About the
Watch City Steampunk Festival™
Established in 2010, The Watch City Steampunk Festival brings steampunks and people of all ages and interests into Waltham, MA for a day of artisan and craft vendors, spectacular entertainment, food, fun and more!
A HISTORY OF THE
WATCH CITY STEAMPUNK FESTIVAL
2010 (YEAR ONE)
The original festival was a one-day event held inside the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, under director Elln Hagney. It was intended to be a fundraiser for the Museum, which had suffered damage from flooding by the Charles River. Around 400 people were expected; over 1000 showed up!
2011
This was the first year the festival moved outside and became a two-day event, under the name “International Steampunk City.” Some events were held in the Waltham Watch Factory building; other events were held on Waltham Common and in the CRMII.
2012
The festival was renamed the Watch City Festival, based on Waltham’s traditional nickname. The plotline involved an election for Mayor of Watch City; the candidates were Edward von Arkham, Redfield, the Baron von Lahey, Emperor Justinian of the Red Fork Empire, and Rupert Cornelius the Educated Ape, and the winner was the Baron von Lahey.
2013
This year we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the creation of the mill buildings in Waltham by industrialist Francis Cabot Lowell. The plotline involved an actor playing Lowell as if he had been brought forward in time to see modern Waltham, but the plans for the factory were stolen and had to be found and returned by the end of the weekend or else the timeline could be changed permanently! Our other special guests were author and artist James Gurney, creator of “Dinotopia,” and Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson from the TV show “Oddities”.
2014 (NO FESTIVAL)
Elln Hagney left the CRMII, and the new director decided that she was not able to run the Festival and the Museum at the same time. The Festival was turned over to the Downtown Waltham Partnership, a local organization which seeks to improve Waltham’s downtown area and give people reasons to visit Waltham. Unfortunately the DWP was unable to get the Festival organized that year. However, they started to hear that people really did miss having the Festival, and were determined to bring it back to Waltham.
2015 (THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN)
Bob Perry, a member of the Downtown Waltham Partnership, was recruited to head up the relaunched Festival. Several members of the old Festival committee returned as advisors. The Festival became a one-day event, and it was a great success, featuring a “War of the Currents” between Captain von Arkham’s Tesla Tower and snake oil salesman Solomon Sedgewick’s giant mutant pickle-powerered energy scheme.
2016
Chilly, rainy weather made for a slow start to the day, but by the afternoon the crowds had picked up. The big finale of the Festival featured a battle between Wallace the Robot and Leviatha the Kraken, followed by the Big Nazo Creature Band announcing that they were aliens from outer space intending to invade Waltham.
2017
Despite the threatening clouds, the Festival was better attended than the previous year. Our theme this year was "Airships" and we did, indeed, soar higher and more thrilling than ever before! After the Festival, Bob Perry stepped down as Lead Organizer, turning the keys to the city over to new Lead Organizer Melissa Honig.
2018
While the (eventually correct) predictions of rainy weather may have dampened expectations a bit, 2018 was possibly the most enthusiastic, if not the highest attended festival to date. After all, the circus was in town! The Boston Circus Guild entertained the crowds. While the rain may have kept a few folk home, we still welcomed a crowd in the high thousands, with possibly the largest proportion of hard-core, costumed steampunks ever. From vendors, to performers, to attendees, all were defiant that a little weather was NOT going to dampen their fun, even if it dampened everything else just a bit.
2019
At long last the weather machines cooperated, and we had beautiful, sunny weather for this year’s event! We launched our Mad Science Expo, a display of innovative contraptions created by our local inventors. The day’s events were capped off by a performance by the ever-popular Professor Elemental!
2020 (NO FESTIVAL)
Well. You know. 2020. Sigh.
Of course we couldn’t have a large outdoor event. However we were able to premiere a documentary that was filmed at the 2019 event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z62dDjwS6U
2021 (VIRTUAL FESTIVAL)
This year’s festivities were presented as the in-flight entertainment provided during our virtual journey from Watch City to the Moon! After the mad scientists discovered signals coming from the Moon, a group of intrepid adventurers was sent to investigate. You can see almost every one of the day’s performances here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl6hbb70vOR7oRf1Z4tN50aI5GQE67NwL
2022 (THE SECOND TRIUMPHANT RETURN)
After being virtual for two years, at long last we were able to celebrate with a real, in-person festival! The weather was cool and windy, but everyone enjoyed themselves nonetheless. This year we were visited by Her Majesty Queen Victoria (or a puppet thereof, anyway) who reportedly said “We are amused” by the goings-on. No mention was made of how last year’s Moon adventurers had made it home.
2023
On a warm and sunny day, citizens of Watch City gathered to picnic, shop, and enjoy entertainment from a variety of performers, including featured musicians Frenchy and the Punk. But a mystery lingered - someone had stolen Queen Mercy’s crown! Who could have done such a dastardly deed? Her Majesty summoned Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson to solve the mystery! Ultimately Holmes deduced that the festival director had the crown; she admitted to the crime but declared that since she was the one really in charge, she was entitled to wear it.