Wonderplace Alpha

a very large liminal event environment
and multi-genre Faire:

Now through March 31, 2025 – get 75% off admission by using code: madnessflashsale

Welcome to Wonderplace Alpha—a realm where steampunk meets starships, where faeries dance under string lights in a 200-year-old barn, and where mischief, magic, and music collide for one unforgettable weekend. This isn’t just a faire. It’s not just a con. It’s a crossroads between worlds, stitched together by revelers, rogues, makers, musicians, mystics, and the occasional vampire. Step inside the veil—just be warned, you may not want to leave.

May 2-4, 2025
Lake George, New York

A Most Unique Event

Last updated: March 29, 2025
Now with: AIRSHIP PIRATE GUEST OF HONOR: Captain Robert Brown of Abney Park!
Our event begins at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 2nd and runs until midnight. We run from ten a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and ten a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Because people keep asking, here is a slightly-messy, ever-increasing list of ALL of performers and programs.

We feature, let’s see… Steampunk music, Renaissance Faire performers, Magicians, Fire-Breathers, Dancers, Witches, Games, Live Concerts, Goth Nights, Steampunk Balls, hundreds of vendors, Victorian-inspired tea parties, Knights, Wizards, Actors, even more Live Concerts, Panels, Discussions, Famed Guests…

and so, so, so much more!

Vendor applications: Here!

Welcome, dear denizens of the multiverse, to Wonderplace Alpha – where the fabric of reality is less a fabric and more like a mad quilt stitched together by a time-drunk seamstress.

This isn’t merely an event; it’s a muti-genre liminal space where your wildest fancies come to play, where the rules of physics are more like suggestions, and where Halloween is a perpetual state of existence.

So, step through the portal, leave your mundane at the door, and prepare for a weekend of mad volunteerism, quiet contemplation, and the occasional reality glitch.

Welcome to Wonderplace Alpha – where the only thing more infinite than the possibilities is the fun, the madness, and the tendency to overuse words like “fun” and “madness”.

Wonderplace Alpha is a liminal event environment, one where travelers from all over space and time mix in conversation, combat, empire-building, mad volunteerism, solo adventure, quiet contemplation, relaxation, Cyberpunk explorations, Renaissance Faire strolls, Steampunk irrepressibility, and Halloween all the time. It’s a market, a game space, a place to visit for a day or become immersed for a weekend in a gorgeous indoor/outdoor venue.

We Make The Unreal A Lot More Fun

We’re not as big as the big, really fancy Renaissance Faires, and not as specialized as a science fiction convention. What we are is people who absolutely love imaginary worlds (are they really imaginary if they mean this much to us?) of every shape and size. And we’d love to share that with you. Come with us on our journey into the strangest and most unusual places we can build together!

-The wonderPLACE alpha team

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Come to our beautiful venue in the similarly gorgeous Lake George! Enjoy great food and lovely surroundings, with your professional and helpful hosts: 

The Barn At French Mountain

5 Mill Rd, Lake George, NY 12845

We know you probably haven’t been to this event before (although you know The Steampunk World’s Fair) and we want you to get acquainted. Do come out for the whole weekend…we’re making it affordable so you can enjoy the entire experience.

WE RUN FROM 3 P.M. FRIDAY TO SIX P.M. SUNDAY. WE GO LATE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT AND START AT TEN A.M. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNING.

Now through March 31, 2025 – get 75% off admission by using code: madnessflashsale

Get your tickets here!

Here’s our massive scrolling list of performers, performances, and attractions.

Here’s our dozens and dozens of vendors.

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🎭 A Friendly Warning from Management

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: Wonderplace Alpha is not responsible for confusion, bedazzlement, mild enchantment, time loops, mythological entanglements, or the spontaneous appearance of pointy ears. We disclaim all liability for Puck (especially when he shows up uninvited), misplaced rings of power, malfunctioning TARDISes, acts of gods or goths, golden apples labeled “Kallisti,” or the mysterious box you bought that disappeared when you blinked.

Proceed at your own delightful risk.

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🎟 Ticket Info

Why do we charge for tickets? Because transdimensional portals don’t fund themselves. And also—we really want to make this the most unforgettable event in any universe. Your ticket supports our artists, performers, and the small army of chaos wranglers who make it all possible.

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🌟 General Admission

$40–$60
Perfect for a single day of adventure! Includes access to daytime and evening programming:

• Carnival games and wandering performers
• Magic shows and interactive acts
• Live music and nighttime spectacles
• Our eclectic marketplace of makers, oddities, and vendors

(Also includes a plethora of experiences. We looked it up. It means a lot.)

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🛡 Weekend Pass

$60

Our most popular option
Want the full Wonderplace Alpha experience without overthinking it? This pass covers all days of the event, gives you maximum fun per dollar, and makes Puck slightly less likely to steal your lunch. Highly recommended.

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👑 VIP Tickets

$100
Includes all general admission perks plus:

• Priority access to popular attractions
• Reserved seating for performances
• Meet-and-greet sessions with performers and creators
• Your name (or pseudonym, alter ego, etc.) on our website

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🧙 VIP: Knight of Wonderplace & Beyond

The Ultimate Experience

(Coming Soon)

• All VIP perks, plus:
• Special VIP-only panels and discussions
• A personal meet-and-greet with you—yes, really
• A $5 vendor voucher (because heroes deserve snacks and shiny things)
• Website listing as an Official Knight of Wonderplace

None of our Knights has ever left disappointed. Will you be the first? (We doubt it.)

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🎫 Get Your Tickets Here!

If you’re feeling extra generous, rubies and mysterious artifacts also accepted (probably).

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“I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.”
― Neil Gaiman

If you’d like to vend at our event, we ask you to fill out our vendor application.

We welcome our first Founding Creator, Meredith Foster. Meredith’s work transcends this reality, but you can buy it anyway.

Next, we are graced by the very prolific art of Moriarty’s Creations! They impose their will upon the wood until it takes on forms pleasing and useful to the human eye. It’s said that the Green Man, in particular, enjoys their work…

And Decadently Delicious Custom On-the-Spot Backyard Gourmet Pizzas. Our staff is not addicted to these things. Our staff can stop eating them anytime we want. Our staff is not hypnotized by these pizzas, is not hypnotized by these pizzas, is…is…is that more pizza?

Behold! The toothy marvels of Funky Sharky!

Next up Galaxy Slug Jewelry and Dreams of Wonderland!

A BIT MORE – FOR THOSE APPLYING TO VEND

Please note that the application is our central clearing-house for all of your data. So even if you’ve vended with us before, please do re-apply so we can try to have the best possible mix for having a great vending year. Our application is fairly large and detailed. But most people who choose to apply are already in a good position to be accepted. First, have something unique or unusual which (secondly) fits our themes or general spirit and (thirdly) apply/pay before someone else with similar items. After that, the greatest limitation on vending is making sure that there are enough purses for the wares, and enough wares for the purses. We are honored to have many strange and lovely persons heading our way; we seek your creations and inspiration to bring them joy!

(And also, you know, sell them things. That’s good, too.)

Vendor spaces average $200-$500, with some more inexpensive spots for vendors who really fit our themes, and a few very high-end spots in the Barn. All vendor spots come with two free full regular admissions; additional admissions can be purchased for half-price. If you’re hard up, get in touch; we really don’t want you to have to miss selling Puck your shiniest thing just because we insisted on collecting a few extra sawbucks. I mean, we’re supposed to be on your side, right? We need to make money, but so do you.

(Well, we don’t NEED to make money, as our entire team has an offer from Iolanthe, Queen of Faeries, to come live rent-free in her gigantic crystal palace and 24-hour greasy spoon diner…but for now, we’ve decided to stick with the Wonderplace. Next year, though…)

In general, this is a somewhat natural outdoor site. Most areas have limited electricity and some limited wifi, but there are notable exceptions. We are speaking to local vendors about chairs and tables; while the Barn has hosted a lot of events, this is a rather unusual show, and we’re getting some quotes on renting tables. (We’ll be renting to you at cost, of course.) I’ll be honest: if we get a good enough price, and our vendor applications keep growing, we may be able to comp everyone tables–but we definitely won’t know that for a bit. Do plan on bringing your own.

There are food options right at the Ranch, and we’ll have food trucks, of course; and there are quite a lot of places to eat in Lake George, of course. Hotel and food info will be coming in quite shortly.

If you missed it at the top of the page, the Vendor application is here. For questions, email contact@projectwonderplace.com.
l .

THIS IS OUR PROTOTYPE EXTRUSION INTO YOUR GALAXY. DETAILS ARE FORTHCOMING. SOMETIMES FIFTHCOMING. OCCASIONALLY SIXTH AND SEVENTH. WHAT WE’RE SAYING IS, THERE’S A LOT TO TELL YOU. PLEASE BEAR WITH US.

Here’s our story in a nutshell:

In every Universe, someone eventually invents some kind of time-travel or place-travel festival. In your reality, it was largely your Renaissance Faires. In the reality whence Puck originates, it was the horrifying Gathering Of The Humans. SOME PEOPLE say it’s related to The Rocky Horror Picture Show; but SOME PEOPLE will say anything.

If you treat Wonderplace Alpha as if you were going to a Renaissance Faire run by space aliens, you’ll likely have a good time. We don’t mind if you act like everything here is pretend. I mean, sure, it’s perfectly real, but nobody outside of the Faire believes us, and that’s okay; if they don’t want to experience it for themselves, that’s their loss.

“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”

~Douglas Adams

First and foremost, Wonderplace Alpha is a gathering place. You’ve come to see interesting things, enjoy entertainments, perhaps participate in assorted stories, tales, intrigues, or silliness. Do bring yourself, do come looking to have a good time, do try to get to know your fellow attendees before you arrive (but it’s okay if you don’t!) The more you make Wonderplace Alpha yours, the more it can make you a peculiar but welcoming weekend home.

And like most gathering spaces, it is a marketplace. Vendors from all of the Six And A Half Worlds are here to amaze and delight you with their wares.

DO: Bring some coin of the realm (what our vendors accept is up to them, but while most take credit cards, some only take cash. Likewise, we recommend saving up…you’re going to see a lot you’re going to want!)

DO: Feel encouraged to use our tribes as a jump-off point for costuming or garb.

DO: Feel free to take quite a lot of pictures. And if you choose to post them to the Interthing and let everyone else envy your excellent taste in weekend occupations, feel free.

DO: Feel like you can participate as much as you want!

DON’T: Worry that there’s a right or wrong way to do this. As long as you’re trying to be a part of it, you’re going to have a good time!

We are quite proud to offer you lovely entertainment, consisting of shows, panels, workshops, attacks by invisible megaladons, music, magic, comedy, dancing, and performers the likes of whom you may never have seen before! [Well, you’ve seen something at least somewhat similar. Do you know that most people, offered the chance to experience (for example) new music might want to (for example) listen to new styles of sound, new ways of singing, new kinds of songs? Yet, on the other hand, they don’t want to be driven mad by the pitiless purity of the sound of Ben Franklin’s glass harmonica. Moderation is important.]

DO check out our performer list beforehand. You’ll want to try to catch at least some of the shows! (Unless you hate fun. I hate fun, myself. You can find our antisocial crew and we can all hate fun together.)

DO come prepared for a marvelous festival and rumbustification!

DO support our performers. Buy lots of their merch, buy them drinks, show them love*.

There are quite a number of gatherings and hangouts for people with interests of all kinds, and we’ll gather and celebrate and party and (some of us) dance on Saturday night! Would you like to run or suggest a hangout? Use our contact page to get in touch with us.

DO explore in your own way.

You might choose to get involved in the story, game, and lore. You might also just enjoy watching it. We are interfacing with your Universe via a very, very simple version of what you might call Live Action Roleplaying, and which we call :”Zceeafj439fjcmmc24fm”, for reasons we do not plan to disclose. The aim of our LARP is much more social and worldbuilding than fighting and problemsolving; there’s not even a separate combat mechanic. Where we come from, disputes are settled simply via games of either ping-pong, or Who’s Going To Fall Into The Volcano First? So we’re a little new to this.

For food, we recommend you patronize our saloon, or our multitude of food trucks. You are also welcome to bring your own. You are not allowed to eat other attendees, even if they give you permission. Earth laws are strange.

Many of our sanitary facilities are fairly rustic. There is some indoor plumbing, but not a ton of it. There are a number of motels in the area, and if sanitation is a deciding factor for you, a cheap motel stay might enhance your comfort.

Click here for information on accommodations!

Perhaps you’d like to join our mailing list? Drop a line, and let’s talk.

“The core of Wonderplace Alpha, or any large liminal event space, is to spend as much time as possible buying beer for Trickster Gods.”
-Loki, Anansi, and Puck

* We are generally speaking of agape more than eros, but free adults ought to do what they want when alone, here as everywhere else.