List of fan conventions by date of founding
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 Rob Hansen, make this claim for the January 1937 event in Leeds, England, 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 and 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 Boskone (1941) Eastercon (1948) Westercon (1948) 1950s Disclave (1950–1997) Midwestcon (1950) Lunacon (1957) 1960s MileHiCon (1960) Nihon SF Taikai (1962) DeepSouthCon (1963) First Long Beach Science Fantasy Convention (1963) Second Long Beach Science Fantasy Convention (1964) 1965 Academy Con Detroit Triple Fan Fair Lucca Comics & Games — at that point known as "Salone Internazionale del Comics" Marcon 1966 Balticon 1967 Houstoncon 1968 British Comic Art Convention Comic Art Convention Minicon 1969 Aggiecon Bubonicon ConQuesT 1970s Multicon (1970–1982) Comic-Con — at that point called the "Golden State Comic-Con" 1971 Arcana Creation Con Novacon VCON 1972 Chicago Comic-Con — at that point called "Nostalgia '72" Eurocon Salón Internacional del Cómic del Principado de Asturias, Asturias, Spain (1972–2014) 1973 Loscon Windycon 1974 Angoulême International Comics Festival ConFusion LepreCon OrlandoCon TusCon 1975 Atlanta Fantasy Fair (1975–1995) Comiket, Tokyo, Japan Icon (Iowa) NASFIC SwanCon Unicon (1975–1989) World Fantasy Convention 1976 ConClave Chattacon Stellarcon 1977 Archon CoastCon MidSouthCon Starfest Strip Turnhout Turnhout, Antwerp, Belgium — biennial show Wiscon OKON 1978 MediaWest*Con Norwescon 1979 ArmadilloCon FantaCon, Albany, New York (1979–1990; 2013) NatCon (New Zealand) OryCon 1980s 1980 Ad Astra Mid-Ohio Con 1981 Barcelona International Comics Convention Capricon InConJunction 1982 BayCon Dallas Fantasy Fair (1982–1995) Heroes Convention I-CON (1982) Life, the Universe, & Everything Microcon 1983 Comix Fair (1983–c. 1996) — Houston, TX SFeraKon SoonerCon 1984 Con-Version Ohio Valley Filk Fest Polcon United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC) Vulkon — at that point