Arch Street at a quarter to five on December 30. The sun has just dropped behind Center City, the line is wrapping toward Broad, and every breath hangs in the air for a second before the next one. Somewhere inside the convention center, the first kick drum starts.
HiJinx calls it "The Monster Returns," with a little alien and a snowflake for punctuation. We love that. A monster needs a costume, and a Philadelphia December needs a hood.
We're Magus and Lylyth Fawn, Los Angeles visionary artists and New Year's Eve ravers, and we make every piece to order. Here's how we'd dress for HiJinx 2026: one warm, wearable layer for a festival with no coat check, the art that goes with it, and the date to order by.
What should you wear to HiJinx Festival?
Wear a light outfit for the halls and one warm hooded layer you can dance in. HiJinx has no coat check, so whatever you wear down Arch Street stays with you until the last song. Magus Fawn's answer is a hooded cloak lined in faux fur, worn open inside and zipped for the walk out.
That's the whole plan in one sentence: dress for the dance floor, then choose an outer layer that belongs on the dance floor too. A puffy jacket wants to live tied around your waist. A cloak hanging open from your shoulders is part of the outfit.
Our pick for the first night is the Mushroom Apothecary Pink women's festival cloak ($250). A copper and amber pyramid crowned with a watchful eye rises over a grove of magenta, violet and rose-capped mushrooms, with fine golden geometry across deep plum and pink and lavender blossoms along the hem. The eye in the triangle is an old one: the Eye of Providence, "a symbol depicting an eye, often enclosed in a triangle," first depicted in Renaissance Europe as a sign of a watchful, guiding presence. On the last night of the year, we like the idea of something keeping watch over the crew.
It's built like every Magus Fawn cloak: a micro-mink poly outer, an ultra-soft lining in black or white faux fur, a listed fabric weight of 200 g/m², a double front zipper, heavy drawstrings and four pockets. Unisex fit, XS to 5XL. One cloak customer, writing about a Madriax cloak in March 2023, put the winter case plainly: "I was in the snow accidentally and stayed incredibly warm thanks to this cloak! Has pockets too!"
How cold is Philadelphia on New Year's Eve?
Right around freezing after dark. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for the Franklin Institute station, under a mile from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, give December an average low of 33.2°F and January 27.8°F. About 13 December nights a year reach 32°F or below, so plan your outfit for the walk, not only the hall.
| Month | Average daytime high | Average night low | Nights at or below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|
| December | 46.5°F | 33.2°F | 13.2 a month |
| January | 41.6°F | 27.8°F | 19.6 a month |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Phila Franklin Inst (USC00366886), read October 28, 2026.
The two nights of HiJinx straddle those two months. You walk in on December 30 at a December temperature and walk out into the first hours of January, when the normals drop another five degrees. Inside, the halls fill with people and light and the hood comes down. Outside, the hood goes back up, and the zipper does the rest.
HiJinx 2026: dates, doors and the rules that shape your outfit
HiJinx 2026 runs December 30–31 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, according to the festival's General Info page. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. ET. It's 18+ to enter and 21+ with valid ID to buy a drink, and every guest needs a government-issued photo ID. The building's Grand Hall occupies much of the train shed of the old Reading Railroad terminal, so the whole venue carries a bit of the city's railroad history.
Four lines in the HiJinx FAQ decide your outfit:
- "There is no coat check available." Lockers will be on site, and GA+ and every VIP tier include one, but plan to wear your warm layer.
- No re-entry. In the festival's words: "Re-entry? Not happening." The car is not a wardrobe.
- Small bags only. Clear bags up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″, a clutch or wallet up to 4.5″ x 6.5″, or an empty hydration pack of 2L or less. Backpacks and multi-compartment bags larger than a small clutch are out.
- No "over the head helmets or full costume heads." Your monster costume stops at the hood. Reusable light-up toys, hula hoops and non-fire flow toys are welcome.
Put those together and the answer writes itself: pockets do the work of a bag, and the warm layer has to look good under the lights. A cloak's two deep side pockets hold gloves and a phone, and the two interior pockets, one zippered, keep your ID and card close for the bar line.
For the second cloak in the crew, go loud. The Prism Pane men's festival cloak ($250) folds liquid color into a perfect mirror image down the back: molten gold, flame orange, magenta and violet swirling around a bright lime crest, like marbled paint pressed between two panes of glass. That's a real painter's trick. The Surrealists called it decalcomania, and Óscar Domínguez took up the technique in 1936, pressing wet gouache from one surface onto another. Under a rainbow light show it reads like a stained-glass window that learned to move. Same cloak build, unisex XS to 5XL.
Inside the halls: the layer under the cloak
A convention hall full of dancers warms up fast, so the piece under your cloak should be light. A sleeveless hoodie is our favorite: arms free for the drop, a hood for style, and nothing to overheat in.
The Fractal Mosaic men's sleeveless hoodie ($75) tiles teal, slate blue, copper and violet motifs edge to edge, like a mosaic floor in a temple you visit in a dream. It's 95/5 jersey at 180 g/m², in sizes S to 2XL. Wear it under the Prism Pane cloak and the two prints talk to each other: one calm and geometric, one molten. On the second night, trade cloaks with a friend and the whole look changes.
Before and after: a hooded blanket for the hotel room
HiJinx sells travel packages, and a lot of the crowd will wake up in Center City on December 31 with one more night to go. That day is made for the softest thing you own. Our hooded blankets with ears are $150: 100% poly fleece at 300 g/m², an oversized pullover with a cat-ear hood, a front quarter zip and a big front pocket, in one size cut as a 4XL. One size means no guessing, which also makes it a simple Christmas gift for the friend who already bought the pass.
Wear it for the slow brunch, the nap and the getting-ready playlist. Then trade it for the cloak and head back to Arch Street for the countdown.
When should you order a HiJinx outfit?
Order by Thursday, November 12, 2026 for a comfortable cushion. Every Magus Fawn piece is made to order: 7–11 business days of production, then 6–14 business days of delivery. Counting 30 business days back from December 29, the day before doors, gives that date; the last call at our slowest pace is Thursday, November 19.
Both counts skip weekends, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and Christmas, so the calendar fills faster than it looks. US shipping is free at $70 and up. If the cloak is a Christmas gift, our slowest timeline means ordering by Tuesday, November 17.
All sales are final, so let's get the size right together. Our FAQ suggests sizing up for outerwear, "sometimes even 2 sizes up to fit extra layers under," and a sweater under a cloak on Arch Street is a good plan. Email your measurements to art@magusfawn.com and we'll help. The full method is in our guide to how long made-to-order festival clothing takes.
Full send, fully wrapped
HiJinx asks for "full sends only," and Philadelphia supplies the cold. Dress light for the halls, wear the art on top, keep everything you need in your pockets, and walk out into 2027 with your hood up and your friends beside you.
Find your pieces: women's cloaks · men's cloaks · sleeveless hoodies · hooded blankets
More New Year's Eve reading: our New Year's Eve rave outfit guide compares Countdown, Lights All Night and Decadence; what to wear to an indoor rave covers halls and lockers; and our Northeast festival guide maps the summer ahead.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is HiJinx 2026?
HiJinx 2026 runs December 30–31, 2026, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street in Philadelphia, according to the festival's official site. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. ET each day. The box office sits on Arch Street at the northeast corner of Broad and Arch, and the festival sells two-day passes and travel packages.
Is HiJinx 18+?
Yes. HiJinx is 18+ to enter and 21+ with valid ID to buy alcohol, according to its official FAQ. Every guest needs a valid government-issued photo ID at the door. School IDs, expired IDs, birth certificates and photocopies aren't accepted, and a foreign driver's license needs a color copy of a valid passport.
What bags are allowed at HiJinx Festival?
HiJinx allows clear bags up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches, plus a clutch or wallet up to 4.5 by 6.5 inches, which doesn't need to be clear. Empty hydration packs of 2 liters or less are fine. Backpacks and multi-compartment bags larger than a small clutch aren't allowed, so pockets matter.
Does HiJinx allow re-entry?
No. The HiJinx FAQ says re-entry is "not happening," though there's a designated smoking area inside the festival. There's also no coat check, so the warm layer you arrive in stays with you. Lockers are on site, and GA+ and VIP passes include one, but plan an outer layer you're happy to dance in.
Written by Magus & Lylyth Fawn, the Los Angeles artists behind Magus Fawn. Magus makes VR and digital visionary art and produces Psy EDM. Lylyth makes fractal digital art and runs design and customer care. We've been selling wearable art since 2020 (4.8★ from 147 reviews as of October 2026), and every piece is made to order here at magusfawn.com. Come say hi on Instagram @magusfawn.
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