It's the fall convention from Minn-STF. It will be Oct 6–8, 2023 at the Hilton Bloomington (3900 American Blvd W), Minnesota. (Already convinced? Skip to registration.)
CONFelicity is a small science fiction and fantasy convention geared primarily towards relaxation. There will be good food, gaming, a few keynote programming events, whatever else you bring to it. If you were at any of the Decongestants, say 5, you can expect something similar.
You! If you are a fan of science fiction or fantasy and would like to hang out with same. Come join us!
Definitely if you've been to Minicon, you should consider CONFelicity. We'd love to have you!
Book online using this link, or call 1-844-856-8554 and use the group code "FALLCON" to get the con rates.
The con rates are $119 for a king or $129 for queen/queen ($136 and $148, respectively, with tax) for Thursday through Sunday nights, and $129 ($148 with tax) for the adjacent Monday through Wednesday nights. (If you call, make sure you book at the Hilton at 3900 American Blvd W; there are two Hiltons on American Blvd.) The deadline to get these rates is Monday, September 4, 2023.
We will make a link and group code available for booking when we have them. In the meanwhile, or if you find that the kind of room you want isn't available at the con rate, try booking directly the hotel or through a travel site (as though you weren't with the con). If you can get a better rate some other way, go for it. We do not need to fill our block to meet a financial obligation to the hotel.
Late checkout may be available, but we do not have a special deal. Normal checkout is noon.
Directions to the hotel and airport shuttle information.
The Hilton is reasonably well served by buses during the daytime of weekdays, but it becomes progressively more challenging after business hours and on the weekend. The last bus north is at 11:18pm, and you have to walk 0.8 miles for that. See Metrotransit to double check that and for more details.
For drivers, there is free parking in the attached ramp.
All the con space is on the 2nd floor. Go up the main stairs and you'll be in the middle of it. Here's a guide to the rooms:
Washington: Function space, programming. Saturday only.
Jefferson: Function space, gaming room.
209/211: Two room suite (with folded-up beds), the consuite. Largely open Thursday through wee hours Monday.
207, 205, 203, 201: Sleeping rooms, available for parties.
Where (and how): Come to the 2nd floor, room 211 for registration (that's the eating half of the consuite). We will be there 3:30–6:00pm on Friday for badge pickup and new members. Outside these hours, the registration head may not be present all the time, but there will be a number posted in 211 to call to summon her.
When: On Thursday night, the consuite will be open, but we don't promise food or drink until Friday.
The consuite will start having food+drink sometime in the afternoon on Friday. The gaming room will be open about 5pm Friday through the wee hours Monday morning. The Washington room will be available 8am Saturday through the wee hours Sunday morning.
In general, the con runs all weekend through the dead dog party Sunday night. We expect to still be partying/gaming into the wee hours Monday morning. (Opening and closing ceremonies are purely ceremonial as far as the "opening" and "closing" go.)
We will have some! Most likely one or two keynote items, plus others if desired.
Contact us if you'd like to schedule something.
CONFelicity is family and child-friendly, so please bring yours! However, we don't have child care or specific children's programming (we're just not big enough for that).
There will be a gaming room, Jefferson, available 24h during the convention, starting about 5pm Friday through the wee hours Monday morning. Gaming may well also occur in other spaces.
There will be a consuite. For the uninitiated, this is a room with snacky food and drink (included with your membership) and social space available during all reasonable hours. There will be a fair amount of food here, but it shouldn't be counted on to feed you three meals a day.
There is no formal art show, but you are welcome to bring art for display or to sell (sales managed by you). There will also be table space for freebies, craft swapping, etc. Label your objects clearly, especially if they are not meant to be taken freely!
CONFelicity is a small con with minimal programming and minimal financial resources. Panels and other activities are expected to be reasonably accessible by virtue of being very small. With this in mind, if you anticipate needing accommodations in order to enjoy the con, please contact us and we will see what we can do.
You should read the code of conduct.
You can be our Sucker Guest of Honor for the low price of $500, first come, first serve. You'll get your name in lights, the chance to make a speech (or avoid making a speech), and it will fund us to rent an additional social room at the hotel for the con. Just select the Sucker Guest of Honor option on the registration form below!
Pre-registration is open until September 20, 2023. You can register online or by mail (handy dandy mail-in form pending — but just send us all the info on the form below and you should be fine; PO Box 8297, Minneapolis MN 55408; checks to "Minneapolis Science Fiction Society", please).
You can also register at the door; it's more expensive. In person, we accept cash and check. No credit cards (or other newfangled payment methods). There is an ATM in the lobby.
| Pre-reg | At the door | |
|---|---|---|
| 21+ | $50 * | $60 † |
| 13–20 | $10 | $20 |
| 0–12, continuously supervised | Free | Free |
| 0–12, free range | $10 | $20 |
| Supporting‡ | $15 | |
| Day rate (8am–8am) | ¶ | $40 |
| Just-a-few-hours rate | ¶ | $20 |
* If you are short on cash, instead pay $40 — no questions asked (nor will we publish who paid what). If you're shorter on cash, e-mail confelicity@mnstf.org and let us know your situation.
† Similarly, you may instead pay $50, no questions asked, or less if approved by the chair. However, for practical reasons, confidentiality is not guaranteed at-the-door.
‡ Supporting membership can be converted to attending (before the con, or at the door) for the difference in rates.
¶ Partial memberships can only be purchased at the door.
What are those fees? They cancel out what PayPal charges so that, for example, we get the full $50 for a $50 membership. There is no fee for paying by cash or check, because our bank doesn't charge us to deposit those.
Want to know if you are already registered? Or if a friend of yours is coming? Check out the list of members.
All inquiries: confelicity@mnstf.org