The NecronomiCon Providence, also known as the NecronomiCon Providence: The International Conference and Festival of Weird Fiction, Art, and Academia, is a biennial convention and academic conference held in Providence, Rhode Island. It explores the life and works of H. P. Lovecraft and other creators of weird fiction of the past and the present, and is billed as "the largest celebration ever of work and influence". The event is typically held on the weekend closest to Lovecraft's birthday of August 20th. Event programming is held primarily at the Biltmore Hotel Providence and Omni Hotels, with additional events held in downtown Providence, the John Hay Library, and adjacent College Hill sites. The event is organized by the Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Council, which also runs the store Lovecraft Arts & Sciences.
History
The first NecronomiCon Providence was held in August 2013, and was the successor to the earlier "NecronomiCon: The Cthulhu Mythos Convention" that has been founded and organized by The Lovecraft Society of New England biannually from 1993-2001, led by Franklin Hummel, attorney Joan Stanley, and Necronomicon Press publisher Marc Michaud. Funding to launch the event was partially raised through a successful Kickstartercrowdfunding campaign. The first event was successful and attracted attendees from outside Rhode Island and the United States, and the Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Council reported an attendance of over 1300 attendees and guests.
Programming
Programming for the event consists of academic talks, symposiums, panels, author reading, and showings of art, theater, and film works inspired by Lovecraft. An art exhibition entitled Ars Necronomica is also held and contains artwork from contemporary and historical fine, commercial, and outsider art. Films shown at the event include the 2015 short filmInnsmouth. The event also hosts live gaming events and a vendor room. Panels cover a wide range of topics, from influences in Lovecraft's work, its relevance in today's culture and racism in Lovecraft's work to "Forbidden Knowledge in 19th & 20th Century Modernism", "Poe, Lovecraft, and The Uncanny: The Horror of the Self" to "Xenophobia, Atheism, and Tentacles: The Slender Man Myth as Communal Lovecraftian Tale". The convention hosts the "Dr. Henry Armitage Memorial Scholarship Symposium" where scholarly works on Lovecraft and his writings are presented. Articles based on the presentations are reprinted as the Lovecraftian Proceedings series by Hippocampus Press. In addition to the regular convention program there are community events before, after and during the convention that are Lovecraft centered, which include walking and bus tours of Lovecraftian sites around Providence. Other special events include the Opening Ceremony, the Eldritch Ball, and the Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast. The Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast is an installment from the previous NecronomiCons, hosted in Providence and Danvers, set up as a Prayer Gathering on Sunday mornings.
