Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939. The members of each Worldcon are the members of WSFS, and vote both to select the site of the Worldcon two years later, and to select the winners of the annual Hugo Awards, which are presented at each convention.
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as films, television, comics, animation, and games. The format can vary but will tend to have a few similar features such as a guest of honour, discussion panels, readings and large special events such as opening/closing ceremonies and some form of party or entertainment. Science fiction conventions started off primarily in the UK and US but have now spread further and several countries have their own individual conventions as well as playing host to rotating international conventions.
A-Kon is an annual three-day anime convention held during June at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas and Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas. First held in 1990 with just 380 people in attendance, A-Kon is North America's longest running convention primarily focused on anime.
Dragon Con is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. As of 2017, the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, features hundreds of guests, encompasses five hotels in the Peachtree Center neighborhood of downtown Atlanta near Centennial Olympic Park, and runs thousands of hours of programming for fans of science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and other elements of fan culture. It is owned and operated by a private for-profit corporation, with the help of a 1,500-member volunteer staff. Dragon Con has hosted the 1990 Origins Game Fair and the 1995 North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC).
Convergence is an annual multi-genre fan convention. This all-volunteer, fan-run convention is primarily for enthusiasts of science fiction and fantasy in all media. The motto is "where science fiction and reality meet". It is one of the most-attended conventions of its kind in North America, with approximately 6,000 paid members in some years. The 2023 convention was held across four days at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
AggieCon is the oldest student-run multigenre convention in the United States. Held annually since 1969 by Cepheid Variable at Texas A&M University's Memorial Student Center, it has grown to become one of the larger conventions in Texas. AggieCon was the first science fiction convention ever sponsored by a college or a college affiliate student organization.
MarsCon in Virginia Beach, Virginia is a mid-sized regional science fiction convention founded in 1990. The convention provides a relaxed environment for people who enjoy science fiction to meet new friends and talk about their interests. The convention has been described as "the largest and longest-running science fiction/fantasy convention in the Tidewater area."
Supanova Comic Con & Gaming is a fan convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy film and TV, comic books, anime, gaming and collectables. It is held annually in the Australian cities of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast.
Genericon is a modestly sized anime/science fiction/gaming convention held in Troy, New York on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) campus for over 30 years, making it reportedly the oldest college multigenre convention in the nation. It hosts theater-style auditoriums and has 24-hour anime viewing rooms, karaoke, cosplay events, 24-hour video game room/competitions, role-playing games, board games, and talks by guest speakers. The events usually begin 6 p.m. on the Friday of the first weekend of March and continue until Sunday at 6 p.m. with a closing ceremony and announcement of the new "Con Chair". For Genericon XXI, convention staff partnered with Jazzman's Cafe, located in the middle of the convention itself, to bring food and beverages to the convention. This practice has since continued.
Archon is a multigenre convention that has been held annually in Collinsville, Illinois and is hosted by St. Louis Science Fiction, Ltd. It is the largest convention of its type in the St. Louis, Missouri area, bringing a few thousand fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror each year. Archon is held at the beginning of October.
Zenkaikon is a multi-genre convention held during spring at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The convention was formerly based around King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Zenkaikon's name is a portmanteau of Zentrancon and Kosaikon, created when they merged in 2006. The convention has an all-volunteer staff.
BabelCon was a science fiction and multigenre convention, held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Established in 2006, the convention took place at the Cook Hotel and Lod & Carole Cook Alumni Center on the campus of Louisiana State University. Formerly a project of the non-profit Science & Engineering Education Foundation (SEEF), it was last managed by Babelcon LLC. After a split between the organizers in late 2010, the upcoming convention was postponed then ultimately cancelled.
RavenCon is an annual American science fiction convention founded in 2006 and held in Richmond, Virginia. The name "RavenCon" was chosen as a tribute to author Edgar Allan Poe, who lived in Richmond for a time. The convention runs over 300 hours of programming and activities featuring authors and panelists across genres, including horror, sci-fi, fantasy, military fiction, and other areas of fan cultures.
CoastCon is Mississippi's longest running and largest science fiction, fantasy and gaming convention. It is the main sponsored event of CoastCon, Inc., a non-profit literary organization. CoastCon, Inc. and its ten-member volunteer board develop events and gatherings to promote reading, education, fellowship, and science fiction, fantasy and gaming in all formats across the Southern United States, for over forty years. The next CoastCon annual convention, CoastCon 46, will be held March 1-3, 2024, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The Montreal Comiccon, under its current form, was launched in 2006 as "Montreal Comic-Con". The event features comic books, toys, games, science-fiction, horror, anime, non-sport cards and collectibles. It is held 2 times a year at the Palais des Congrès convention center in downtown Montreal, with the larger "Comic-Con" taking place in July over the course of 3 days. The same organizers also hold and a smaller one or two-day "Mini-Con", traditionally held at the end of the fall season, in early December.
Magnum Opus Con (MOC) was an annual multigenre convention which generally took place each spring in various cities in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina from 1986 to 2001. Organized by comics retailer Roland Castle, the convention was designed to attract science fiction fans of all stripes. Over its 16-year run, MOC featured hundreds of celebrity guests and ran hundreds of hours of programming for fans of science fiction, fantasy, comic books, gaming, and other elements of fandom.
A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels, or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels, with a larger number of attendees participating in cosplay than most other types of fan conventions. Comic book conventions are also used as a vehicle for industry, in which publishers, distributors, and retailers represent their comic-related releases. Comic book conventions may be considered derivatives of science-fiction conventions, which began in the late 1930s.
