Steampunk City

International Steampunk City

ISC logo
Genre Steampunk
Frequency Annual
Location(s) Morristown, New Jersey, US
Years active 5
Inaugurated 2011
Attendance 10,000+
Website
internationalsteampunkcity.com

International Steampunk City is an annual steampunk festival. It is currently held in the Historic Speedwell area of Morristown, New Jersey, and was previously hosted in Waltham, Massachusetts.

In Waltham it was held as a fundraiser for the benefit of the Charles River Museum of Industry,[1][2] which suffered significant flood damage from the Charles River in March 2010.[3]

The festival was originally a one-day festival called "Steampunk Festival", located inside the museum itself. The festival had an attendance upwards of 1,000 people.

For the second year, the Museum's Executive Director had a vision of a much larger festival, similar to the conventions that the steampunk community was used to. The Museum worked with a committee composed of several members of the steampunk community and many local business professionals to make the festival possible.

In 2011, the festival was renamed "International Steampunk City", and spanned the downtown area of Waltham, including the Museum itself and the Waltham Watch Company building. Attendance reached 10,000 visitors through the weekend.

It is done in conjunction with The Steampunk World's Fair and New York City's Steampunk Anachronism.

The programming is typical of a fan convention, including an art show, panel discussions on a variety of topics, Staempunk music, crafts workshops, vendors, and performances.[4] Unlike many Steampunk events, the Museum leverages its own exhibits[5] and relationships with local businesses participate to arrange discounts to event attendees. This cooperation also allows the event to use many outdoor spaces as well as indoor stages.[4]

Entertainment Available includes: Specialty, hourly guided thematic tours of the historic Vail House. Self-guided tours through the newly installed interactive exhibit in the National Historic Landmark Factory Building. Two hands-on experiment-based workshops. Staff-led lectures on the origins of Steampunk, the Crystal Palace Exhibition, and the Historic Fashions in the life of England’s Queen Victoria. Blacksmithing demonstrations. Industrial archeology tours of the site’s functional over-shot waterwheel. Children’s craft and dress-up station. Interpretations of 19th century death and mourning customs with our historically accurate hearse.

References

  1. ↑ Hecht, James (May 2, 2011). "Welcome to Steampunk City, MA". New Scientist. Retrieved January 11, 2012. Proceeds from the event will go to help the museum, which was flooded last year when the Charles overflowed its banks.
  2. ↑ Doctorow, Cory (February 13, 2011). "Waltham, Mass becomes Steampunkville". BoingBoing. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  3. ↑ Burge, Kathy (March 16, 2010). "Waltham museum director vows to reopen". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Woodman, Tenley (May 6, 2011). "Steam Punked Waltham goes full-steam ahead". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 11, 2012. Waltham’s downtown will be transformed into a Victorian-era, science-fiction fantasyland.
  5. ↑ Thompson, Barry (May 13, 2011). "The goggles-and-corset crowd invades the watch city". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved January 11, 2012.


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