Balticon

Infobox Convention
name = Balticon


caption =
status = Active
genre = Science fiction
venue =
location = Maryland
country = United States
first = 1966
last =
organizer = Baltimore Science Fiction Society
filing =
attendance =
website = http://www.balticon.org/

Balticon is the title of the Maryland Regional science fiction convention, sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS). BSFS has held Balticon annually since 1966. Due to the venue’s popularity and success, BSFS trademarked the name, “Balticon.”

History

Prior to 1966 BSFS held an annual event for the election of BSFS Board of Directors. After several years, BSFS rented hotel space and invited an author to speak, as a guest of honor, at its election events. From this point forward, the event became an annual convention known as Balticon. Subsequently, BSFS election functions were moved to a different date.

Recent Conventions

*Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle were the guests of honor for Balticon 41 (May 25 - 28, 2007), held at Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, Maryland
*Connie Willis was the guest of honor for Balticon 42 (May 23 - 26, 2008), held at Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, Maryland [A History of Balticon: http://www.bsfs.org/bconhist.htm]

Activities

Balticon brings together hundreds of science fiction professionals and creative amateurs with well over one thousand SF fans for a yearly event held inside a hotel in the Baltimore area. Before 2001, Balticon was held on Easter weekend to take advantage of lower hotel costs; however, in 2001 Balticon moved to Memorial Day Weekend and expanded to a four day convention.Unlike other SF conventions on holiday weekends, Balticon uses all four days to deliver over 300 hours of program and tends to run 24 hours a day from Friday at 1:00pm till 5:00pm on Monday. BSFS presents the Compton Crook Award for best first novel in the genre during Balticon.

Besides panels by authors debating every literary and philosophical principle imaginable, Balticon features programs on:
* anime
* film
* music (including filk music)
* science discoveries
* game show style trivia contests
* a huge art show and Masquerade
* poetry and prose writers' workshops
* charity auctions
* dances
* live theater
* role playing games/live action roleplaying
* dealers room

References

External links

* [http://www.balticon.org Balticon Official Website]

List of Conventions

{| class="wikitable"
-! Event ! Date! Location! Guests (listed GoH)
-
Balticon 1
abt. 1967
The Emerson Hotel, Baltimore MD.
no guest of honor
-
Balticon 2
abt. 1968
Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Samuel R. Delany
-
Balticon 3
abt. 1969
Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
L. Sprague deCamp
-
Balticon 4
abt. 1970
Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Damon Knight & Kate Wilhelm
-
Balticon 5
abt. 1971
Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Harry Harrison
-
Balticon 6
Washington's Birthday Weekend, 1972
Hopkins Hilton Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Gordon R. Dickson
-
Balticon 7
Washington's Birthday Weekend, 1973
Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Poul Anderson
-
Balticon 8
Washington's Birthday Weekend, 1974
Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Frederik Pohl
-
Balticon 9
Easter Weekend, 1975
Pikesville Hilton Hotel, Pikesville, MD.
Hal Clement
-
Balticon 10
April 16 - 18, 1976
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Isaac Asimov
-
Balticon 11
1977
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Philip Jose Farmer
-
Balticon 12
March 24 - 26, 1978
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Anne McCaffrey
-
Balticon 13
April 13 - 15, 1979
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Poul Anderson
-
Balticon 14
April 4 - 6, 1980
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Algis Budrys & Sean Spacher
-
Balticon 15
Easter, 1981
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
John Varley
-
Balticon 16
April 9 - 11, 1982
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Samuel R. Delaney
-
Balticon 17
April 1 - 3, 1983
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
L. Sprague deCamp & Catherine Crook de Camp
-
Balticon 18
April 20 - 22, 1984
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Parke Godwin
-
Balticon 19
Easter Weekend April 7-9, 1985
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
R. A. MacAvoy
-
Balticon 20
March 28 - 30, 1986
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Nancy Springer
-
Balticon 21
April 17 - 19, 1987
Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Roger Zelazny
-
Balticon 22
April 1 - 3, 1988
Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Spider Robinson
-
Balticon 23
March 24 - 26, 1989
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
C. J. Cherryh
-
Balticon 24
April 13 - 15, 1990
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Robin McKinley
-
Balticon 25
March 29 - 31, 1991
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Nancy Kress
-
Balticon 26
April 17 - 19, 1992
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Donald Kingsbury, Christopher Rowley, David R. Palmer, Sheila Finch, Thomas T. Thomas (Wren), Christopher Hinz, Elizabeth Moon, Josepha Sherman and Michael F. Flynn
-
Balticon 27
April 9 - 11, 1993
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Allen Steele
-
Balticon 28
April 1 - 3, 1994
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Mercedes Lackey
-
Balticon 29
April 14 - 16, 1995
Lord Baltimore & Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
James P. Hogan
-
Balticon 30
April 5 - 7, 1996
Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Robert Jordan
-
Balticon 31
March 28 - 30, 1997
Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Glen Cook
-
Balticon 32
April 10 - 12, 1998
Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Harry Turtledove
-
Balticon 33
April 2 - 4, 1999
Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
David Weber
-
Balticon 34
April 22 - 23, 2000
Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Octavia Butler
-
Balticon 35
May 25 - 28, 2001
Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Hal Clement
-
Balticon 36
May 24 - 27, 2002
Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Mark Rogers, Phil Foglio & Kaja Foglio
-
Balticon 37
May 23 - 26, 2003
Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Steve Miller & Sharon Lee
-
Balticon 38
May 28 - 31, 2004
Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Lois McMaster Bujold
-
Balticon 39
May 27 - 30, 2005
Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD.
Steven Barnes & Tananarive Due
-
Balticon 40
2006
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Neil Gaiman
-
Balticon 41
2007
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Joe Bergeron, Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff, Michael R. Mennenga & Evo Terra
-
Balticon 42
2008
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Connie Willis, John Jude Palencar & Urban Tapestry
-
Balticon 43
2009
Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Charles Stross
- [A History of Balticon: http://www.bsfs.org/bconhist.htm]