Closed Profile

New for 2026, Super MAGFest is going closed-profile! This means that only pre-registered attendees with valid badges will be permitted to enter the Gaylord during the event.

Ok, But WHY?

After selling out in recent years, we have seen a notable increase in unbadged people (also known as “ghosting” or “lobbyconning”) as well as an increase in related security incidents. Preventing people who are not attendees from entering the venue helps make the festival environment safer and more fair, both for you as paying attendees and for our staff.

THE DETAILS

From Thursday 1/8/26 at 7am through Sunday 1/11/26 at 3pm, you will need to show proof that you have a badge to Super MAGFest 2026 in order to enter any of the doors to the Gaylord. These doors will be staffed by Gaylord Safety Services employees scanning credentials.

Since MAGFest does not mail out badges, there will be a Grace Period beginning at 7am on Thursday 1/8 in order to allow attendees to pick up their badges at Registration (Expo E) as normal.

  • During the Grace Period, you will only need to show your registration confirmation email at the door (the one with the QR code, subject line “Check in faster at MAGFest”). These will get emailed to all attendees the week of the event. (Your badge will also work once you’ve picked it up!)
  • Each person will need to show the email associated with their registration upon entering, so be sure to have them handy when you arrive for the first time.
  • During this time, FestSec will be actively roving to encourage attendees who have not yet picked up their badges to head directly to Registration (Expo E).

The Enforcement Period will begin at 7am on Friday 1/9 and run through 3pm on Sunday 1/11.

  • During the Enforcement Period, only valid physical badges will permit entry to the venue.
  • If you have not picked up your badge by this time, you will be asked to enter via the doors closest to the Maryland Ballroom (near LAN, under the covered breezeway from the parking garage on the east side of the building). See the map below.
  • There will be a Registration Outpost in the Maryland hallway so you can pick up your badge immediately. You will not be permitted to drop off luggage or go elsewhere in the venue until you have picked up your badge, so you may wish to leave it in your vehicle at first.
  • Please note that if you arrive between 4am and 7am during the Enforcement Period and have not yet picked up your badge, you will be told to return after Registration re-opens at 7am.
  • Additionally, Registration closes at 11am on Sunday, so if you have not picked up your badge by that time, unfortunately you will not be permitted to enter the event at all.
An overhead map of the Gaylord showing the valet parking loop, self-parking loop, and Reg Outpost Entrance near the Maryland Ballroom, which is located at the end of the self-parking loop.

For those newly arriving to the event after 7am on Friday, please proceed to the Maryland entrance shown in green above (at the end of the self-parking loop, under the breezeway from the parking garage) in order to pick up your badge!

TL;DR:
  • Prior to Thursday 1/8 at 7am: no credentials needed
  • Thursday 1/8 at 7am – Friday 1/9 at 7am: confirmation emails OR badges accepted
  • Friday 1/9 at 7am – Sunday 1/11 at 3pm: ONLY badges accepted
Reminders & FAQs
  • Don’t forget to bring your badge with you when leaving the Gaylord or heading there from another location, since you will need it to get back in!
  • Be sure to check the names on your hotel room to ensure all your roommates are listed. We will be working with the Gaylord front desk to ensure that ONLY attendees with valid badges in our system may be listed on rooms.
  • Please don’t arrive between the hours of 4am-7am on any day, nor after 11am on Sunday, when Registration is closed. We will not permit you to enter during these hours unless you already have your badge or unless your name is on a Gaylord hotel room.
  • You may bring luggage into the building with you when you first arrive. However, once the Enforcement Period begins, you will need to visit the Registration Outpost before going elsewhere in the venue, so you may wish to leave luggage in your vehicle until after you pick up your badge.
  • In order to keep badge checks moving quickly, please wear your current badge in a separate, more visible location than any others that you bring along. (For example, if you are wearing this year’s badge around your neck, please attach any historical badges, decorative tags, etc. to a belt loop or backpack instead of using the same lanyard.)
  • Please report any unbadged people promptly by sending a detailed description of the individual and their current location to FestSec either in-person in Camellia 3-4, or via texting/calling our security hotline at 1-833-FEST-SEC. If it is safe to do so, please also provide a photo.
  • If you have further questions, please contact us at security@magfest.org.