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Ten Extremely Niche Fan Cons

8 April 2011 4 Comments by

There’s quite a flurch of convention types out there; comic cons, furry meets, sci-fi/fantasy events, horror film festivals, etc. The range of fan fests we love is like a cone, supported by a wide base of general-topic conventions (like pop-culture expos) and narrowing down to a small group of extremely niche-specific events (like the Klingon Feast). I’ve come across several of these tip-of-the-cone type of fan cons while putting together our Conventions This Month posts. Many I include, but some I leave off our monthly con sampler because they’re so niche as to exclude too large a swath of fandom.

Here’s a quick sampler of some of the most specific conventions out there in fan-land:

Gaylaxicon

  • When: May 13-15, 2011
  • Where: Atlanta, Georgia

Gaylaxicon is an annual international science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention for the queer geek community and their friends. Each year the event is hosted by a different city. 2011′s con will be hosted by Outlantacon in Atlanta, Georgia, and will feature Guest of Honor Amber Benson (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame).

Intercon

  • When: September 16-18, 2011
  • Where: Bethesda, Maryland

Gaming convention dedicated entirely to Live Action Role Playing (LARP).

Klingon Feast

  • When: September 16-18, 2011
  • Where: Daytona Beach, Florida

There are Star Trek conventions, and then there are Star Trek conventions. And then there’s the Klingon Feast. No dealers or guest stars- just fans being Klingon. Convention culminates on the last night with the Feast event.

ONYXCON

  • When: August 19-20, 2011
  • Where: East Point, Georgia

Celebrating the best of the impact, contributions, and presence of the African Diaspora in popular arts and culture.

Pacific Pinball Exposition

  • When: September 23-25, 2011
  • Where: San Rafael, California

Gaming convention dedicated to pinball and only pinball. This is the world’s largest pinball show and features both historical exhibits and pinball science displays.

Slapsticon

  • When: July 14-17, 2011
  • Where: Arlington, Virginia

Celebrating the un-sung genius of forgotten and little-known early film comedians.

STRIP: The Dallas Webcomics Expo

  • When: August 6, 2011
  • Where: Plano, Texas

Webcomics convention with some general science fiction/fantasy geekery thrown in. Formerly known as DWEX.

Superman Celebration

  • When: June 9-12, 2011
  • Where: Metropolis, Illinois

Superman convention.

WisCon

  • When: May 26-30, 2011
  • Where: Madison, Wisconsin

World’s leading feminist science fiction convention.

Yaoi-Con

  • When: October 21-23, 2011
  • Where: Burlingame, California

Dedicated to yaoi/boy-love manga and anime. (which, interestingly, is mostly marketed to girls). 18 and over, only.

4 Comments »

  • Random Guy Encouter said:

    Can’t forget SoniCon, a con dedicated to Sonic The Hedgehog of Sega fame based in Dallas area in November. It is a huge question mark if it’ll come back as they had hoped for a 1000 people and maybe 100 people showed up including dealers & artists but they do have a website for 2011.

    http://dfwhedgehogshow.com

    # 8 April 2011 at 1:16 pm
  • Nichola Anderson said:

    I’m afraid I have to disagree with you on several of these as being niche. Some of these are very specific in what they are covering, but others are still broad.

    I was thinking of something like KiSCon, the Kirk/Spock slash con http://kiscon.org/, as what you would talk about. A webcomic con isn’t that niche since there are several different types and styles of webcomics out there; to say that is ‘niche’ is to lose sight of that.
    I would also figure stuff where there are more than one con dedicated to it is wouldn’t really be niche. To point, there are several pinball shows, cons that focus on BL, and even another webcomics con.

    # 8 April 2011 at 9:02 pm
  • Liana Winsauer said:

    I have to agree with Nichola Anderson above that some of the listed conventions being fairly broad in scope, and not what I would think of as niche conventions.

    In particular, WisCon: Although it is described as a feminist SF convention, men are very welcome, and while many programming items do address issues such as gender, sexuality, race, and disability, they aren’t targeted just to women. I’d categorize WisCon as a general SF convention with literary and feminist, or maybe just plain humanist, leanings.

    No affiliation yadda yadda.

    # 20 April 2011 at 9:46 am
  • Isaac Alexander said:

    ZomBcon
    http://www.zombcon.com

    All things Zombie’s in Seattle Washington.

    BrickCon
    http://www.brickcon.org

    All things LEGO in Seattle Washington.

    # 21 April 2011 at 10:16 pm