General
For those attending
> Cosplay questions
For those organizing
My question isn’t here!

General

What is Hetalia Day?

It’s a global meetup for Hetalia fans. Please proceed to the About page to learn more.

When is Hetalia Day?

Present and past dates are listed here. It’s merely a recommendation – if you cannot hold your event on that day, you can do it on other close dates. Please indicate that in the email you send me.

Why is Hetalia Day held on October?

Hetalia Day is supposed to coincide with United Nations Day, which falls on October 24 every year. But sometimes UN Day falls on a weekday so for that year, Hetalia Day is scheduled on a weekend close to October 24.

I saw videos of Hetalia Day meetups on different dates, why is that?

I think some fans have started calling any Hetalia meetup (regardless of when it’s held) as a “Hetalia Day meetup”! But on this website, only the meetups on the last week of October are listed in the directory.

Where is Hetalia Day being held?

This is a worldwide event, so it is held in many countries! Please check the directory for the nearest one to you.

My city is not on the directory, but do you know of anything being planned?

All the meetups I know are posted in the directory, sorry. Some fans discuss their tentative meetups on the Facebook page so you might have some luck there.

My city is not on the directory, what do I do?

Hopefully someone else will organize one for your city, or you can organize your own.

My city is not on the directory, so please make one!

Hetalia Day is a fan-run event and it is local fans (like you and me) who organize it!

How many people of have attended Hetalia Day?

Sometimes, the organizers could provide me an official tally. For the others, I just counted the number of the people in each photo submitted. So I can’t give you an exact number, only a minimum number of attendees (especially because not everyone joins the photo and not every meetup submits a photo).

2009: 935+ people attended from 68 meetups in 22 countries
2010: 2895+ people attended from 142 meetups in 34 countries
2011: 2027+ people attended from 126 meetups in 28 countries
2012: 1999+ people attended from 103 meetups in 23 countries.

Will there be one next year?

Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on local fans, if they are able and willing to organize a meetup next year.

How do I contact you?

Please send an email to [email protected].

For those attending

What time and place will it be in my city?

Please check the link for your city on the directory. The details are supposed to be there.

Why is the time/venue of my meetup not in this site?

Plans change all the time, so I think it is best to refer you to the organizer’s site directly.

How do I go to my meetup? I need directions!

Please check the link for your city on the directory. The details are supposed to be there.

How do I join? Do I need to sign-up somewhere, or do I just show up?

In theory, you should be able to show up at a meetup randomly and still be able to join the activities. However some organizers prefer to have a count of attendees before the event, so please ask your organizer about it.

How old do you have to be to join?

We welcome fans of any ages! Parents and guardians are welcomed too. (But, it is better if you have a guardian with you if you are 16 or younger.)

Is there an entrance fee for the event?

The event itself is free, but some organizers rent a venue and to share the cost they ask for a small payment from participants. Please ask them if there is one.

I don’t cosplay, can I still join?

Of course! Cosplay isn’t required to be able to attend.

I don’t have a Facebook account so I cannot contact the organizer.

In that case, please email [email protected] so I can help you.

I cannot view the Facebook page.

Facebook can be troublesome, sorry! I will try to invite you to the Facebook event if I am already added to it. Please add [email protected] on Facebook or email me. But if you don’t have a Facebook account and cannot view the page, please email me as well.

Cosplay questions

(Remember, cosplay isn’t required to attend Hetalia Day!)

I know it says in the Code of Conduct that weapons are not allowed, but I went to this convention where they let me carry it. Plus I know how to handle it properly. Can I bring it?

Hmm…you will have to ask your organizers on that (it depends a lot on the venue of your meetup).

Do I have to cosplay my country? (Example: I am American, so do I have to cosplay Alfred?)

No, you can cosplay anyone! But please read the Code of Conduct for our cosplay guidelines.

There is already another person cosplaying the same character as mine. Do I need to change my cosplay or something?

You can cosplay who you want! But please read the Code of Conduct for our cosplay guidelines.

For those organizing

We cannot hold our meet on that date, what do we do?

You can do your meetup on other close dates! The date above is just a recommended date.

There is already a meetup in my city. Can we make a second one?

Sure!

What are the obligations of an organizer?

(You do not have to do all of these alone! Ask around if other fans can help you plan.)

You must set up a date, time and venue for the event (as well as secure the venue).
You have to answer inquiries for your meetup. Try to setup a webpage for your gathering.
You should prepare some activities for the day and oversee the whole event.
You must make sure that the Code of Conduct is followed.
After the meetup, send a short report and group photo (please try to take one) of your Hetalia Day meetup to [email protected]. We all love to see what happens on other meetups! So make sure you have the permission of the photographer/subjects of the photo because it will be displayed in the gallery and other online accounts.
And: if your meetup was canceled/changed please tell the attendees! And me so I can remove/edit your meetup from the directory.

How do I setup a meetup?

First, you have to decide on the date, time and place. Here’s a little flowchart to help you get started. Don’t forget to submit it to the directory (by emailing it to [email protected]).
Planning for other details (like activities and food) can come before or after you submit your meetup.

What if I don’t have a website/webpage/Facebook/blog, can I still organize a meetup?

Yes, but I highly recommend making one, even if it’s just a Facebook page/event. You would not want to be buried in emails asking where and when your meetup is – if you have a website showing your meetup details, this can be avoided. You could use: Facebook (but please make sure your event is set to Public), Blogspot, WordPress, Tumblr, Weebly, Webs and other free websites.

Do you have any tips for an organizer?

Yes – aside from the ones here in the FAQ, here are a few more:

You do not have to do it alone. If you know of fans in your area, you can plan it with them. And if your group is large, have some volunteers to help you on the day of the event.
Get a place reserved, especially if you have a large group. Consider accessibility (is it too far? is there public transportation nearby?), the number of people attending, the price, the proximity to historical/war sites (the farther the better), security, facilities included and even the weather when choosing your venue.
Inform everyone before hand of the Code of Conduct, and make sure that it is followed (you don’t want to get kicked out or banned from your venue!).
You might have minors and parents attending, so please take them in consideration when choosing your activities (this includes bringing yaoi stuff).
Food /drinks (especially if you are planning to have a potluck/picnic): don’t forget to bring drinks and utensils!
Have a first-aid kit ready if possible.
If something does not go as planned, don’t panic! Keep calm and carry on 🙂
Lastly, try to make everyone feel included.

How do I avoid no one showing up?

Every year there are a few meetups where no one except one or two people show up. To avoid this you have to spread the word so that more people can come. That’s one of the reasons why the webpage is important. Also, when deciding the date, time and place of your meetup, make sure that they are convenient for the majority.
If you decide to cancel your meetup, please inform your attendees (and me) early, at least 12 hours before the event! It saddens me to hear about an incident where a parent shows with their child at the venue, but finding no one else there because the organizer failed to inform them of the cancellation. Organizers, please take responsibility for your meetups.

How do I spread the word so that more people would be interested in coming?

If you don’t have a webpage for your meetup, please make one and submit it to the directory. Take note that not everyone will have a Facebook – (yes, Facebook), Livejournal, Tumblr or deviantArt account so make sure that non-users will be able to see your page/contact you even without registering.
Plug your event on the popular forums/social networks in your country. You can also share it on Hetalia Day’s Facebook page.

How do I avoid people leaving early?

People might leave because they’re bored, so that’s where the activities come in.

What activities do you suggest?

Games are really good icebreakers. You could play traditional party games or give them a Hetalia twist. Some of the games played in past meetups are: Pin the tail on the donkey (Hetalia version), Tag, Capture the Flag, Wife-carrying Race, Three-legged race, all sorts of relay games, Mafia game, “Statues”, “Heta-lympics”, scavenger hunt, trivia game, dating games, “beauty pageants”, Truth or Dare. Does it all sound childish? You’d be surprised by how much they’re enjoyed!
If you have many cosplayers attending, there will most certainly be photoshoots. Also: how about a cosplay contest?
Dancing (like in flash mobs) turned out to be really popular, so prepare music!
Potluck/picnic (how about sharing international foods? Or not 😀 )
There’s a good chance that there are fan artists (or writers) in your meetup, so you could set aside some time/area for them to sell/share their goods.
Other suggested activities are raffles and prizes for the contests/games.
A fund-raiser is a good idea.
And of course: how about watching Hetalia?

My Hetalia Day meetup is not on October/November, can I still submit it to the directory?

In that case there is no need to submit it (:

I’m a minor, can I organize an event?

As of 2014, minors (aged 16 and below) will not be allowed to host public meetups on their own. You must have an adult co-host, or you can have a private meetup instead (one that will not be listed in the directory).
Please send me an email at [email protected] for assistance.

Can you advertise my Hetalia meetup (that is not on Hetalia Day) on your website?
You can post about it on the Hetalia Day Facebook page. Or I can retweet it on Twitter.

My question isn’t here!

Please email [email protected] and I’ll help you with what I can.

Updated: 13 September 2019