Ten Months until the Exposition! - Chicago Steampunk Exposition

Huzzah! We are ten months, away from the 2027 Chicago Steampunk Exposition! Not much has changed since our last update, but here are a few things.

TABLE TOP GAMING – Currently we are in talks with Catalyst Game Labs to provide demos of their classic Steampunk miniatures game Leviathans, picture above, in which you captain airship combat against other forces. We are also working on setting up a partnership with Strange Owl Games, publishers of the latest version of the seminal Steampunk RPG Space 1889, updated for 5e. If all goes to plan, we have GMs ready and waiting to roll dice with you as you blast off into Victorian space travel!

TEA TICKETS – By the end of August, we should have finalized the details and will have tickets on sale for both Afternoon Teas (Saturday and Sunday). 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 – Next month, the Chicago Steampunk Exposition will host Tea Time Murder Mysteries at the Big River Steampunk Festival (September 4th to 7th) in Hannibal, Missouri, and will be attending the Fox Valley Steampunk Festival (September 12th) in South Elgin, Illinois.

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.