A filk con is a science fiction convention with a focus on filking.
Introduction[]
Science fiction cons come in many forms. Those with a focus on the filk community and filking are usually called filk cons. Other types of cons can still have a strong filk component and presence, and from the point of view of the filk community they are usually all labeled gencons.
The first filk con—FilkCon I—was held on July 28–29, 1979, in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Filk cons usually hold filk circles, concerts, one-shots, workshops, and panels. Depending on local tradition, they might have a con suite or a dealer’s room of varying ambition. North American filk cons have an Interfilk guest and auction.
Tomorrow’s Songs Today by Gary McGath contains a list of every filk con held between 1979 and 2014. For filk cons from 2015 onwards, see Past filk cons on this wiki.
Active filk cons[]
British national filk con
Homepage: http://www.contabile.org.uk
Period: 1989–
Time of year: early February
Location: England, UK
Additional information: Varying name, location, and committee
Conflikt
Homepage: https://conflikt.org
Period: 2008–
Time of year: late January
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Consonance
Homepage: http://www.consonance.org
Period: 1990–
Time of year: early March
Location: San Francisco Bay area, California, USA
FilkCONtinental
Homepage: https://www.filkcontinental.de/fc/home/index_e.php
Period: 1997–
Time of year: September
Location: Wernigerode, Germany
FilKONtario
Homepage: https://filkontario.ca
Period: 1991–
Time of year: April
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Additional information: Penguins, the Filk Hall of Fame
Das Frühlingsfest der Filksmusik (DFDF)
Homepage: https://www.dfdf.rocks
Period: 2009–
Time of year: May or early June
Location: Hanstedt, Germany
Gafilk
Homepage: https://www.gafilk.org
Period: 1999–
Time of year: early January
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Additional information: a filk relaxacon with Play It With Moxie as their house band
Intermezzo
Homepage: https://intermezzo.filk.de
Period: 2019 -
Time of year: end September / early October
Location: Wernigerode, Germany
Additional information: every other year, usually alternating with FilkCONtinental
The Northeast Filk Convention (NEFilk)
Homepage: https://www.nefilk.us
Period: 1990–
Time of year: June
Location: Northeastern USA
Additional information: Intermittent, with varying name, location, and committee
Ohio Valley Filk Fest
Homepage: http://ovff.org
Period: 1984, 1986–
Time of year: October
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA
Additional information: The largest annual filk con and the venue for the Pegasus awards
Defunct or dormant filk cons[]
Bayfilk
Period: 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988-89
Time of year: March
Location: San Francisco Bay area, California, USA
Additional information: Bayfilk dissolved due to interpersonal difficulties (see The Neutral Zone) and was replaced by Consonance
ConCertino
Period: 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018
Time of year: June or July
Location: Boston area, Massachusetts, USA
Additional information: Held irregularly
ConCerto
Period: 1990, 1997
Time of year: June
Location: Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA
ConChord
Period: 1983, 1985, 1987-95, 1997-98, 2000-05, 2007-10, 2012-15
Time of year: Usually late summer or early fall
Location: Los Angeles area, California, USA
FilkCon
Period: 1979-86
Time of year: variable
Location: variable
Additional information: FilkCon was not so much a unified con as a name for various loosely related filk cons, some of which became their own repeating cons
MuseCon
Period: 1987
Time of year: May
Location: Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Musicon
Period: 1992-96
Time of year: January
Location: Nashville, Tennessee, USA