What do I need to know?

The short answer is... nothing! It's not necessary to understand anything about homestuck before, during, or even after you attend Partystuck 2023.
If, however, for some baffling reason you wish to waive your blissful right of ignorance, continue reading.

But what if I want to know?

For most people wishing to gain a workable understanding of the fundamentals, I would heartily reccomend Sarah Z's video essay on the topic, it's comprehensive but not too deep, and its brisk pace belies its two hour runtime:

>2 Hours? I need a quick reference, not homework.

But what if I want to consume it?

The best way to consume Homestuck in the modern era is in the form of The Unofficial Homestuck Collection, a comprehensive source that keeps all of the special sections in their original form, with remastered audio and features coming out of its ears.

Some, however, may find TUHC's large install size and desktop restriction offputting. For those of you willing to sacrifice interactivity for mobility and convenience, a version of the webcomic has been uploaded to Homestuck.com.

For those of you wanting or needing even more convenience, there exists a fan narration (fanarration?) of most of the comic, with which your mileage may vary.