
Date
The ARCON 41 gaming convention will be held from June 20 to 23, 2025. The doors are open to participants from 5 PM Friday to 2 PM Monday.
Location
The convention takes place at Hartvig Nissens School, Helsfyr, Oslo (Grenseveien 95).
Our venue is modern and universally accessible. Need to use the elevator? Just ask at the reception!
Getting There
By Public Transportation:
- Metro: Take lines 1, 2, 3, or 4 to Helsfyr. Exit the station in the direction of Fyrstikktorget.
- Local buses: Lines 20, 21, 23, 37, 66, 68, and 76 stop at Helsfyr. Line 37 runs 24/7, and night buses operate on Friday and Saturday nights.
- Regional buses: Lines 100, 110, 300, 375, and 400 stop at Helsfyr.
- For schedules, visit Ruter.no.
By Car:
- Parking near the school costs 100 NOK/hour or 520 NOK/day.
- More affordable parking is available at Fredrik Selmers vei 5, slightly further away.
- If you have special requirements, we offer underground parking for 50 NOK/hour or 300 NOK/day. Contact us in advance to reserve a spot.
Note: Prices are subject to change. We encourage visitors arriving from out of town by car to consider parking outside the city and use public transportation to reach the venue.
Free Play
At ARCON, there’s always something fun to do, even outside the scheduled program!
- Board Games: Our partner ARES will bring their large collection of board games. Borrow a game at any time, enjoy your favorites, or try something new!
- Dungeons & Dragons: Join the Adventurers League to easily jump into an adventure – just show up at the start of a session!
- Arriving solo? No worries! Simply ask around – many people are looking for someone to join them! The entry hall, cafeteria and free play areas are great spots to meet new people.
Registration
If you wish to secure your spot for a scheduled activity, you should pre-register. Create a user account and sign up for any activities you would like to join on the program when this is ready (use Google Translate if necessary).
For board games, card games and miniature games, Norwegian language competency is rarely a requirement. For RPG sessions and other activities, look for the appropriate language tag on the program.
- No registration? No problem! Just show up anyway, but note that pre-registered participants have priority. Organizers will do roll calls if necessary.
The program is divided into numbered sessions lasting two hours with shared breaks in between. This is to ensure that as many participants as possible can take part in multiple activities without overlap. Longer activities run across multiple consecutive sessions.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
- Free Admission: Friday and Monday.
- Weekend and Day Passes are available.
- Pre-order your ticket for discounted prices.
- Are you under 26? Join the club for NOK 50 and enjoy free entry the entire convention!
Cafeteria
The school cafeteria serves hot and cold food all day, with regular and vegan options. Gluten-free meals are available on request.
Tea Bar
ARCON’s iconic tea and coffee bar is open from Friday to Sunday!
- You can purchase this year’s convention mug in the online store.
- We offer exclusive thermal mugs at the convention too.
By purchasing any of the mugs, you get free tea and coffee throughout the entire convention!
Opening Hours
The school is open to participants and invited guests both day and night. The free play area is open around the clock. We encourage early arrivals to help with setup!
Accommodation
We offer free accommodation in dormitory-style spaces! Bring your own sleeping gear, including a sleeping mat.
- Pre-registration for accommodation is required, as with other scheduled activities.
- Please set up your sleeping space by 10:00 PM on your day of arrival.
- Showers are available on-site. Don’t forget to pack your toiletries!
- Prefer staying at a hotel? We recommend Scandic Helsfyr, which is very close to the venue.
Belongings
Storage lockers are available. Bring your own padlock, and please remember to empty your locker before leaving. We don’t have access to the venue after the convention is over and can’t take responsibility for participants’ belongings.
Sales
Individuals and volunteer organizations are free to sell used or handmade goods on a hobby basis, as long as it doesn’t interfere with our convention operations.
- Space will be assigned upon request at the reception.
- Commercial vendors must arrange space in advance by contacting komite@spillfestival.no.
People at Arcon
ARCON is run entirely by volunteers:
- Staff: The convention leadership, consisting of the committee, appointed leaders, and their assistants. They wear volunteer t-shirts and blue button badges.
- Volunteers: Friendly folks helping out with essential tasks. They wear volunteer t-shirts.
- Organizers: People running games and activities, assisted by game masters if necessary. They wear red button badges.
Want to help out? Please contact komite@spillfestival.no for details. There are perks for volunteering in various positions, such as an invitation to our legendary after-party!
Rules of Conduct
To ensure a safe and pleasant experience, we have a few rules:
- No use of tobacco products allowed indoors or on school grounds.
- No alcohol or intoxication on school premises.
- Open flames, including candles, are prohibited for safety reasons.
- Convention wristbands must be worn visibly (except on Friday and Monday, when entry is free).
- No weapons or weapon replicas are allowed on the premises.
- No pets are allowed inside.
- Participants must clean up after themselves when finishing a game.
- The sleeping areas must remain quiet and are only for sleeping.
- Participants are otherwise required to follow staff instructions at all times. We reserve the right to remove individuals if necessary.
On behalf of everyone, we would like to cordially welcome you to our convention, whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a first-time visitor!