Philcon, also known as the "Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference", is an annual three-day

science fiction convention Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expr ...

held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census. ...

(formerly the Crowne Plaza Hotel). The convention is run by the

Philadelphia Science Fiction Society Philadelphia Science Fiction Society (PSFS) is a science fiction club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in 1936, PSFS is the second oldest extant group in science fiction fandom, and hosted what is considered by some to be the first scie ...

(PSFS).

History

In 1936, a half dozen fans came down from New York by train for the first intercity meeting of fans ever held. A picture taken of the group at

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers. The structure forms the center ...

has appeared in a number of the histories of science fiction fandom. They held a business meeting at the house of Philadelphia fan

Milton A. Rothman Milton A. Rothman (November 30, 1919 – October 6, 2001) was a United States nuclear physicist and college professor. He was also an active science fiction fan and a co-founder of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. An occasional auth ...

, electing Rothman as chair and New Yorker

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satellite ...

as Secretary. Since Philadelphia had been the site of the 1936

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

s, they declared themselves the Philadelphia Science Fiction Convention. Part of the group went to John Baltadonis' home to examine his art collection and the printing press used to publish the PSFS newsletter. At Rothman's house, the group talked about science fiction and played craps. On the way back to the train station, some of the attendees sang early

filk Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s. Etymology and defi ...

songs. One of the attendees, John B. Michel published an account of the day, the first convention report, in a New York fanzine: Some fan historians claim that the 1936 Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference, a.k.a. Philcon, was the first science fiction convention ever held. Others, such as

Fred Patten Frederick Walter Patten (December 11, 1940 – November 12, 2018) was an American writer and historian known for his work in the science fiction, fantasy, anime, manga, and furry fandoms, where he gained great distinction through a substantial c ...

and Rob Hansen, make this claim for the January 1937 event in

Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

,Mike Glyer
"THE FIRST EVER CONVENTION,"
''The Story So Far'' (Worldcon, 1987). organized by the Leeds Science Fiction League, which was specifically organised as a conference, with a program and speakers. Out of this came the first incarnation of the

British Science Fiction Association The British Science Fiction Association Limited is an organisation founded in 1958 by a group of British academics, science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to promote the writing, criticism, and study of science fiction ...

. Philcon in 2020 held a virtual convention due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Philcon Worldcons

The

World Science Fiction Convention Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during ...

, or Worldcon, has been held in Philadelphia three times: * The 5th World Science Fiction Convention, called Philcon I, was held in 1947. * The

11th World Science Fiction Convention The 11th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Philcon II, was held on 5–7 September 1953 at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was the first Worldcon to present the Hugo Awards. ...

, called Philcon II, was held in 1953. * The

59th World Science Fiction Convention The 59th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as The Millennium Philcon, was held on 30 August–3 September 2001 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and Philadelphia Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...

, called the Millennium Philcon, was held in 2001.

References

*Bristol, John (Jack Speer)
''Fancyclopedia''
Fantasy Foundation, 1944. *Eney, Dick,
Fancyclopedia II
', Operation Crifanac 1959. * Pohl, Frederick, ''The Way the Future Was: A Memoir'', Del Rey Books, 1978. * Moskowitz, Sam, ''The Immortal Storm'', Hyperion Press, 1974. *Wolkoff, Lew, ''The First Philcon: An Oral History'', Phanadelphia Corporation, 1985.

External links

Philcon Website
{{coord, 39, 55, 33, N, 75, 3, 11, W, region:US-NJ_type:event, display=title Science fiction conventions in the United States 1936 establishments in Pennsylvania Recurring events established in 1936 Festivals established in 1936 Annual events in New Jersey Conventions in New Jersey Festivals in New Jersey New Jersey culture Tourist attractions in New Jersey Cherry Hill, New Jersey

History

Philcon Worldcons

References

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