Science fiction conventions are gatherings of the community of fans (called science fiction fandom) of various forms of science fiction and fantasy. Historically the focus has been on the written form rather than audiovisual media representations, but this may be changing. People in attendance at a science fiction convention are traditionally known as members of the convention; authors and other invited celebrities are commonly known as guests of the convention.
World Science Fiction Convention
The precise time and place of the first science fiction convention is a matter of some dispute. Sometime in 1936, a group of British fans made plans to have an organized get-together, with a planned program of events, in a public function space, in early 1937. On October 22, 1936, however, a group of six or seven fans from New York City, including David Kyle and Frederik Pohl, travelled by train down to Philadelphia, where they visited for several hours with a similar number of local fans at the house of Milton A. Rothman , declaring the event the first science fiction convention.
On January 3, 1937, the British fans held their long-planned event at the Theosophical Hall in Leeds. Around twenty fans, including Eric Frank Russell and Arthur C. Clarke, were in attendance. To this day, many fan historians — especially those in the United Kingdom — complain that the Philadelphia meeting was a convention in name only; while other fan historians point out that many similar gatherings since then have been called "conventions" without eliciting any disagreement.
Nevertheless, by 1939, American fans had organized sufficiently to hold, in conjunction with the 1939 World's Fair, the first "World Science Fiction Convention," in New York City. Subsequent such conventions were held in Chicago in 1940 and Denver in 1941, before World War II interrupted their scheduling until Los Angeles, California hosted the World Science Fiction Convention in 1946. They have been held yearly ever since. These main yearly conventions are called Worldcons and rotate among different large metropolitan cities in North America and, occasionally, around the world. When a convention is held outside of North America, a mirror convention is held within North America that same year, though it isn't called a Worldcon. Also, since the founding of the first world convention, hundreds of local or regional science fiction conventions have sprung up over the years and are held around the world at various places and various times during the year.
At these conventions, fans of science fiction come together with professional creators of science fiction (writers, artists, filmmakers, etc.) to discuss its many aspects, debate the merits of past or recent works, as well as market new or future works of science fiction. Exclusively among the members of the previous and present Worldcons, a vote is taken in several categories (short story, short novel, novel, etc.) on the best science fiction of the previous year (called the Hugo awards). In addition to written SF, Hugo categories include dramatic presentations and various fan awards.
World Fantasy Convention
Fantasy has in the past been part of the agenda at these conventions (the terms were used interchangeably for most of the period from 1926-1966) but as fantasy literature grew in popularity in the 1970s, a separate World Fantasy Convention was begun in 1975, held yearly thereafter. The World Fantasy Convention, however, has less connection to the fan community, and most of those who attend "World Fantasy" also attend Worldcon.
Anatomy of a typical science fiction convention
Wide variations exist between different conventions; still, there is a general pattern that most adhere to. The typical convention is a three-day affair (four-day conventions are not unheard of, expecially when adjacent to holiday weekends), Friday/Saturday/Sunday being the usual schedule. On Friday night there is usually an event called "Opening Ceremonies" which introduces the convention's organizers and marquee guests. (Generally, but not always, the corresponding "Closing Ceremonies" on the convention's last day are dispensed with entirely. This omission is because such ceremonies would logically be held on Sunday afternoon, when convention members are occupied with packing up and checking out of the hotel; attendance would be light.) Saturday evening usually has an event called a masquerade in which persons go on stage and compete for nominal prizes based on their skill in assembling and presenting genre-inspired outfits. (Unlike the general usage of the English word masquerade, "talent show" is a better synonym than "fancy dress ball". Anime fans might refer to a masquerade as a cosplay, but note the subtle distinctions implied in the term.)
Events running most of the weekend include a Dealer's Room (interchangeably known as a Huckster's Room) in which professional and semi-professional merchants sell wares of interest to fans. Similarly, there is often an Art Show in which genre-inspired art is displayed and usually made available for auction or purchase; the culmination of the Art Show is traditionally an auction of works which two or more members expressed a desire to purchase. Panels (short for panel-led discussions) usually fill up the daytime hours of most conventions with one-hour discussions of topics related to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Fandom. (Some conventions, such as Penguicon and DragonCon, have had well-attended, scheduled panels starting as late as midnight.)
Many conventions have a video room in which genre-related audiovisual presentations take place, typically commercial Hollywood movies and genre television show episodes. Conventions often have more than one video room; for example one room might show movies, another might show anime, with yet a third showing Doctor Who episodes (or Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc.). Most conventions also have a game room where participants play many different games. Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering are two popular games but other card and role-playing games are also played.
A hospitality suite known as the consuite will usually freely dispense light snacks and refreshments to the convention's attendees. Before concerns over dram shop liability greatly reduced such practices, many con suites often served beer as well; some still do.
Frequently, a convention's closing ceremony will be followed by a dead dog party - a winding-down party held by the organising committee and often specifically for them and the convention's guests. These low-key parties provide a chance for recuperation for those involved in the running of the convention.
Other conventions
Also, several works of science fiction (usually movies or television shows) have gained such a large fan base that they have conventions based solely on that work (Star Trek, Darkover, Star Wars, etc).
Specific conventions
Last updated: 05-07-2005 16:49:57
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
