The 1893 Exposition displayed several odd artifacts from around the world, but the strangest was a statue best described as a “monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind” . . .
PLEASE NOTE that ALL costuming is welcome and does not have to be related to the theme, and you don’t even have to come in costume; 21st Century “Time Tumblers” are welcome to 1893 as well 
The Chicago Steampunk Exposition provides 48 HOURS of nonstop programming that includes: entertainment, presentations, exhibitors, workshops, dances, gaming, contests, and more!
Entertainment & Main Stage Events
- BELLHEAD
- Charming Disaster
- DJ Scary Lady Sarah
- DJ Zophiel
- Fashion Show
- Leviathan preview screening and Writer Q&A with Scott Westerfeld
- Myth of Man screening and Director Q&A with Jamin Winans
- Scott Westerfeld
Other Special Events
- Afternoon Tea Parties
- Banquet Dinners
- Convention Foam Fighting
- Count Gregula’s Horror Movies
- Goblin King’s Masquerade
- Mermaid Encounter with the Blood Sirens
- The Moonlight Fireplace Experience
- The Promethean Society Faire of Mad Science
- Scott Westerfeld Book Signing
- Steam & Sorcery (LARP) – “The Curse of Cthulhu”
- Sweet Steam Cocoa Tasting, Video, and Photoshoot
- Thursday Pre-Con Reception
Panels & Presentations
- The Cosmic Horror Next Door (18+)
- Emotion, Chaos, and Madness in Gilded Age Art: Expressionism, Dada, and Surrealism
- European Corpse Medicine (18+)
- Ghosts of the White City
- Giants, Leviathans, and Monstrosities of the 1893 World’s Fair
- A Haunted History of Invisible Women
- The History and Importance of Ghost Stories
- Integrating Character, Plot, and World Building
- Inventions of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair
- Lovecraft, Grimoires, and Magic (Oh My): Lovecraft and the Occult (13+)
- Lovecraft’s Ties to Dark Magick (18+)
- Monsters of the Great Lakes
- Podcasting and You
- The Problems with Lovecraft: Separating the Mythos from the Man (13+)
- Real Lost Cities (13+)
- Scandinavian Steampunk – TeslaCon 15
- Scott Westerfeld Q&A
- Scrying Without (hopefully) the Cosmic Horror
- A Seminar Illuminating the Safe Operation of the Sliding Rule (13+)
- The Shape of Things: Product and Poster Design of the Industrial Revolution
- State of the Art: What Scientists Knew in 1893
- Steampunk Economics (13+)
- Sweet Steam talk about Chocolate!
- The Totally Complete and Unabridged History of England (13+)
- Triangle House and Hull House: Chicago’s Jane Addams in Fiction and Fact (13+)
- What if? Exploring Alternate History in Media (13+)
Crafter & Maker Workshops (Copper & Room 1322)
Most workshops require an additional charge to cover the presenter’s materials fees (see specific workshop for details), but observers are welcome to watch the crafting for no fee.
- Cephalopodic Cockades
- Circular Hole Punch Gallifreyan
- Cthulhu Waits in the Shadows… Detailed Cutting for Shadow Puppets
- Let There Be Light!
- Mechanical Creature Puppets Made by the Mad……We mean You!!!
- Morse Code Bracelet
- Paint your own Cthulu Workshop
- Paper Casting Your Gears
- Parasol Dueling Holsters
- Steampunk a Tiny Shop
- Top That- Fascinators and Hats
Storytelling & Readings (Cyan)
- High Magic in the Age of Steam: A Reading and Discussion of Steampunk, Magic, and Social Subversion
- Reading from The Clockwork Coffin
Contests & Competitions
- NERF Dueling
- Steampunk Hamster Wars (Contest)
- Teapot Racing
- Western Territorial Parasol Dueling (Contest)
Tabletop Gaming
- Cthulhu by Gaslight (RPG) “Curse of the Swamp Tentacles” (18+)
- Cthulhu by Gaslight (RPG) “Dead Light” (18+)
- Cthulhu by Gaslight (RPG) “Edge of Darkness” (18+)
- Cthulhu by Gaslight (RPG) “Eldritch Horror!” (18+)
- Cthulhu by Gaslight (RPG) “The Haunting” (18+)
- Cthulhu by Gaslight (RPG) “Shocking Sabotage” (18+)
- Dungeons & Dragons (RPG) “Creeping Ruin” (18+)
- Dungeons & Dragons (RPG) “Liar of the Iron Dragon” (18+)
- Dungeons & Dragons (RPG) “What’s in the Swamp?” (18+)
- Mothership (RPG) “Chromatic Transference” (18+)
- Mothership (RPG) “The Haunting of Ypsilon 14” (18+)
- Steam & Sorcery (LARP) “The Curse of Cthulhu”
- Ultimate Werewolf
The program is “mostly” full, but we will still review and consider late entries.
