How to Convention: A Field Guide to Con Types
After running this newsletter for nearly a year and a half, it would be remiss of me not to explain somewhere for future reference what all those convention types noted in the listings actually mean for those less up on the lingo.
The broadest sort of convention is the full-spectrum science fiction convention. This usually includes fans and pros on panels about just about anything, including sf and fantasy in all their manifestations; an art show of primarily professional art; a space for buying merchandise; video programming; a costume contest; gaming activity; late-night filksinging; and a space for fans to just hang out and chat, often with snacks or drinks available.
Most of these activities can be separated out to their own genres of convention. Gaming conventions are a huge one. There are a few filk conventions, listed as “music” here to avoid having to constantly link to an authoritative definition of filk. Similiarly, costuming conventions are “costuming” and not “cosplay” to dodge the debate over whether both words mean the same thing or if cosplay properly refers to only certain kinds of costuming activities.
Focusing on the hanging out gives you a relaxacon, a simplified version of the sf convention with most of the structure removed. A relaxacon might have a track or two of programming, or none; a very small dealers’ room, or not; and so forth.
Then there are the conventions about fantastical stories in specific manifestations. Media conventions foreground TV and movies. Though the term “comic con” is increasingly synonymous with media conventions, some do make comics their primary focus. Science fiction conventions have been called literary in contrast, but very few focus exclusively on books. The bigger contrast is the structural one, where media and comic conventions leave out many of the associated fan activities to focus on stars and merchandise.
Every type of convention above can also focus on an even narrower specialty: a specific show, a type of game, a subgenre of science fiction.
Then there are a few kinds which don’t fit into the tidy buckets above. Anime conventions cover Japanese comics and animation, but usually have a robust non-Japanese gaming component. Steampunk is both a subgenre and an aesthetic. Anthropomorphic conventions are for fans of fantastical stories about anthropomorphic characters, but also a showcase for costuming with particular support for people wearing bulky, heavy full-body outfits.
Finally there are the wholly unique cons that don’t lend themselves very well to a brief description. “Marathon RPG” doesn’t really do justice to PrinceCon, for instance. “Fanzines” captures the focus of Corflu but does not warn you that if you attend you may be randomly selected as the Guest of Honor and have to give a speech at the Sunday morning banquet. For such conventions, I can only say: Always check out the convention’s website before attending one you haven’t been to before, to make sure you are informed ahead of time of any peculiar traditions.
In Brief
Crunchyroll is suspending its in-house Crunchyroll Expo (previously scheduled for San Jose, California, August 4-6) for the time being to focus on its attendance at other media conventions. More at Anime News Network.
ATL Comic Convention (Atlanta, Georgia, February 24-26) has added Catherine Taber and Butch Patrick as guests.
Event Calendar
Weekend of February 17-19
Boskone 59, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Radcon 8C, Pasco, Washington, USA
Life, the Universe, and Everything (symposium), Provo, Utah, USA
DunDraCon 46 (gaming), Santa Clara, California, USA
Polar Vortex 7 (gaming), Lisle, Illinois, USA
Con of the North 2023 (gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Orccon 2023 (gaming), Los Angeles, California, USA
LVL UP EXPO (video games), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Williamsburg Muster (wargaming), Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Decepta Con (social deception gaming), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
J-Popcon (anime), Copenhagen, Denmark
ExpOtaku Logroño (anime), San Millán, Spain
Anime STX, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Katsucon 2023 (anime), National Harbor, Maryland, USA
Animefest 2023, La Jolla, California, USA
Con Nooga (media), Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Fan Expo Vancouver (media), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Fan Expo Portland (media), Portland, Oregon, USA
SD Rocket Con (media), San Diego, California, USA
Hickory Con (media), Hickory, South Carolina, USA
Boston Sci Fi Film Festival 48, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
Gallifrey One 33⅓: Long Live the Revolution (Doctor Who), Los Angeles, California, USA
Weekend of February 24-26
MystiCon, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
Ret-Con, Cary, North Carolina, USA
Total Confusion 37 (gaming), Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA
Plattecon XXXVI: Year of the Haunt (gaming), Platteville, Wisconsin, USA
CalCon 29 (gaming), Kalmar, Sweden
SoRCon 14 (boardgames), Basildon, UK
Gamicon Gallium (gaming), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
DualCon (gaming), Charleston, West Virginia, USA
LootFest (gaming), Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Festival International des Jeux (gaming), Cannes, France
K2 Convention (gaming), Dungarvan, Ireland
GenghisCon (gaming), Aurora, Colorado, USA
Fire and Ice Convention (gaming), Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA
Escape Winter Con 2023 (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA
TantrumCon (boardgames), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
PrezCon 2023 (boardgames), Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Kawacon (anime), San Antonio, Texas, USA
Fanime Expo (anime), Pasadena, Texas, USA
Japan Expo Sud 2023: Ready to Investigate? (anime), Marseille, France
Anime Crossroads 2023, Plainfield, Indiana, USA
Nerd Fest (media), Swedesboro, New Jersey, USA
Alaska ComiCon, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
Shawicon (media), Shawinigan, Québec, Canada
StocktonCon (media), Stockton, California, USA
Wilkes Comic Con, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA
ATL Comic Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Weekend of March 3-5
AggieCon 52, College Station, Texas, USA
CoastCon 45, Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
Roscon-2023, Moscow, Russia
VancouFur 2023: Beyond Furmageddon (anthropomorphic), Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Fur the ‘More 2023: Time Travelers' Reunion (anthropomorphic), Arlington, Virginia, USA
Cardboard*Con (cardboard sf costuming), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
BashCon 37 (gaming), Toledo, Ohio, USA
Dice Tower West (gaming), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
SaltCON Spring (gaming), Layton, Utah, USA
CincyCon 2023 (gaming), Hamilton, Ohio, USA
Tennessee Game Days Spring 2023, Franklin, Tennessee, USA
Intercon U: Ultraviolet (LARPs), Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
FreeCon 19 (anime), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Made in Asia (anime), Brussels, Belgium
Tora-Con 2023 (anime), Rochester, New York, USA
PeoriaCon 2023 (media), Peoria, Illinois, USA
Middle East Film & Comic Con, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Hill Country Comicon, New Braunfels, Texas, USA
Hall of Heroes Comic Con, Elkhart, Indiana, USA
Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle, Washington, USA
Sunrise Comic Con, Sunrise, Florida, USA
Cult Classic Convention (media), Bastrop, Texas, USA
Mid-week convention: Harucon 2023 (anime), Jerusalem, Israel
Weekend of March 10-12
Picocon 40, London, UK
Nerdi Gras, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
MarsCon 2023: When Books Come Alive!, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Pulp Fiction Central, Dania Beach, Florida, USA
Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention 11, Tucson, Arizona, USA
World Steampunk Exposition, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
Cosplay Up! 2023 (costuming), Manila, Philippines
AireCon (gaming), Harrogate, UK
Granite Game Summit, Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
Great Plains Game Festival, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Terminal City Tabletop Convention (gaming), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Arizona Game Fair, Mesa, Arizona, USA
GAD-CON 2023 (gaming), Aberdeen, Maryland, USA
ShushCon 2023 (gaming), Pawleys Island, South Carolina, USA
MidWinter ‘23 (gaming), Haugesund, Norway
Sioux City Game Con Spring 2023, Sioux City, Iowa, USA
Louisville Arcade Expo, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
PrinceCon 46: Le Petit PrinceCon (marathon RPG), Princeton, New Jersey, USA
Lost Golaricon 2023 (Pathfinder & Starfinder RPGs), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Cold Wars 2023 (miniatures gaming), King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA
MinamiCon 28 (anime), Southampton, UK
Banzaicon (anime), Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Animeverse Fest (anime), Pasadena, Texas, USA
Banzaicon (anime), Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Mississippi Anime Fest, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Colorado Anime Fest 2023, Denver, Colorado, USA
ACEcon 2023 (anime), Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
TFcon (Transformers), Burbank, California, USA
Weekend of March 17-19
Cleveland ConCoction, Aurora, Ohio, USA
WOWCon Beyond (women in media and geekdom), Dallas, Texas, USA
OutlantaCon: Resume Play (LGBTQ+ geekdom), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
44th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Orlando, Florida, USA
Furnal Equinox: Tales From the Tavern (anthropomorphic), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Texas Furry Fiesta: Attack of the Jackafluffies! (anthropomorphic), Dallas, Texas, USA
Blue Ridge Furfare 2023: Mainfurame Meltdown (anthropomorphic), online
Marmalade Dog 26 (gaming), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Token Con (gaming), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Zuiderspel (gaming), Veldhoven, Netherlands
Ludesco (gaming), La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
Breakout 2023 (gaming), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Long Island Tabletop Gaming Expo 2023, Garden City, New York, USA
SIMCON 44 (boardgames), Rochester, New York, USA
GOBfest (boardgames), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Playthrough (video games), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
COSCON XXXII (RPGs), Lyndora, Pennsylvania, USA
Concrete Cow (RPGs), Milton Keynes, UK
Ambercon US (diceless RPGs), Livonia, Michigan, USA
Anime Impulse San Diego, Del Mar, California, USA
ScottyCon (anime), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Kikori Con 2023 (anime), Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Toronto Comicon, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
All-Con (media), Dallas, Texas, USA
My-Con (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Collective Con (media), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Power Comicon, Florence, South Carolina, USA
CarrierCon 2023 (media), Alameda, California, USA
Bedford Who Charity Con 8 (Doctor Who), Bedford, UK
Coda
Handy guide to whether to shoot that thing in the sky (Washington Post)
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