One Year until the Exposition!

The Countdown has Begun!

This weekend marked 52 weeks until the 2025 Chicago Steampunk Exposition and despite being a year away so much is already in place to make this next one even better than the last! In May we announced our headline band Charming Disaster, and this month we announce a second band (see below) and the expansive number of exhibitors already confirmed for May 2025!

“Bellhead”

Post-punk male-female duo band. Two basses and a drum machine. No Guitar, No BS. MADE IN CHICAGO

Bellhead is a post-punk, goth, and industrial duo from Chicago, Illinois who perfectly capture the frantic descent into madness that will be rampant at the Exposition with the “Curse of Cthulhu.” The duo is made up of Karen Righeimer (low bass, vocals) and
Ivan Russia (high bass, vocals, drum programming).

“Bellhead literally rumble, causing your speakers to buzz at times, in a very good way. Having the two bass married to a drum machine makes for an ever so tight rhythm section, also giving you the melodies as well. This definitely gives the music a dirty post-punk groove to each track, and this new EP leans more into pop rock. The Good Intentions of Bellhead is fun, nostalgic and rocking… in that fabulously gloomy way.” (Adele Sinnamon – Onyx Music Reviews)

Learn more at bellheadband.com

We shall have more featured presenters and performers to announce next month as we continue our monthly countdown!

Exhibitor Updates

For 2025 we shall have three main exhibitor spaces:

The Underground Market (Sienna) for Vendors ~ APPLY HERE
The Palace of Fine Arts (Slate) for Artists, Musicians, & Writers ~ APPLY HERE
The Midway Plaisance (Atrium Lobby) for Organizations and Fan Groups ~ Organization Application Form available now.

We are a year away from the Exposition, but the Underground Market is already over half full with these confirmed Exhibitors:

Deborah Olson
Milliner Extraordinaire

And in the Palace of Fine Arts you will find the following exhibitors . . .

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Other Exposition Events!

Twelve months is a long time to wait, but don’t despair, the Exposition is hosting several smaller (mostly) FREE* events throughout the year, such as the International Steampunk Day Picnic (a day late) on June 15th, 2024 on the grounds of the only remaining building from the 1893 Chicago Exposition! What is now the Museum of Science & Industry was originally the Palace of Fine Arts. Jackson Park surrounds the hall and it is there that we shall set our blankets and picnics to dine, converse, and play croquet.

Learn more about our (mostly) free events by clicking these links to our Facebook event pages:

Saturday, June 15th, 2024 ~ International Steampunk Day Picnic
More events being added soon!

* ~ Some of the events are ticketed, but we are not the ones selling the tickets.

Tickets & the Exclusive Pin

Badges and Tea Tickets are already on sale for the 2025 Exposition! Until the end of this year, ALL badges are $10 off the regular price AND the first 100 Weekend Badges sold will receive an EXCLUSIVE brass colored Exposition 2025 pin that matches the theme. The pin design is almost done and we should be able to reveal it in our next countdown update, but we can describe it as the Exposition Ferris wheel and of course . . . tentacles!

Click on the Box Office image below to purchase your tickets today! Please note that for 2025 we will be printing your name (in a fancy font) on the badge, so include “badge names” in the “Order Notes” section of the check out form. In addition to your name, badges will also be labeled with your order number for reference in case lost badges get turned into Registration; that said, however, please remember that lost badges that are not turned in can not be replaced and a new purchase will be required.

Afternoon Tea Parties & Banquets

New for 2025, the Exposition will offer a limited ticket banquet on Friday and Saturday evening. We are currently working on the menu and pricing, but this meal will also offer patrons the opportunity to sit with one of our guests of honor for a meal and pleasant conversation. Details coming in our next countdown update, but meanwhile tickets for our Afternoon Tea Parties are on sale now.

Program Updates

We are looking for Presenters, Performers, Games Masters, and other people to run sessions for the 2025 Chicago Steampunk Exposition program. Applications are now live; please click on the appropriate image to access the form.

Hotel Rooms

For April 2024, the Exposition hotel was actually sold out. Admittedly not all the people staying at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg that weekend were there for the Exposition, but nonetheless the hotel was sold out. To avoid getting locked out in 2025, we recommend booking your room early (you can always cancel later if needs be) which you can do starting at the end of this month (needs to be 13 months out from the event).