List of fan conventions by date of founding

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The list of modern fan conventions for various genres of entertainment extends to the first conventions held in the 1930s.

Some fan historians claim that the 1936 Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference, a.k.a. Philcon, was the first science fiction convention ever held. Others, such as Fred Patten and , make this claim for the January 1937 event in Leeds, England,[1] organized by the Leeds Science Fiction League, which was specifically organized as a conference, with a program and speakers. Out of this came the first incarnation of the British Science Fiction Association.

While a few conventions were created in various parts of the world within the period between 1935-1960, the number of convention establishments increased slightly in the 1960s and then increased dramatically in the 1970s, with many of the largest conventions in the modern era being established during the latter decade. Impetuses for further establishment of local fan conventions include:

  • The return of superhero characters and franchises during the Silver Age of Comic Books (1956-1970)
  • science fiction adaptations for television serials (e.g., Star Trek) in the 1960s-1970s
  • the growth of role-playing (in the 1970s and 1980s) as a genre of tabletop, live-action and eventually video/computer gaming, which not only inspired roleplay of favorite characters in full-body costumes but also inspired existing franchises to adapt their themes for said methods of gaming
  • the growth in home taping (starting with VHS in the late 1970s) of television broadcasts, including popular serials.
  • the growth of computerized communication, including the Internet and Internet-dependent applications in the 1980s and 1990s.

1930s[]

  • Philcon (1936)
  • Worldcon (1939)

1940s[]

1950s[]

1960s[]

  • MileHiCon (1960)
  • Nihon SF Taikai (1962)
  • DeepSouthCon (1963)
  • (1963)
  • (1964)

1965[]

1966[]

  • Balticon

1967[]

1968[]

1969[]

  • Aggiecon
  • Bubonicon
  • ConQuesT

1970s[]

  • (1970–1982)
  • Comic-Con — at that point called the "Golden State Comic-Con"[10]

1971[]

1972[]

  • Chicago Comic-Con — at that point called "Nostalgia '72"[6]
  • Eurocon
  • , Asturias, Spain (1972–2014)

1973[]

1974[]

1975[]

  • Atlanta Fantasy Fair (1975–1995)
  • Comiket, Tokyo, Japan
  • Icon (Iowa)
  • NASFIC
  • SwanCon
  • Unicon (1975–1989)
  • World Fantasy Convention

1976[]

1977[]

1978[]

  • MediaWest*Con
  • Norwescon

1979[]

1980s[]

1980[]

1981[]

1982[]

1983[]

  • Comix Fair (1983–c. 1996) — Houston, TX
  • SFeraKon

1984[]

  • Con-Version
  • Ohio Valley Filk Fest
  • Polcon
  • United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC)
  • Vulkon — at that point known as "Trekon"

1986[]

1987[]

1988[]

1989[]

  • Festival of Fantastic Films
  • Motor City Comic Con

1990s[]

1990[]

1991[]

1992[]

1993[]

1994[]

  • Alternative Press Expo
  • BotCon
  • G-Fest
  • Memorabilia
  • Pittsburgh Comicon
  • Small Press Expo (SPX)

1995[]

  • Armageddon
  • Fan Expo Canada — then known as the "Canadian National Comic Book Expo"
  • Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)

1996[]

  • Albacon
  • Big Apple Convention — then known as "Halleluja Con"[12]
  • Festival fantazie
  • (Aviles, Spain)

1997[]

1998[]

1999[]

2000s[]

2000[]

2001[]

2002[]

  • Adventure Con
  • ConCarolinas
  • ConDFW
  • Dallas Comic Con
  • East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC)
  • MoCCA Festival
  • Phoenix Comicon
  • Supanova Pop Culture Expo, Australia

2003[]

2004[]

2005[]

  • Hypericon
  • Komikazen
  • MomoCon
  • STAPLE!
  • TimeGate

2006[]

2007[]

2008[]

2009[]

  • Brasil Game Show (BGS, formerly Rio Game Show (RGS))
  • The North American Discworld Convention

2010s[]

2010[]

2011[]

  • BronyCon
  • Comikaze Expo
  • Treklanta (formerly TrekTrax Atlanta)

2012[]

2013[]

  • (MICE)
  • Salt Lake Comic Con

2014[]

2015[]

2016[]

  • Silicon Valley Comic Con

2018[]

References[]

  1. ^ Glyer, Mike (1987). "THE FIRST EVER CONVENTION". The Story So Far. Worldcon. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  2. ^ Thomas, Roy (2006). "Splitting the Atom: More Than You Could Possibly Want to Know About the Creation of the Silver Age Mighty Mite!". The Alter Ego Collection. 1. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 99.
  3. ^ Gabilliet, Jean-Paul (2010). Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic Books. University of Mississippi Press. p. 265.
  4. ^ Nolte, Robert (May 9, 1965). "Latest Collecting Fad: Funny Thing Happened to Comics --They're Arty". Chicago Tribune. p. n1.
  5. ^ Thompson, Maggie (May 1967). "Newfangles #2". Newfangles. No. 2. p. 2. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Beerbohm, Robert (June 24, 2010). "Update to Comics Dealer Extraordinaire Robert Beerbohm: In His Own Words". Comic-Convention Memories. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  7. ^ Skinn, Dez. "Early days of UK comics conventions and marts," Archived 2012-02-01 at the Wayback Machine DezSkinn.com. Accessed Mar. 3, 2013.
  8. ^ Thompson, Maggie (April 1968). "Newfangles #9". Newfangles. No. 9. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  9. ^ Groth, Gary (October 1, 1982). "Editorial: Con Games". The Comics Journal. No. 76. pp. 4–6.
  10. ^ Comic-Con Souvenir Book #40 p.61 (2009).
  11. ^ Pinaha, Bob (January 1971). "Creation '71 No Turkey!". Comic Fandom Monthly. pp. 4–7.
  12. ^ "Newswatch: NYC Comics Convention Cancelled, Fans Irate". The Comics Journal. No. 185. March 1996. pp. 18–19.
  13. ^ "For the Love of Sci-Fi". Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  14. ^ "Comic Con Africa". Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  15. ^ "Comic Con Liverpool". Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  16. ^ "Comic Con Scotland". Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "Empire City Con". Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  18. ^ "For the Love of Horror". Retrieved June 2, 2020.
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