If you're a big science fiction fan, you're probably familiar with the term "Steampunk." If your'e not a fan, you may have never even heard of it. Unless you're from Hannibal, Missouri. Over the last couple years, just about everyone in Hannibal has gotten to know quite a bit about Steampunk, thanks to the Big River Steampunk Festival.

“Those new to Steampunk marveled at the costumes and gadgets and expressed a desire to learn more about Steampunk,” said organizer Lisa Marks in an interview with Missouri Comic Book News. “The feedback from merchants on Main Street and the attendees of the festival was overwhelmingly positive.”

The third annual Big River Steampunk Festival takes place this weekend. Events will begin on Saturday and continue through Labor Day. Vendors, artists, performances, contests, and lots and lots of costumes will be seen around America's Hometown during the festival.

“The most popular events of the Big River Steampunk Festival will return this year, such as the Costume Contests, Nerf Dueling, Tea Dueling, Hot Air Balloon Rides, Time Traveler’s Ball on the Mark Twain Riverboat, and the Vaudeville and Burley-Que shows," said Marks. "For 2016 our ‘main event’ is SteamaPalooza, an outdoor concert to be held on the riverfront in Nipper Park. We have two internationally-known Steampunk musical groups headlining the concert: Marquis of Vaudeville from Dallas, Texas and Frenchy and the Punk from New York City.”

Several activities for the Big River Steampunk Festival are free, though there is a charge for premium events, such as hot air balloon rides, SteamaPalooza, the Big River Murder Mystery and Time Traveler’s Ball. A full schedule of events can be found at BigRiverSteampunkFestival.com.

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