When October rolls around, steampunk aficionados in the California Bay Area know what time it is. Clockwork Alchemy returned to the Grand Bay Hotel SF in Redwood City for another year, celebrating all things steampunk.
This year’s Clockwork Alchemy had a “Rogue Makers & Air Pirates” theme, celebrating “the spirit of independence” with crafting and creativity. The convention ran from October 16-18, so let’s take a look and see what it had to offer.
Steampunk
Clockwork Alchemy is a steampunk convention, which gives it a unique atmosphere compared to other conventions in the area. While larger comic cons may focus on guests of honor, and anime cons may be more shopping and cosplay-centric, Clockwork Alchemy was more focused on crafts, creators, and community.
The sense of fandom and community was strong from the moment attendees arrived, with many wearing handmade gear or outfits they’d bought at previous conventions and greeting longtime friends. All around, people wore their fanciest gear-covered outfits, displaying their steampunk style and individuality with impressive feats of fashion.
For attendees lacking steampunk garments, there was the Garb Giveaway on Friday, and plenty of hand-crafted costume pieces for sale at the con.
Rather than a dealer’s hall filled with vendors selling plastic figurines and prop weapons (not that there’s anything wrong with that), it had a bazaar filled with handmade wares, with everything from steampunk outfits and jewelry to incense and headphones. The bazaar also hosted several guest writers who could sell their books, including a variety of genres, styles, and comics and novels alike.
Clockwork Alchemy also had an Artists Gallery and Exhibition, where local creators could show off their works. This included steampunk crafts, paintings, costumes, and even large pieces of origami.
In short: Clockwork Alchemy embraces steampunk and all the creativity that goes into it.
Guests of Honor
Clockwork Alchemy is known for bringing in multiple guests from among the community’s makers, writers, musicians, and more. 2026 was no exception, with plenty of Featured Guests and Guests of Honor to celebrate.
Among the authors, Clockwork Alchemy’s featured guests were David L. Drake and Katherine L. Morse, creators of “The Adventures of Drake and McTrowell,” alongside Featured Author Gail Carriger, author of “The Parasol Protectorate,” “The Supernatural Society,” and more.
Fashion Guests of Honor Kathe and Philip Gust brought their costuming expertise to the con, alongside Bazaar Featured Artist Elizabeth McComb. Clockwork Alchemy also included Featured Lecturer Andrei Pischalnikoff, also known as “Doctor R. Snick,” a storyteller and researcher who provided insightful presentations about his many topics of expertise, and EmCee Jaime Jessup to entertain the crowds.
Clockwork Alchemy is also known for bringing in multiple musical guests for its shows, and 2026 was no exception. This year featured many familiar faces among the musical guests, including Unwoman, Avalon Rising, Field of Embers, and The Forgetmenauts, who provided musical entertainment throughout the weekend.
Events and Activities
Clockwork Alchemy was filled with things to do, from panels to games to unique activities no other con has. The itinerary featured panels and presentations covering a range of unique topics, including “What’s Taking Us So Long to Get Time Travel?” “Rogue Makers in Victorian Science Fiction and Steampunk,” and “Victorian Occultism,” where presenters discussed their subjects of expertise with insights not seen anywhere else.
Along with the panels, attendees could join crafting workshops, where they could learn to create wearable pins with LED circuits, craft vacuum tube brooches, or fold some origami. Many of these crafting workshops did have an additional fee, but it was in order to pay for the materials so they had something to take home after the con.
Let’s not forget the gaming. Clockwork Alchemy had a game room where attendees could sit down for some tabletop games, including Dungeons & Dragons, board games, card games, and more. For those who prefer less dice and more weapons, the War Room provided training in a variety of weapons and martial arts throughout the weekend.
This year, Clockwork Alchemy added an interactive activity for attendees to enjoy. The convention guide included a mystery on the back, guiding attendees to get stamps at various rooms across the convention and find telegrams with clues to decipher. Not only did this add another fun activity to the con, but it helped guide attendees around the convention so they could gain a wider experience of the con.
Clockwork Alchemy is also known for its Teapot Racing, where competitors would drive remote-controlled teapots around a track. The competitive tea events didn’t end there, with Tea Dueling pitting competitors against each other in a game of Chicken, where they’d dip biscuits in hot tea and try to outlast their opponent.
Or, if you prefer your tea without the competition, the Alchemist Tea Parlour let attendees rest their feet with a nice cuppa.
Music
As mentioned, Clockwork Alchemy had plenty of musical guests, which meant they needed musical activities to go with them. The convention featured the Aural Alchemy concert on Friday night, where the musical guests could perform before an adoring crowd, as well as the Saturday Night Ball for dancing and festivities.
Don’t know how to dance? That’s okay; they also had dance lessons throughout the weekend.
Even if one couldn’t make it to the concert or ball, there was still plenty of opportunities to listen to music, with performances scheduled around the weekend. Even just wandering around the halls, one could sit down and listen to Nathaniel Johnstone of Field of Embers perform, or attend a songwriting workshop with Unwoman.
Or, for the attendees with the energy to stay up singing past midnight, there was Late Night Karaoke, featuring no shortage of songs from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.
Overall
Clockwork Alchemy is a staple event for the steampunk community in the Bay Area and beyond, and it’s no wonder why. The sense of community was clear, and there was an undeniable joy among the attendees. The convention featured panels, presentations, and performances other conventions wouldn’t even think to include, making it a unique experience for congoers.
Steampunk conventions are a different beast than your typical comic con, anime con, or even tabletop gaming convention. But for steampunk fans, that’s just how they like their cons to be, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
