TOP HATS, POCKET WATCHES, PARASOLS: It shouldn't surprise anyone who has visited one of Southern California's mondo pop culture conventions or costume-oriented festivals in recent years that steampunk is on the up and up and up. You could say that the genre is rising faster than an old-style hot air balloon, if you like, since old-style hot air balloons would be one common mode of transportation seen within the steampunk universe. And the fandom continues to grow with conventions and parties built solely around the ye olde style and stories of steampunkery. If you're a fan of H.G. Wells, Gail Carriger, Jules Verne, William Gibson, and a host of other creators who have explored steampunk's themes, or continue to do so nowadays, and you like donning a top hat, vest, breeches, and monocle, then board your favorite 18th-century submarine or fantasy-like hot air balloon and zoom for...
OXNARD'S HERITAGE SQUARE: That's where the Oxnard Steampunk Fest is ready to take off, like some Verne-style spaceship, on Saturday, Oct. 14 and Sunday, Oct. 15. Find your bustle and your mustache wax, for costuming is a central part of the festivities. As are the appearances by favorites in the fan community: Doc Phineas, Tayliss Forge, and a number of other cosplayers and luminaries will make a cameo. There's entertainment, too, and a Pirate Party Cruise on the evening of Oct. 14. Admission for the festival? It's $15 a day if you buy it there, or ten bucks ahead of time, while the cruise is its own distinct ticket. Are you ready to travel to the past of the future by way of Oxnard? Then strap in and find your steampunk finery: You're going to parade among others who dig the designful genre as much as you do.
