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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Terry Pratchett?
Seriously? You found this website and you don't know who he is? OK, OK... I'll keep it simple. Sir Terry Pratchett is the world-famous author of a huge number of novels, the most famous and popular being the Discworld series. Read this quick biography if you'd like to know more.
What does Nullus Anxietas mean?
As popularised in "The Last Continent", Nullus Anxietas is pseudo-latin for "No Worries", a very Australian Fourecksian thing to say.
Nullus Anxietas X is the next Australian Discworld Convention, to be held in Sydney, Australia in 2026 (Dates and venue to be announced).
Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest news as it is revealed!
I've never been to a Discworld Convention before, what's it all about?
It's an opportunity for fans of Sir Terry Pratchett to meet and enjoy an intensive three (or four!) days of Discworld related activities (and fun).
We have several large rooms for the convention, and we will be running different events in each for most of the day. Events typically run for one or at most two hours. They can be talks about Discworld/Pratchett related subjects, workshops ranging from physical to cerebral and Discworld connected games. So you can pick and choose what interests you. The most important thing is that it is all fun!
Discworld Conventions are very different to large pop culture expos like Supanova or OzComicCon. Our convention is run by volunteer fans (so nobody is earning a wage), on a very low budget. We only have a few major VIP guests (some in person, some via video link), and they're all people who have worked closely with Terry Pratchett or are big within the fan community. It is far more intimate with only a few hundred attendees rather than thousands, and our activities run all day and most of the night (sometimes even all night, unofficially!) so you're encouraged to stay at the hotel (or nearby) to get the best experience. We also aren't out to bleed you dry of money - we'll have fewer than six dealers total, and the only time you're really encouraged to spend is at the auction - of which all proceeds go to charity!
For more information, why not read our Newcomer's ABC?
Where is it? How do I get there? Where will I stay?
Nullus Anxietas X will be in Sydney in 2026. The venue is yet to be announced.
You don't have to stay at the hotel to attend the convention, and if you don't live locally there may be other accommodation options nearby.
When does it start and finish? What activities will there be?
The convention officially starts around midday on the Friday, and will officially finish after the Closing Ceremony at around 6-7pm on the Sunday. Events and activities run late into the evening, so we do recommend staying at or close to the venue if you want to get the full experience.
There will be a range of activities, including:
- Interviews and chats with special guests
- Performances, presentations and panels
- Art and craft workshops
- Fun and games
Including our traditional events:
- The Maskerade costume, talent and prop competition.
- The Gala Dinner
- Klatches with special guests (small, intimate chats)
- The Charity Auction
- The Quiz
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What about food?
Your membership ticket price doesn't include any food (apart maybe from a snack in your convention bag). It's up to you to arrange all your own meals (see the 5-2-1 rule in the Newcomer's ABC), so you should feel free to eat at the hotel, or at a nearby cafe or restaurant, or pack some muesli bags or similar in your bag to keep you energised during the day.
The only meal provided by the convention is the Gala Dinner, which is a ticketed event at extra cost.
But I don't know any Pratchett/Discworld fans! Can I come on my own?
Not knowing any other Pratchett/Discworld fans should be the reason for coming on your own. You will get to meet LOTS - not just one, not just many, not just many many, but LOTS. When you leave you will probably leave with a host of new friends to keep in contact with (but we are not a dating service if that is what you are thinking).
To meet other fans in your home city, be sure to check out the various Australian fan clubs.
Do I have to have read all the Discworld books?
No, but it helps to have read a few. If your only exposure to Terry Pratchett is the Good Omens TV show, then you might be a little at a loss with all this Discworld stuff, but you'll still be welcome (we all love Good Omens too!). Everyone has their favourite books and characters, and it helps to recognise some of the unusual characters wandering the convention. When it comes to the quiz, if you haven't read all of the books, make sure you team up with other people who've read the books you haven't!
Do I have to wear costume?
No, but lots of attendees do. In the past we have had some fantastic costumes (and some very simple but effective ones too!)
For those who are keen to show off their costuming skills, there is the Maskerade (a costume/cosplay/talent/prop competition).
You might prefer to run around in your favourite geeky t-shirt and jeans, or even one of our convention t-shirts. Casual clothes are fine. Formal clothes are fine. In fact, as long as you're actually wearing clothes, it'll be fine. Not wearing clothes might be a problem.
You can see photos from past conventions here.
Is there an advantage to registering early?
Early registration means you get early bird pricing. This can be a significant saving on the final ticket price.
More important than this is the warm fuzzy feeling you will get in your heart when you realise that by registering early you have given the volunteer committee the funds they need to bring out special guests, pay for the venue, pay for the technical requirements, print the convention programme and so much more.
Can I bring my whole family?
Definitely! We do try to be family friendly, but be aware that the occasional outburst of the Hedgehog song may not be suitable for sensitive young ears. Check out the family ticket in the shop to save that little extra bit of money. However, much as we all love children, you will be required to supervise them throughout the convention. If they were your children when you arrived, they are still your children for the duration of the convention. That is fair isn't it?
Can I pay for multiple things at once?
Yes you can! You can buy memberships/tickets for yourself, your friends and family in our shop - just be sure to fill in the relevant information about each person when buying the tickets. As per other online stores, you can add multiple items to your cart (tickets, merchandise etc) and then go to the checkout to pay.
What is Supporting Membership?
Taking out a supporting membership is a way of creating a placeholder and making the decision later to upgrade to attending membership. It costs $50 to ensure your place, and then you have until a few weeks before the convention to convert the supporting membership to a full membership.
Supporting Membership is non-refundable and non-transferable. Think of it as an administration fee to hold your place, or think of it as a donation to the convention if you want to support us but cannot attend.
Read more information about supporting membership here.
What's my membership number?
Your membership or badge number is assigned to you after you've purchased a membership (attending or supporting). This is the number that will be on your convention badge, and your auction voting paddle, and maybe used for other administrative things as well.
After payment for your membership has been received, you should see your name next to your membership number appear on the membership list. This is done manually by our membership officer, so it might take a few weeks before it appears. The letter next to it just identifies the type: "A" for attending, "S" for supporting, "C" for committee, etc.
If you purchased a supporting membership, and then later upgrade to attending, your membership number stays the same, you'll just be changed from "S" to "A". If you chose not to have your name displayed on the membership list, it won't be shown - in this case, if you want to find out your membership number, please contact us.
You don't have to remember your membership number - we can always look you up by your name - but it is useful for us if you can supply it when upgrading a supporting membership, or when buying a gala dinner ticket or merchandise.
Can I help at all?
YES! We are always looking for volunteers - we are all volunteers, in fact. If you're a highly organised person, consider volunteering to join the committee (usually 1-2 years in advance of the convention); If you like to get up on stage and talk about books or bats or weird folklore or whatever, why not volunteer to run a presentation or panel? If you like to craft and want to teach others how to make their own Death of Rats/Cross Stitch/Shambles, then volunteer to run a crafting workshop. Know anything about how to move the knobs on a sound board to make microphones sound good? Volunteer to help with tech and audio/visual. Can you take a good icongraph or make a clickie? Join the Press Corpse of volunteer photographers. Just want to help in a more general way, to assist with security, lifting heavy things, or fetching coffee for stressed committee members? Volunteer to be a gopher.
ANY of these is highly welcome, and all you need to do is register to volunteer on this page!
Doesn't volunteering earn me a free ticket?
No, it doesn't. This is a fan convention, run by volunteers. The entire committee is volunteering their services for more than two years to organise the convention, and they still pay for their own tickets!
However, Discworld conventions always need more volunteers, so if you would like to volunteer - for ANYTHING - we appreciate it. Please fill in this form to volunteer.
I would love to meet other Discworld fans before the next convention!
Fan groups are popping up all over Australia and they all welcome new people. Take a look here to find one near you.
If none of those are near enough you could start your own group and we will help you publicise it. Contact us with more info!
Tell me about the previous conventions!
In Australia there have been Discworld conventions every two years since the first Nullus Anxietas in Melbourne in 2007.
Since then we have had Nullus Anxietas II (Melbourne, 2009), Nullus Anxietas III (Sydney, 2011), Unseen University Convivium (Adelaide, 2012), Nullus Anxietas IV (Melbourne, 2013), Nullus Anxietas V (Sydney, 2015), Nullus Anxietas VI (Adelaide, 2017) and Nullus Anxietas 7 (Melbourne, 2019). Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the planned Nullus Anxietas 7a (Sydney, 2021/2022) was cancelled. However, we held three online events in its place: The Lost Con, Virtual Hogswatch and the Discworld Fun Day. After a five year break, Nullus Anxietas 9 was held in Adelaide in 2024. See photos and videos from all previous conventions here.
I can't make this convention, when's the next one?
Australian Discworld Conventions are run every two years (barring worldwide pandemics). Nullus Anxietas X will be in Sydney in 2026.
If you want to get news about future conventions and other related events, please subscribe to our newsletter.
For any other questions, contact us.