12 Weeks until the Exposition

by | Jan 21, 2023

We are now just 12 weeks away from the return of the Exposition, and while so much has already been added to the Program, and we have such an extensive list of Exhibitors, there is still EVEN MORE that is being added in the next few weeks. We plan to have the schedule available a month before the show, but you can start planning from our Program list.

This week the crew of the Exposition had an enjoyable online meeting to continue our planning of April’s return of the convention. As we move forward, we are still looking for more volunteers to help host the show and make the Exposition a great experience for all who attend; if you would like to be part of the crew, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form HERE and we send you and invite to our February 16th Crew Zoom Meeting. For the January meeting, many of us happened to have a late evening cup of tea, and certain Tea Party mood was definitely present; to excuse our late night drinking of tea, we coined the phrase “It’s four o’clock somewhere!” šŸ™‚

Program Updates

This week we added a couple more session descriptions to our continually growing list of programming on offer this April.

Both presentations are practical panels on how to up your Steampunk game.

Click HERE to see our complete list (thus far) of Programming for April 2023.

Tea Time with our Guests of Honor

Limited tickets are now available for both Saturday and Sunday to share tea and finger foods with Leanna Renee Hieber, SJ Tucker, Frenchy & the Punk, or Tobias McCurry; tea time with Gail Carriger has sold out.

Each Guest of Honor will have their own banquet round table, and all at the table will be served a choice of teas: English Breakfast Tea, Earl Grey, Assam, or Darjeeling. Food served to accompany the tea consists of: British scone with jam and clotted cream, 2 cucumber sandwiches, 2 egg salad sandwiches, 2 mini eclairs, 2 lemon tartlets, cup of fruit, and 2 Chessmen cookies (for Tea Dueling).

The Guests of Honor Tea Party starts at 2PM in the Cyan Tea Parlor.Ā Pre-sales are electronic, but a physical ticket to the Tea Party will be given during check-in with the Exposition Registration Desk. Tickets are required when arriving at the Tea Parlor.

Click Here to Buy
Tea Tickets
Immerse Yourself in the Adventure!

This April, the Exposition invites you to immerse yourself into the weekend’s story arc as we solve the far mysteries at the 1893 World’s Fair with our Live Action Role Play gameĀ Steam & Sorcery.

Assemble your team of Smog Runners, get a mission from your Fixer, and run weekend long espionage and investigations into the four Robber Baronies that rule over Chicago in this 1893 timeline. You’ll need a QR code reader on your smartphone, a deck of playing cards, and your wits.

The “elevator pitch” forĀ Steam & SorceryĀ is “Steampunk Shadowrun.” Our LARP is inspired by a number of things, but the feel of the game is very akin to the classic cyberpunk meets fantasy RPGĀ Shadowrun.Ā First published in 1989 by FASA, ShadowrunĀ is currently in its sixth edition with publishers Catalyst Games. As an homage to the original 1989 cover art by legendary fantasy artist Larry Elmore, we commissioned artist Emily Vitori to create a team of “Steamrunners” ( featured above) for the cover of theĀ Steam & Sorcery Rule Book set to come out this month.

While we had hoped to publish the rule book for January 1st, 2023, various holiday obligations and unforeseen circumstances have pushed this back by a week or so, HOWEVER, things are still looking good for the release to still happen this month.

Victorian FaeĀ at the 1893 World’s Fair

“Carnival Row” Season 2 debuts on February 17th, 2023

Each year the Chicago Steampunk Exposition hosts a Special Exhibit that sets the underlying “theme” for that year’s convention; for 2023 our special exhibit will be “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Fantastic Discovery of the Fae World” setting the theme of Victorian Fae at the 1893 World’s Fair. This exhibit will feature art, relics, and other items of interest collected around the Fae Academia following Doyle and his father establishing diplomatic contact with the Fae territories. The Exposition will celebrate the many cultures, achievements, and art of Faekind, and be joined by ambassadors and representatives of these magical realms as we welcome them to Chicago. In many ways this will be like Carnival Row (a sneak peak from Season 2 pictured above), but unlike the Republic of the Burgue, Chicago embraces diversity and multicultural exchanges.

PLEASE NOTE that ALL costuming is welcome, not just Fae, and you don’t even have to come in costume; 21st Century “Time Tumblers” are welcome to 1893 as well šŸ™‚

Join the Exposition!

There are many ways in which you can be a part of the 2023 Chicago Steampunk Exposition! The most obvious is to be an attendee with a ticket, but other opportunities are available.

  • If you have Steampunk related knowledge and expertise that you would like to share at the Exposition, then we invite you be part of the Program and submit your proposals for presentations.
  • If you would like to be a part of the Exposition Crew, volunteer positions are available – apply here.
The Venue

Great room prices, free parking, a number of nearby restaurants, and easy to find, the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg is our new home for the Chicago Steampunk Exposition!

  • More rooms have been added to the room block, so if you were having trouble booking a room, please try again.
  • Due to the room blocks for Thursday (4/13/23) night and Sunday (4/16/23) night being smaller than Friday and Saturday, guests might encounter a “sold out” experience if checking in on Thursday or out on Sunday. We are in regular communication with the hotel to add more rooms whenever these two dates begin to fill up, but occasionally the booking rate can overtake us.Ā 
  • Please let us know if you are having trouble booking a room by emailing CarabasEvents@gmail.com

This upscale hotel is a short drive from Oā€™Hare International Airport with many facilities both in the hotel and surrounding it, plus FREE PARKING.

Click on Map to Expand

Visit our Venue Page to learn more about the layout of the show floors and what to expect from the Exposition new home.

Room prices and booking information are all listed on the Book Rooms page.

Social Media

On the Horizon . . .
      • The Steam & Sorcery LARP game FREE rule book!
      • Details about the Goblin Masquerade Ball!
      • . . . and . . . even more steamtastic information!

Chicago Steampunk Exposition