Eight Months until the Exposition! - Chicago Steampunk Exposition

There are now eight months until the Exposition blasts off into space!

Countdown to Murder, Mystery, Dinner, & Blast Off!

New the Exposition this year is the Murder Mystery Dinner on Friday (6/11/27) night. We are currently finalizing the menu, but in the Sapphire Pavilion tent there will be a banquet on the first day of the convention filled with intrigue.

The launch of the Cavorite Sphere, piloted by Major Thompson, is imminent, but one of the launch crew has been found dead. Join fellow investigators at your table and see if you can be the first to solve the mystery, find the villain, and make connections to bigger devious plots that orbit this expedition into space.

More details to be announced in the near future!

On the Aether Radar

TEA TICKETS – For 2027 the tea parlor is growing into the Pavilion Tent and will hosted again by the wonderful tea maids of Shooting Star Maid Cafe.

MERCH – Also by the end of the month, we should have the 2027 Exposition t-shirt design available and ready for pre-order.

OTHER EVENTS – This month, the Chicago Steampunk Exposition will hosting the Picnic in Remembrance for the 1893 Exposition on Saturday, October 24th in Jackson Park outside the Palace of Fine Arts (AKA the Museum of Science and Industry). In November we shall also be at Teslacon and Chicago TARDIS 🙂

Featured Guests

We are thrilled to announce some of our guests of honor who will be joining us next year, the first being Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio, creators of the Steampunk series Girl Genius!

David D. Levine, author of the space steampunk Arabella series and many other novels, also joins us as a guest of honor.

More information about more guests of honor coming soon!

Program Updates

Work has begun on the 2027 schedule and Presenter Applications are now available for those interested in sharing engaging steampunk and Victoriana knowledge with our attendees. Priority will be given to program events that align with our theme of “Space 1893,” but we are always looking for a wide array of steampunk related topics.

New for the Exposition in 2027, we see the return of the Steampunk Olympiad! Many may remember it as the signature event of the Steampunk Symposium (2012-2023) in which attendees competed in a series of eccentric and whimsical contests as part of our charity fundraising efforts for NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness). The Steampunk Olympiad will incorporate many of our already existing contests such as Nerf Dueling, Tea Dueling, etc., but even more will be added. More information coming soon!

A few rooms have been rearranged to accommodate some changes. Unfortunately we no longer have our smaller gaming rooms, so the Sage hall will now be our new Gaming Room with a variety of RPGs and board games on the schedule. The afternoon tea is moving to the Sapphire Banquet Tent; the tent will continue to host our Saturday Masked Ball. Cyan, the former tea room, will now host a larger Crafting & Makers’ Space. Formerly known as The Midway Market, the Slate hall will be home to the Steampunk Olympiad Arena and a couple of other attractions such as the well-loved Clothing Exchange. Artists and Writers are moving to Mahogany 4, next door to the Main Stage, to form Printers’ Row.

Exposition Exhibitors

Between now and December we are accepting Exhibitor Applications for 2027.

We have four main exhibitor spaces:

The Underground Market (Sienna)
Printers Row (Mahogany 4)
Hallway Exhibitors (Atrium Lobby & Hallways)
The Arena (Slate)

Tickets & Hotel Rooms

Once we are just six months away from the Exposition, we shall shift to weekly updates; until then our summary updates will be monthly . . . and we have a LOT MORE exciting things to add!

Meanwhile, however, tickets are already selling and you can book your hotel stay at the Exposition.