Every week planning for the 2023 Chicago Steampunk Exposition progresses forward, and we hope that you are as excited as we are for April . . . just 18 more weeks!

This week we added some more writers to Printers Row (see below), continued to build the program, added new staff members to the team (profiles to come soon), and made further developments for our LARP game Steam & Sorcery.

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

The “elevator pitch” for Steam & Sorcery 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 RPG Shadowrun. First published in 1989 by FASA, Shadowrun 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 have commissioned artist Emily Vitori to create a team of “runners” (rough sketches featured above) for the cover of the Steam & Sorcery Rule Book set to come out on January 1st, 2023.

Exposition Exhibitors & Artists

This coming April, the Exposition will offer a wide array of artists, exhibitors, vendors, and writers to entertain, educate, and entice you. This week we added two new additions to Artists’ Alley & Printers’ Row:

A recent change in our planning has been to merge Artists’ Alley and Printers’ Row which will now both be located in Slate Hall with the Art Gallery. For more information visit our Exhibitor page.

Both halls are almost full, but if you would like to be an Exposition Exhibitor, please submit an application HERE.

Victorian Fae
at the 1893 World’s Fair

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 (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 🙂

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 2023 Program Thus Far

The Venue

Update! More rooms have been added to the room block, so if you were having trouble booking a room, please try again.

The 2023 Chicago Steampunk Exposition is being hosted at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg. This upscale hotel is a short drive from O’Hare International Airport with many facilities both in the hotel and surrounding it, plus FREE PARKING.