Past conventions
Conestoga '97 (1)
Conestoga '97 was held March 21-23, 1997, at the Radisson Inn at the Tulsa Airport. Featured guests included Guests of Honor Barbara Hambly & George Alec Effinger, Artist Guest of Honor Joy Marie Ledet, Toastmaster Robin Wayne Bailey, Fan Guest of Honor Gerald Burton, and Filk Guest of Honor Tom Smith. The con chair was Curtis Berry. The play was the Star Bores Trilogy. Charity activities during the convention benefited the American Cancer Society.
Conestoga '98 (2)
Conestoga '98 was held June 26-28, 1998, at the Sheraton Tulsa Hotel, on 41st Street near Highway 169. Featured guests included Guest of Honor Connie Willis, Artist Guest of Honor David A. Cherry, Toastmaster Mark Simmons, Fan Guests of Honor Jim & Susan Satterfield, and Special Guest Carole Nelson Douglas. The con chair was Roger Allen. The play was All Alone, After the Fall of a Very Long Night. Charity activities during the convention benefited the Tulsa Zoo.
Conestoga '99 (3)
Conestoga '99 was held June 25-27, 1999. Featured guests included Guest of Honor Harry Turtledove, Artist Guest of Honor David Lee Anderson, Toastmaster Gardner Dozois, Mystery Guest of Honor Barbara Hambly, Fan Guest of Honor Keith Stokes, and Special Guest George Alec Effinger. (At the last minute, Effinger was unable to attend.) The con chair was Tim Frayser. The play was The Fandom Menace. Charity activities during the convention benefited Our House.
Conestoga 2000 (4)
Conestoga 2000 was held July 14-16, 2000. Featured guests included Guest of Honor David Weber, Artist Guest of Honor Lubov, Mystery Guest of Honor Nancy Pickard, Toastmaster Roger Tener, and Fan Guests of Honor Tim & Kimber Chessmore. The con chair was Randy Farran. The play was Spandex Men. Charity activities during the convention benefited Operation School Bell.
Conestoga 2001 (5)
Conestoga 2001 was held July 27-29, 2001. Featured guests included Guest of Honor Joe Haldeman, Artist Guest of Honor Kelley Vandevir, Toastmaster Tim Powers, and Fan Guests of Honor Mike & Karla Weaver. The con chair was Tim Frayser. The play was Plan 9 of the Apes. Charity activities during the convention benefited the Tulsa Air and Space Center.
Conestoga 7 (2003)
Conestoga 7 was held July 18-20, 2003. This was the first year of the Conestoga Short Film Festival and the old OKon mascot "Okie the Penguin" returned as the official mascot of Conestoga Featured guests included Guest of Honor David Brin, Artist Guest of Honor Keith Birdsong, Toastmistress Esther Friesner, and Fan Guest of Honor David Lee Anderson. The con chair was Randy Farran. The play was Spandex 2XL. Charity activities during the convention benefited the Tulsa Speech and Hearing Association.
Conestoga 8 (2004)
Conestoga 8 was held July 16-18, 2004. Featured guests included Guest of Honor Eric Flint, Artist Guest of Honor Darrell K. Sweet, Toastmaster Walter Jon Williams, and Fan Guests of Honor Curtis & Marilyn Berry. The con chair was Tim Frayser. The play was Dorks of the Ring. Charity activities during the convention benefited the Animal Rescue Foundation.
Conestoga 9 (2005)
Conestoga 9 was held July 15-17, 2005. Featured guests included Guest of Honor George R.R. Martin, Artist Guest of Honor Brad W. Foster, Toastmaster Bradley Denton, and Fan Guests of Honor: Margene Bahm, Paula Helm Murray, & James J. Murray. The con chair was Randy Farran. The play was The Sith Hits the Fans. Charity activities during the convention benefited Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Green Country.
Conestoga 10 (2006)
Conestoga 10 was held July 28-30, 2006, at the Radisson Tulsa (formerly a Sheraton) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Conestoga shared its tenth anniversary celebration with small press publishers Meisha Merlin Publishing and Yard Dog Press. Featured guests included Guest of Honor David Drake, Artist Guest of Honor Don Maitz, Toastmaster Robin Wayne Bailey, Fan Guests of Honor Lynn Stranathan & Selina Rosen, plus Special Guest James P. Hogan. The play was A Night at the Space Opera. Charity activities during the convention benefited The Royal Gauntlet Educational Birds of Prey Show and Animal Rehabilitation Center.
Conestoga 11 (2007)
Conestoga 11 was held July 20-22, 2007, at the Radisson Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Conestoga is the host to 1632 Minicon 6. Featured guests included Guest of Honor Laurell K. Hamilton, Artist Guest of Honor John Picacio, Toastmaster Elizabeth Moon, Fan Guests of Honor Richard and Michelle Zellich, and special "1632" Guest of Honor Eric Flint. The con chair was Randy Farran. The play was Heroes of the Lost Battlestar. Charity activities during the convention benefited Safari’s Sanctuary, a non-profit 501(c)(3) wildlife refuge with two missions: rescue & education.
Conestoga 12 (2008)
Conestoga 12 was held July 25-27, 2008, at the Radisson Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Featured guests included Guest of Honor Diana Gabaldon, Toastmaster Gordon Van Gelder, Art Guest of Honor Stephen Hickman, and Fan Guest of Honor Tim Miller. The play was You Don't Mess with the Iron Man. Charity activities during the convention benefited Therapetics, a non-profit organization that provides service dogs to care for the disabled.
Conestoga 13 (2009)
Conestoga 13 was held April 24-26, 2009, at the Radisson Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Featured guests included Guest of Honor Robin Hobb, Toastmaster Frank Wu, Art Guest of Honor Real Musgrave, and Fan Guest of Honor Diana Bailey. The play was Botchmen.
Conestoga 14 (2010)
Conestoga 14 was held April 23-25, 2010, at the Radisson Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Featured guests included Guest of Honor S. M. Stirling, Artist Guest of Honor Bob Eggleton, Fan Guest of Honor Leonard Bishop, and Toastmaster Travis S. Taylor. The play was Derivitar.
A science fiction convention is a gathering of fans of 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.
BayCon is the San Francisco Bay Area's longest-running fan-run science fiction and fantasy convention. It is held over Memorial Day weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. BayCon draws many attendees from throughout California and also as far away as Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. The most recent BayCon was held from Friday, May 24, through Monday, May 27, 2019, in San Mateo, California. The conventions in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next BayCon is scheduled for July 4-7, 2024.
Lunacon was an annual science fiction and fantasy convention organized by the New York Science Fiction Society - The Lunarians, Inc. Held from 1957 to 2017, it was the oldest science fiction convention in (usually) New York State, and was generally held on the third weekend of March.
InConJunction is a fan-run, not-for-profit science fiction convention held during the first weekend in July in Indianapolis, Indiana. Past guests include Philip José Farmer, Frederik Pohl, Catherine Asaro, George R.R. Martin, Jerry Pournelle, Glen Cook, Mike Resnick, Timothy Zahn, and David Drake. The convention focuses on literature and literacy, but not to the exclusion of other areas of interest. Unique or unusual features include a dedicated Doctor Who room sponsored by The Whoosier Network, an anime room sponsored by The Indiana Animation Club, and a charity auction supporting Indy Reads and other charities as chosen by the convention chairperson.
The 34th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as MidAmeriCon, was held on 2–6 September 1976 at the Radisson Muehlebach Hotel and nearby Phillips House hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.
Marcon is a full-spectrum fantasy and science fiction convention based in Columbus, Ohio, and was on Easter weekend in 2013 but moved to Mother's Day weekend starting in 2014. It is now operated by the Columbus-based Science Oriented Literature, Art, and Education Foundation, a non-profit educational corporation. The name was originally short for "March Convention," with the convention mascot the "March Hare," affectionately named "Marconi". After the date of the convention moved away from March, the name was re-designated as "Multiple Alternative Realities Convention".
Hypericon is a speculative fiction convention held yearly in June in Nashville, Tennessee. Hypericon is presented by Frontiers Nashville, a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of the fannish community and their myriad of interests, and partnered with Make Nashville, a local maker space and producer of the Nashville Mini Maker Faire. The event also supports the Nashville Public Library Foundation as a featured charity in 2017.
FenCon is a literary science fiction and fantasy convention with filk held each year on or around the fourth full weekend of September in or around Dallas, Texas. The name is derived from "fen", the fannish plural of "fan", and "con", an abbreviation for "convention".
ArmadilloCon is a science fiction convention held annually in Austin, Texas, USA, since 1979. As the second longest running science fiction convention in Texas, it is sponsored by the Fandom Association of Central Texas and is known for its emphasis on literary science fiction. ArmadilloCon was traditionally held in mid-October during the weekend of the Texas-OU football game, but moved to a late-summer/early-fall weekend in 1998.
ApolloCon was a science fiction convention held annually in Houston, Texas by the Houston Science Fiction Association (HSFA), a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.
Con-Version was an annual science fiction and fantasy convention held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Since its beginning in 1984, the convention hosted many authors such as Robert J. Sawyer, Larry Niven, and J. Michael Straczynski; it also hosted the judging for the Robyn Herrington Memorial Short Story Competition. Appearances had also been made by Jeremy Bulloch and Dirk Benedict.
SoonerCon is a fan-run multi-genre convention held annually in Central Oklahoma, founded in Oklahoma City proper before being held in Midwest City from 2013 until 2018 and then Norman, Oklahoma in June 2019 at the vastly larger Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center.
ConDFW was a literary science fiction and fantasy convention held annually in the Dallas, Texas, area from 2002-2019. Attendees mingled with author and artist guests, attended panel discussions and readings led by guests, got books signed, looked at and bought sci-fi and fantasy art from artists around the country, shopped in a dealer's room with books, art, games, clothing, weapons, and other items, donated used books to charity, played games, or just hung out and talked to guests and attendees in the consuite or the hotel bar. ConDFW is a production of the Texas Speculative Fiction Association.
MarsCon is a science fiction convention held in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States. It was first held in February 1999 with the goal of appealing to a diverse audience of fans in Minnesota and the vicinity. It is a mid-sized convention with a wide variety of events including panel discussions, guest of honor presentations, music of many kinds, art show, film room, science room, dealers room, charity auction, and a masquerade. Past guests have included actors, authors, artists, scientists, musicians, producers, and even the occasional pooka. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune describes MarsCon as "for the sci-fi serious nerds".
ConQuesT is the annual science fiction and fantasy convention held in the Kansas City, Missouri area over the U. S. Memorial Day weekend. It is sponsored by the long-running Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society. ConQuesT is the oldest such fan convention of its type in Missouri and in the U. S. central states region, first established using the name Mid-America Con in June 1972. After that, the next nine KaCSFFS-sponsored conventions were named BYOB-Cons In 1980 KaCSFFS adopted the permanent name ConQuesT for the convention.
FilKONtario is a fan-run convention in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario area dedicated to filk, the music of science fiction and fantasy fandom. Established in 1991, it is the only filk convention in Canada. In its fifth year (1995), the convention initiated the Filk Hall of Fame, which continues to recognize those who have made significant contributions to filk music and the filk community, worldwide. This international awards program is administered through FilKONtario, with an international jury.
JordanCon is a North American convention held annually in Atlanta, Georgia, that celebrates Robert Jordan's fantasy book series The Wheel of Time, as well as other science fiction and fantasy works. The convention is a 501c4 tax exempt charitable organization founded in honor of the late Robert Jordan.
SFContario is a general-interest science fiction convention held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Society of Upper Canada.
WhoFest is a recurring Doctor Who-focused science fiction convention held in the Dallas, Texas, area. First held in November 2013 as a one-off celebration of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, WhoFest is now held annually each April.
DucKon was an annual science fiction convention held every May or June in the Chicago area between 1992 and 2014. The name is a shortening of DUpage CountyKONvention.
