hours in line to order our food and to get the food in our hands. As the event ended, however, lines died out but you’ll discover things are sold out too.
We ate at:
— Hello Kitty Café: cute overpriced Hello Kitty desserts. An assortment of 4-​piece tiny cake set was $ 15. Very rich and decadent. A (disposable) plastic water bottle with special edition HK logo on it was $ 4. I didn’t drink it. They also sold out of HK macarons, cake pops $ 4 each, and HK box of 3 donuts $ 14. Free tiny tote bag with $ 25 purchase.
— Don Chow tacos (fusion mexican/​asian burritos/​tacos/​etc. which was OK) shortest «meal» line.
— They also had Grilled Cheese Truck, Crêpe, a shaved ice truck, a refreshment tent that sold water, tea, soda $ 1 – 4.
— No shade. Bring an umbrella — a third hand if possible. Limited number of picnic benches provided at a first come first serve basis. We didn’t seem to have a problem finding seats. They also have these cute Hello Kitty cardboard cut outs folded into chairs.
Activities/​Workshops/​Tattoo: You have to purchase tickets for these in advance. They’re sold out. Didnt get to participate in the art school, Nail art, tattoo stuff. Womp Womp. Artists were also available for signing. We got to meet tattoo artist Misha as she was on her way out. Katy Perry was also there and she went shopping and got a tattoo. There was a line for the pumpkin patch: tiny pumpkins that you put stickers on — stickers are all the same. Also a very long line to get your penny pressed with a Hello Kitty imprint on it.
Free HK/​Target backpack when you show your badge at a booth. Makes carrying things easier. Not the best quality and they tend to rip a little easy but they are super cute.
Parking: lots available for $ 10 normally but they may change prices during special events. MOCA does not have its own parking. My friend and I took an Über so we wouldn’t have to hassle with parking.
Look for the Hello Kitty App to keep you up to date with everything at the con!
Next time maybe we’ll buy tickets for multiple days so we can enjoy everything because one day is not enough. Take lots of pictures, dress up, and enjoy as much as you can. Positive vibes everywhere, workers are so friendly and happy and willing to take pictures for you of you and your friends. Even though the lines were ridiculously long, it was a fun/​kawaii Hello Kitty filled day.

Hello Kitty Overload!
Cuteness Overload!
This convention was held at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, which is located in Little Tokyo. Seems perfect since HK is from Japan, right?! Yes! However, I wish the venue was larger because the amount of Kitty fans was overwhelming. Packed, packed, packed to the core and lemme tell ya, with the lines going every which way, 1-​day pass is definitely NOT enough time to completely do everything on your desired list.
For the most part, it was organized. They had security guards directing kitty traffic in strict directions to prevent bottle necks but with the mass of kitty lovers, bottle necks were inevitable. And the worst part??? The Friendship store closed off patrons from lining up around 3pm!!! I was fortunate or unfortunate (you can decide) that I was one of the last 30 people in that line. We lined up at 2pm and didn’t get into the store at 6pm!!! That’s 4 hours of standing in line to buy once in a lifetime, one of a kind, HKC swag at premium prices! The Friendship Store only had shoppers snatching anything and everything off the shelves. And to my dismay, the items that I wanted was completely SOLD OUT! This is DAY1 kittettes! HKC t-​shirts were GONE! Friendship Store experience = 1 STAR or less. It was disappointing.
Otherwise, everything else about the convention was pretty great. Who could HATE on kitty loving patrons, like myself? We talked to so many people during our time in line and we were all just overwhelmed with the CUTE factor happening under 1 roof. There was free swag to be snagged everywhere. Kitty ears, tattoo stickers, cupcake stands, MakerBot HK dolls, photobooths, balloons, yogurt HKC official backpack, and buttons. And if your one of the utimate lucky ones, you can get free tattoos, nails painted, faux tattoos, and etc. Who doesn’t like free?!
CUTE CUTE CUTE! That’s just about all I have to say. CUTE!

Hello Kitty heaven! Am I in Hello Kitty heaven? That is exactly how I felt when I first entered the Geffen Contemporary Art at the MOCA, where the first ever Hello Kitty Con is currently being held!
Hello Kitty Con is an amazing celebration of everything Hello Kitty in honor of Hello Kitty’s 40^th anniversary. Everything here is Hello Kitty! They’ve got hello kitty charging stations, hello kitty ATMs, hello kitty signs and even hello kitty toilet paper in the bathrooms!
There’s so much hello kitty here and something for everyone! There’s a hello kitty tattoo parlor, a hello kitty supermarket with different vendors, a hello kitty vintage shop selling classic hello kitty items from the past, a hello kitty game center and a hello kitty pop up shop selling exclusive Hello Kitty items!
There are plenty of photos ops all over! From super kawaii cardboard cutouts to photo booths where you can make animated gifs, you are sure to be clicking that camera continuously. I certainly did and it resulted in over 400 photos in just my first day.
I got to go to the VIP opening party and so was very lucky to see everything without the massive lines but the following day, the lines were crazy!
There are definitely a lot of hello kitty fanatics everywhere! As a visitor to Hello Kitty Con, it’s wisest to know which area you really want to hit and go there first before it gets crowded! I skipped the line to the pop up shop because it was a four hour wait just to get in (happy I saw it during the VIP night but sad I didn’t get a chance to get my Hello Kitty Con coin purse! I had figured I could get it the next day and couldn’t because of the wait). Ahh wish I got that HK coin purse replica :(,
Nevertheless, Hello Kitty Con was an awesome experience! I got to meet Yuko Yamaguchi, Hello Kitty’s head designer from Tokyo as well as some of the other designers and get personalized drawings. I got to see lots and lots of super kawaii items from Hello Kitty tea sets to paintings to plushes. I even got a makeover from Sephora.
Overall Hello Kitty Con was fun and super cute! I am a big Hello Kitty fan and this Hello Kitty Con truly made me one happy kitty :).