West Coast Speculative Fiction Association

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1971 to present

VCON

VCON is WCSFA’s flagship event – a three‑day, fan-run, speculative fiction and gaming convention held annually in the Vancouver, BC, metro area. Missing from the local fan convention scene since 2021, we are working to, hopefully, bring it back in 2026.

VCON is the oldest fan-run speculative fiction and gaming convention event in Canada and the Pacific Northwest. The first VCON, known as the Vancouver SF Convention, took place on April 9–10, 1971, at the Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver and featured Ursula K. Le Guin as the Guest of Honour. Since then, it has embraced a diverse mix of programming, including panel discussions, author readings, workshops, a large multi‑media art show, vendor tables, tabletop and console game rooms, book launches, crafts, and costume contests. Traditions also include hospitality suites, room parties, and the after-closing “Dead Dog” party.

Over its long history, VCON has featured many prominent Guests of Honour (GoHs). The following are a few of the standout GoHs from VCON’s rich history, featuring legendary authors, artists, scientists, and more. (For a complete list, see the VCON Wikipedia page.)

  • Ursula K. Le Guin – Inaugural GoH at VCON 1 (1971) and at VCON 4 (1974), legendary for groundbreaking works like Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness.
  • Philip K. Dick – Celebrated at VCON 2 (1972), visionary author behind Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Total Recall.
  • Frank Herbert – Featured as GoH at VCON 3, 7, and 11 (1973, 1979, 1983); creator of Dune.
  • Larry Niven – Featured as GoH at VCON 5 (1975) and again at VCON 36 (2011); hard-science-fiction author of the award-winning Ringworld series.
  • Roger Zelazny – GoH at VCON 8 (1980), known for the Chronicles of Amber series.
  • Samuel R. Delany – Celebrated at VCON 12 (1984), a seminal voice in speculative fiction writing.
  • Robert Bloch – Horror master, best known for Psycho, honoured at VCON 13 (1985).
  • Forrest J. Ackerman – Pioneering sci‑fi fan and fanzine publisher, honoured at VCON 15 (1987).
  • Spider Robinson – Celebrated Canadian author and Toastmaster at VCON 17 & 41 (1989, 2016).
  • C.J. Cherryh – Dual-featured at VCON 19/Westercon 44 (1991), Hugo and Nebula award-winning author.
  • Kim Stanley Robinson – Guest of Honour at VCON 21 (1996), renowned for the Mars trilogy.
  • Al Betz (“Mr. Science”) – Fan Guest of Honour and Aurora Awards Toastmaster at VCON 25 & 26 (2000, 2001).
  • Brom – Dark fantasy illustrator featured at VCON 27 (2002).
  • Monte Cook – RPG designer and bestselling writer, Game Design GoH at VCON 27 (2002)
  • Todd Lockwood – Acclaimed fantasy artist at VCON 29 & 30 (2004, 2005).
  • Gregory Benford – Physicist and longtime author, Author GoH at VCON 37 (2012).
  • Ed Greenwood – Canadian Creator of the Forgotten Realms D&D setting, Canvention Author GoH at VCON 40 (2015).
  • Ashley Mackenzie – Illustrator and Canvention Art GoH at VCON 42 (2018).

VCON has twice hosted Westercon (VCON 7/Westercon 30 in 1977 and VCON 19/Westercon 44 in 1991) and multiple Canvention & Aurora Awards ceremonies: 1986 (VCON 14), 2001 (VCON 26), 2007 (VCON 32), and 2014 (VCON 39)

VCON’s numbering system includes some quirks: a few “half‑number” editions (e.g., 18.5, 19.5 & 41.5) occurred when smaller events were organized for one reason or another, and a few years were skipped in the mid‑1990s. As a result, although 2021 was the 50th anniversary of the first event, the last full-size event before that year was VCON 42 in 2018 (the event planned for 2019 was unfortunately cancelled). That particular anniversary year coincided with the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, despite that, a VCON event—called VCON 2021—was held with on-site attendee numbers restricted to a minimum and two panel rooms live-streamed during each day.

VCON’s influence over the years spawned several other fan-run conventions in Canada and the Pacific Northwest, including:

Initially overseen by the Western Canadian Science Fiction Convention Committee Association (WCSFCCA), that society was forcibly dissolved in 1992 due to missed reporting. Consequently, WCSFA was registered in January 1993 to replace it and has hosted the event ever since.