Article and all photos by Special Correspondent Lee Ann Farruga, founder of Steampunk Canada.

The Victoria Steam Exposition is a celebration of West Coast Canadian steampunk art and culture.  It recently celebrated its second year.  I was keen to be there this year, so I travelled across the country to join my fellow steampunks for this event.

Jordan and Zandra Stratford and their team of volunteers made my visit quite enjoyable.  It began with a leisurely Meet and Greet at the Veneta Lounge in the Rialto Hotel.  The Lounge has period beverages. It was so much fun to try out drinks from the past.  I do believe my favourite that evening was the margarita with egg white (for texture I was told).  The room was filled with well-dressed steampunks and the conversation was lively.  It was my first opportunity to finally speak face to face with a number of people I had only met online and I wasn't disappointed.

Later in the evening there was an absinthe tasting.  While I've done this before and know the green fairy quite well, it was fun to observe the proceedings.  The couple who ran the tasting did a wonderful job, and the gentleman – Chris Adams of Ghostly Walks – was outstanding.  His knowledge of Victoria, the history of the hotel and his stories and facts about absinthe was phenomenal and he kept everyone entranced!

The next day was the first of  the main events at Craigdarroch Castle.  The castle is a sizable Victorian mansion built by the Dunsmuir family.  It is quite imposing from the outstide and luxurious on the inside.  The rich, dark wooden walls and staircase, the stained glass windows, the sumptuously decorated rooms and even the servants quarters transported us to another time and place.  Every steampunk there seemed quite pleased with their surroundings and the general public who were there for the usual castle tours were quite pleased with the steampunks. (That is my only regret of the weekend – that we did not have the whole castle to ourselves....and the miles of stairs one had to traverse to enjoy the vendors and entertainment).

Speaking of vendors, they were fantastic. There was a great variety of wares to choose from including leather, jewellery, rayguns, corsets, fascinators, books and even sculptures.  Not quite vendors, as they were unable to bring their supplies across the border, Kaja and Phil Foglio of Girl Genius joined us for the weekend.  They were a delight to speak with and they graciously took the time to make and sign book plates for their fans.  Although all the vendors had beautiful things, I do believe my favourites were the pieces I acquired from Ian of Skinz-n-Hydez and my adorable glass gentleman octopus pendant with mustache, monocle and tophat from Bling Squared.

The entertainment was delightful.  Throughout the whole weekend there was a working theramin set up between floors that one could try out.  What a strange and fascinating instrument. On Saturday evening the castle was home to a cabaret.  This time we had the place to ourselves, no general public to disturb the quirky atmosphere.  There was only the wonderfully dressed steampunks, two bars with delicious drinks and two fabulous ladies.  Miss Rosie Bitts did two pieces from her burlesque act for us.  She is adorable and sensual at the same time, and her outfits, especially her giant boa (feather that is), were beautiful.  The main event for the evening was Jill Tracy.  The museum staff allowed her to play the antique pianos in the castle.  Her favourite was in the main room.  A beautiful piano that she fell in love with.  Even when she was supposed to move to another part of the castle to play an electric keyboard, she just couldn't part with her new love.  We were lucky she fell in love with that piano.  The tunes she brought forth were otherworldly. She played again for everyone on Sunday.

Which brings me to the last day of the event.  It went far too quickly.  My favourite part of the day was Jordan Stratford's talk on Steampunk and The Occult.  It was very interesting.  The man has the gift of gab.  He could sell a toothbrush to a toothless man.

It was hard to say goodbye to that gorgeous castle and all the lovely steampunks I finally got to meet in person.  Hopefully, I will be able to attend another Victoria Steam Exposition in the future.  You certainly should.

Known internationally as Countessa Lenora, Canadian Queen of Steampunk, Lee Ann Farruga is the founder of Steampunk Canada, a national organization bringing together local steampunk groups from across Canada and educating the general public about this genre/community. A bundle of organizational energy held in check only by her impressive collection of corsets, the Countessa promotes steampunk in a plethora of venues including the Steampunk Canada website, blogs, social media, local events and at conventions large and small. Driven by her love of steampunk she has brought the genre and local Canadian groups to the attention of publishers and major media companies and is campaigning to bring steampunk to the attention of all Canadians through art galleries, museums, libraries and schools nationwide. You can also find her at Twitter - CountessaLenora