My Lovely AZAs, BBGs, and fellow members of the Order

Welcome to my IC 2026 recap, where I share with you my experience as a first-time IC attendee as a Junior and any tips that I would use for the next convention.

I arrived at IC after what I would call a very long travel day. I am Canadian, true north strong and free, and let me tell you, an entire plane filled with two regions of Canadian Jews is not something you will get to experience often (someone did get a moustache drawn on them during that plane ride, as expected).

Let's just say when I arrived at the convention, I didn’t expect our opening ceremony to start with a 3000+ people rendition of Hamilton. One thing about convention is that you think the night is over, and then they pull out something crazy, like Loud Luxury performing a live set at 10 pm.  

Very Important: Be prepared to be your own and possibly your roommate's alarm clock. Especially on the mornings when you have to wake up at 6:45 am. You do not want to miss your bus for LEADs or sightseeing because you slept in. On those days when you have to wake up really early and then sit through some type of ‘ceremony’, I suggest getting some sort of caffeine intake and not do what I did, which was doze off unwillingly and fall asleep maybe twenty times.  

As someone who has had Shabbat dinner every Friday since as early as I can remember, Shabbat at IC is like no other. There are so many Shabbat services, Friday evening and Saturday morning, and you can choose which best aligns with you. Personally, my Saturday morning consisted of a “Rave at Mount Sinai”.  

Tip #1: Don’t be afraid to pack a suitcase, not stuff everything into a carry-on. If you stuff your carry-on on the way there, after you get merch and things at booths, it might not close, or it might have to be extended if your carry-on does that. Know that if it is too full or is extended, they will make you check the bag. Personally, I would just pack a suitcase.

Tip #2: Bring snacks or be prepared to pay for snacks. I made the mistake of only bringing small snacks that could fit into my purse that I could eat on the plane, and that was a mistake. Know that sometimes you will not have access to things like coffee. I know. It's really bad. I was grabbing a Diet Coke at whatever vending machine I could find. Note that there were no snack vending machines; if you wanted snacks, you had to A) go to the market (I never found that place, and apparently it's closed like always). B) get something at a cafe that might be in the IC site. C) Order on the IC app before the cut-off time.

Tip #3: Be on time, but don’t expect things to start on time. That way, you always have a spot, and you are scanned in.

Tip #4: Bring noise-cancelling earbuds. Not the ones that play music, the ones that block out sound. Those concerts get LOUD.