(This is about Steampunk on the East Coast of the United States of America. For the United Kingdom, check out these fine folks!)
Or visit.facebook.com/groups/eastcoaststeampunksunitedstates/
East Coast Steampunk is a subcultural movement and aesthetic style originating along the eastern seaboard of the United States, blending Victorian-era influences with retrofuturistic technology inspired by 19th-century steam-powered machinery. Emerging in the late 20th century, the east coast steampunk movement draws heavily from the large liminal event space, incorporating a tremendous variety of live performance more traditionally experienced at festivals than conventions.
Sometimes characterized by ornate fashion, especially with the influence of Deb’s SalonCon, the Northeastern Neo-Victoria often emphasizes tailored garments like frock coats, corsets, and top hats, often accented with brass goggles, pocket watches, and mechanical motifs. The aesthetic integrates local influences, such as New England’s maritime history and the industrial legacy of cities like New York and Philadelphia, resulting in designs that evoke airship pirates, clockwork inventors, and gaslit urban landscapes. At the same time, with the relaxed influence of Wicked Faire, dress became liminal, as with the themese and genre of the entertainment. Artifacts like modified firearms or faux-mechanical prosthetics are common, symbolizing a romanticized fusion of craftsmanship and innovation.
The movement thrives at conventions, such as the Steampunk World’s Fair and Watch City Steampunk Festival, where enthusiasts gather for cosplay, panel discussions, and maker workshops. Music, including bands like The Cog is Dead, often features vaudevillian or folk elements with mechanical undertones. East Coast Steampunk also engages with literature, with authors like Cherie Priest setting stories in alternate Gilded Age settings.
While sharing core steampunk tenets, east coast steampunk distinguishes itself through a darker, more grounded tone compared to the whimsical West Coast scene, reflecting the region’s dense urban history and colder climate. It remains a vibrant community, fostering creativity through art, performance, and speculative storytelling, with a focus on reimagining the past to critique modernity.
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Here, have some trivia:
First Steampunk Tattoo Parlor Event in NYC: In 2012, New York City’s Wooster Street Social Club hosted the Mobilis in Mobili steampunk art show, which included a live demo of the world’s first steampunk-inspired tattoo machine. The brass-and-gear contraption actually worked, inking designs with Victorian flair, and artists jokingly called it “the slowest, most dramatic tattoo gun ever” due to its theatrical steam-like hissing.
The Great Steampunk Mustache Prank in Boston: At the 2013 Watch City Steampunk Festival in Waltham, Massachusetts, a group of attendees pulled a prank by handing out fake mustaches labeled “Tesla’s Finest” to everyone, claiming they were powered by static electricity to “enhance wit.” By noon, half the festival sported curly waxed mustaches, leading to an impromptu “Mustache Parade” that’s still a local legend.
Unusual Steampunk Teacup Racer in Maryland: At Baltimore’s 2015 Kinetic Sculpture Race, a steampunk team debuted the “Teacup Trolley,” a human-powered vehicle shaped like a giant teacup with spinning gears and a faux steam whistle. It won the “Most Whimsical” award after crossing the finish line while blasting Gilbert and Sullivan operetta tunes, with racers shouting, “Full steam, half cream!”
First Steampunk “Time Traveler” Flash Mob in Philly: In 2010, Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square saw the Eastern US’s first steampunk flash mob, where 50 people dressed as Victorian time travelers “invaded” the park with pocket watches and parasols. They performed a synchronized dance to a brass-band cover of Sweet Child O’ Mine, confusing passersby who thought they’d stumbled into a film shoot. Organizers called it “history’s most punctual prank.”
Joking Airship Menus in Virginia: At the 2014 RavenCon in Richmond, Virginia, a steampunk convention featured a mock “Airship Dining Menu” circulated as a gag, offering dishes like “Aether-Infused Scones” and “Goggle-Cleaned Soup.” Attendees played along, pretending to order, with one panelist quipping, “I’ll take the soup, but only if the goggles are certified fog-free!”
First Steampunk Kazoo Orchestra in New Hampshire: During the 2017 Another Anime Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire, a steampunk panel debuted the “Aetheric Kazoo Orchestra,” where 20 attendees played kazoos decorated with gears to perform a wobbly rendition of In the Hall of the Mountain King. The audience laughed so hard the session ran overtime, with one player joking, “This is why airships don’t have orchestras!”
The “Lost Parasol” Caper in Savannah, Georgia: At a 2013 steampunk picnic in Savannah’s Forsyth Park, a running gag emerged when a lace parasol was “stolen” by a rogue “time bandit” (actually a prankster in a top hat). The group spent the day leaving silly ransom notes like “Return one cogwheel or the parasol sees 1899!” It was returned with a tiny monocle tied to it, sparking laughs and a tradition of playful “heists” at future meetups.