Thirteen Months until the Exposition

“Charming Disaster”

The next Exposition is still 57 weeks away, but you would be surprised if you knew just exactly how much is already in place for the 2025 program. This week we are genuinely excited to announce our main act for the main stage . . . Charming Disaster!

Charming Disaster is a goth-folk musical duo based in Brooklyn, NY, formed in 2012 by Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris. Inspired by the macabre humor of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton, the murder ballads of the Americana tradition, and the dramatic flair of the cabaret, they write songs that tell stories about death, crime, myth, magic, folklore, science, and the occult.

In their critically acclaimed albums Love, Crime & Other Trouble (2015), Cautionary Tales (2017), SPELLS + RITUALS (2019), Our Lady of Radium (2022), and Super Natural History (2023), Charming Disaster has explored love, death, crime, folklore, mythology, magic, science, and the occult. TheirIn Charming Disaster’s theatrical live performances, they combine vocal harmonies and clever lyrics with ukulele, guitar, and virtuosic foot percussion, drawing listeners into a spooky, offbeat universe of paranormal romance, con artists, circus performers, and ancient mythology, playing out against a backdrop of nightclubs, car chases, circus tents, the afterlife, and beyond.

Charming Disaster’s music has been featured on the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, they have opened for legendary cello-rock ensemble Rasputina, goth icon Voltaire, and punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, and their theatrical, entertaining live performances have captivated audiences across the United States. They have played festivals, bars and clubs, museums and art galleries, bookstores and libraries, and the occasional historic cemetery. They have appeared alongside storytellers, comedians, fire eaters, puppets, burlesque artists, poets, and circus performers. Recent appearances include Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in NYC, Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery, the Rochester Fringe Festival, Philadelphia’s Science History Institute, the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, VA, Cleveland’s Wizbang Circus Theatre, the Coney Island Sideshow stage, and in 2025 the Chicago Steampunk Exposition.

Learn more about the band at CharmingDisaster.com

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

Other Exposition Events!

Thirteen 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:

Friday, May 10th, 2024 ~ BELLHEAD at the Cobra Lounge
Saturday, May 11th, 2024 ~ Exposition Crew Tea Party
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).