First Timer’s Guide to Expo Info
Gaslight Steampunk Expo is an three and a half day event held annually in San Diego, California by a group of dedicated enthusiasts and volunteers who have a passion for science fiction, the Victorian era, Maker ingenuity, and a flair for costumes.
The majority of our guests do come in costume, but never fear! Costumes are in no way required. In fact, you may find something that takes your fancy in our Vendor Hall or at our Saturday morning Swap Meet. We’ve included some basic steampunk costume items below for your reference if you would like to get something for yourself before the event.
Steampunk is a word created by K. W. Jeter in 1987 in a letter to Locus Magazine (a science fiction literary trade magazine) that played off the recently created sub-genre of cyberpunk (Blade Runner) to describe the steam driven technological Victorian dark fantasies he and fellow authors, James Blaylock and Tim Powers, had been writing.
The benefits of being a Steampunk is that thanks to HG Wells and Jules Verne, we have Victorian technology that lets us travel through time and is fueled by pure imagination, whimsy, social rebellion, complete with gears, brass, top hats, airships, goggles, and corsets worn on the outside of our clothes to announce our rebellious nature to the entire world.
This meme is frequently used to describe it:
How can I attend Gaslight Steampunk Expo?
Full Weekend and One Day tickets are available online. Please use the Buy Tickets link at the top of this page. We recommend everyone purchase their ticket online before arriving as we expect we will sell out.
You will receive an email receipt of your ticket from Square once you buy your ticket. Please show your Square receipt to our Registration team when you arrive in Salon A to pick up your badge. No tickets will be mailed to you.
Parking at the hotel is available for a discounted rate of $10/day or after 5pm on Thursday & Friday and the weekend, you may park for free at the office park next door. You can get discount parking vouchers at the Info Desk outside of Salon A. There is also free street parking in the surrounding area.
Where will Gaslight Steampunk Expo be held?
Gaslight Expo will be held at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley. The hotel is located at 8757 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego, CA 92108.
We have a discounted room block available at $149/night so you can stay at the event hotel for the entire weekend, especially if you want to enjoy our many evening events. We frequently sell out, so make sure to get your hotel reservation before Sept. 8th.
Here is a map showing where all the events will take place.
We will be utilizing the entire hotel for our event including all of the programming space inside the main building, the West Lawn, and area around the Rio Vista Pavilion (Vendor Hall) to ensure we have lots of indoor and outdoor capacity to spread out as needed.
What is there to do at Gaslight Steampunk Expo?
You will have three and a half days of special events like Tea Dueling and Teapot Racing, hands on workshops, special presentations, live music, dancing, vendors, that are tailored to our 2022 theme is A Haunted Holiday. From Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol to modern classics like A Nightmare Before Christmas, ghosts stories are common to people around the world. Especially when ghosts decide to visit during the holidays and are usually related to you. We’ll have special presentations about Dia De Los Muertos. Plus, we expect to see a few Ghostbusters around to keep the ghosts from wandering off.
All events and presentations, including the Friday night dance and Saturday Night Ball are free to attend with your general admission ticket. Our workshops typically have an additional material fee that you pay directly to the instructor. We hope you will take time to patronize our marvelous vendors and enjoy a workshop or two.
Check out our schedule with a full list of programming and workshops will be available in early September.
If you need further enticement, please read Madam Askew’s lovely write up about our event as she travels from the great state of Arizona to be with us each year and has a unique perspective about what she enjoys at GSE.
Basic Steampunk Costuming 101
If you would like to try your hand at putting together your own Steampunk/Neo-Victorian costume, there are some very easy ways for you to get some costume basics together before you arrive:
- Goggles – Usually paired with a bowler or top hat, goggles are an easy to find accessory that will immediately identify you as a steampunk. They can be worn on the forehead or around the neck, and thanks to the internet, you can search for welder goggles and find a wide variety.
- Long Pants and Skirts paired with Button Down Shirts – Many assume brown is the main color, but any natural colors typically of cotton/cotton blend are encouraged. Layers of skirts allow you to pin up the outer layers to create a bustle effect, while still being comfortable to sit and wear.
- Vests – For both gentlemen and ladies alike, vests allow us to wear a variety of pins, brooches, and medallions as many workshops will have you make something you can walk away wearing.
- Corsets – Steampunks favor wearing their corsets on the outside, however, you may wear them any way that is comfortable for you. We have many costumers who come in full Victorian with their corsets worn under their dresses, but as Time Travellers, we can wear whatever we love.
You may also always wear clothing that relates to the theme of the event. With our Haunted Holiday theme – you will be able to take your wardrobe from mysterious ghostly characters to Sugar Skulls to your favorite ghostbusters. There may be even an steampunk Oogie Boogie or two.
Most all of these items can be found anywhere from your neighborhood thrift stores to online stores like Etsy and Amazon. You would be amazed what you can find in a local hardware store like Harbor Freight or military surplus store. We will also have a variety of vendors who will be happy to help you add that special accessory to your outfit.
If you need additional inspiration, we encourage you to search for Steampunk on Google images and you’ll find an entire internet worth of inspiration!
Updated: September 5, 2022
