Sir Nave
Through a sepia lens imagine a world powered by the endlessly available promise of heat: A thriving vascular system of scalding energy bringing to life impossibly ornate machinations across the skies, through the ashes of time, and deviously futuristic in the rust of a 1964 CDC 6600 mainframe somehow available in the Victorian era.
Now sub the actual steam engines for the sweltering South Florida heat and you have the Steampunk Adventurers Weekend – now in its second year – proving that the Sunshine State will forever be home to the weird, the edgy, the fringe, and in this case, self-professed time travelers hungry for adventure.
The steampunk genre is a romantic marriage of science and industry dreamt of by literary mainstays like Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and Mary Shelley, and fully executed by slightly more contemporary authors and artists like K.W. Jeter, Michael Moorcock and François Schuiten, to name a few. While the genre doesn’t immediately scream – or rather, hiss – South Florida, a dedicated crew of old timey adventurers have labored to create a weekend of wonder in West Palm Beach once a year.
“We are very excited about the way the brand has grown over the past year,” musician and steampunk festival impresario Sir Nave tells PureHoney. “We have seen our logos on shirts at many cosplay events throughout the state. We have vendors who are excited to join us this year but were disappointed in not participating last year. This is giving us great expectations for the second annual Steampunk Adventurers Weekend.”
Sir Nave, as founder and director, has plenty of reason to be happy in his double-breasted overcoat and multiple-time-piece bandolier, as he’s turned a weekend of curiosity into a community of like-minded spirits. And because of that, he and his team have adjusted gauges accordingly, flahrgunnstowed their motions, and added more metal alloy cogs and widgets to make this year’s festival flow smoother than Capt. Oswald Bastable’s airship.
Frenchy and the Punk
“Last year was our first time diving into a themed festival,” Sir Nave says. “We feel we really listened to the feedback of the attendees who joined us last year. We have lowered our ticket prices and created more hands-on and interactive activities. Giving people the opportunity to step back in time and become part of the story. We have added more entertainment during the day and have created a party to last all day in the center in the village.”
In addition to the games, rides, lectures, fashion shows, and family-friendly activities including face painting and crafts for kids that festival goers can enjoy, this year’s festival includes more ways to engage. This year’s expanded offerings will feature meet-n-greets with steampunk authors, unique vendors, different food vendors, and a special visit from Santa on Sunday.
Retro rides like the Hurlinator (eat beforehand at your own risk) and the chance to experience glory in tea, cane, and parasol dueling events – the true test of steampunk finesse according to Sir Nave – promise a great weekend that will leave the steam-powered masses yearning for more.
Music will again be provided by DJ Vlad between steampunk bands including For Love or Money, alternative post-punk cabaret duo Frenchy and the Punk, Guitarmy of One and Bard & Minstrels.
For those leaning on the “colder environs” look of this genre and are worried about the less-than-ideal South Florida climate of early December, Sir Nave finds an appropriate and surprisingly nowhere near a Rube Goldberg like workaround.
“Steampunk may seem like a northern genre in terms of clothing and some aesthetics,” he says. “However, imagination can come alive in any climate. The Nautilus [from Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”], for example, traveled the seas and came upon many lands and places of varying climates. Or as Carolina Cardona, a.k.a ‘The Tropical Eccentric,’ one of our authors and presenters will tell you, her Victorian story takes place in San Juan. The genre, even in these sultry conditions, we are finding renewed growth and interest in steampunk.”
Steampunk Adventurers Weekend runs Saturday-Sunday, December 2-3 at Yesteryear Village in West Palm Beach. sawflorida.com ~ Abel Folgar
