This week we featured many of the presentations from Leanna Renee Hieber (pictured above) and her creative business partner Thom Truelove; see Program Updates below for links to their presentations.
We managed also to have the hotel expend the block rate booking deadline to Thursday, March 23rd, 2023. Please see Venue (toward the end of this page) to learn more, or go to our Room Booking page.
The full Schedule has been published! About a week before the convention we shall also have a printer friendly PDF version available for those who prefer paper.
For more details on all of these updates, and more, please read below 🙂
So Many Delightful Tea Parties!
Due to popular demand, a third sitting has been added to the Exposition Tea Room. On Saturday, March 15th, the 2PM sitting is with various guest of honor, but at 4PM there will also be a Lolitas, Fairies, & Steampunks Tea Party (pictured below). One does NOT have to be in Lolita or Fairy attire to attend, and regular tables are also available.
Tickets are still available for both Saturday and Sunday to share tea and finger foods with our fantastic Guests of Honor:
- Gail Carriger (Saturday and Sunday sold out)
- Leanna Renee Hieber
- SJ Tucker
- Frenchy & the Punk (Saturday sold out)
- Tobias McCurry
Tea partiers 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 Parties start at 2PM in the Cyan Tea Parlor. 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
Program Updates
More details were added to our Program list as we featured these presentations . . .
- Ghosts, the Victorians, and Us
- Elizabethans and the Fae
- A Haunted History of Invisible Women
- The Lasting Legacy of Victorian Magic
- Steampunk Vs. Gaslamp Fantasy
The full Schedule has been published and soon we shall also have a printer friendly PDF version available for those who prefer paper.
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.
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 🙂
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 game 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.
This week our supply of Experience Point (XP) cards and Coin cards arrived, and we very excited about how the game is coming together for this truly new and original Steampunk convention experience.
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 commissioned artist Emily Vitori to create a team of “Steamrunners” ( featured above) for the cover of the Steam & Sorcery Rule Book set to come out this month.
Join the Exposition Crew!
The Exposition is dedicated to providing Steampunk Fans a fun and safe weekend of entertainment, and to do so we need a dedicated Crew of fine volunteers.
If you would like to be part of the Exposition Crew, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form HERE and we will send you an invite to the next Crew Meeting.
The Venue
PLEASE NOTE – The cut off date to get the convention room rate is 3/23/23, and the hotel is filling up fast.
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!
The discount room rates for the Chicago Steampunk Exposition are:
- King/Double – $119/night (plus fees & tax)
- Junior Suite – $139/night (plus fees & tax)
- Executive Suite – $169/night (plus fees & tax)
- 1 bedroom VIP Suite – $199/night (plus fees & tax)
- 2 bedroom VIP Suite – $319/night (plus fees & tax)
There are three main blocks available at the Exposition group rate:
The QUIET block for those wanting a peaceful night.
– https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/CHIRW/G-STEX/QUIET
The NOISE FRIENDLY block for those who like to socialize late into the night.
– https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/CHIRW/G-STEX/NOISEFRDLY
The GENERAL open block that has regular sound levels for a hotel.
– https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/CHIRW/G-STEX/OPEN
Vendors & Exhibitors – Please note that there is a separate block for people working the show; details of which will be sent via email.
- 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.
- 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 O’Hare International Airport with many facilities both in the hotel and surrounding it, plus FREE PARKING.
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
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- LIKE the Chicago Steampunk Expo page on Facebook for regular updates!
- RSVP to our Facebook event page!
- JOIN the Chicago Steampunk Exposition Adventurers’ Club group of Facebook to make plans with other steampunks!
- Yes, it’s all Facebook, but when we start posting on other platforms, we’ll be sure to add them to this list.
On the Horizon . . .
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- The Steam & Sorcery LARP game FREE rule book!
- Details about the Goblin King’s Masquerade Ball!
- . . . and . . . even more steamtastic information!
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