The inaugural Finncon was held in 1986 in Helsinki. Its guest of honor was English writer, artist and anthology editor Brian Aldiss, best known for his Hugo Award-winning works: the Hothouse series of novelettes, later published as a novel, and Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction, co-written with David Wingrove.
Since its inception, Finncon has been attended by many other notable science fiction and fantasy authors, including Iain Banks, Terry Pratchett, Ian McDonald, Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman, Michael Swanwick, Robin Hobb, Jeff VanderMeer, George R. R. Martin, Alastair Reynolds, Ellen Kushner, Richard Morgan, Lois McMaster Bujold, Aliette de Bodard, Catherynne M. Valente, Ursula Vernon (T. Kingfisher), and many more.
The first four conventions (in 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1993) took place in Helsinki, but since its fifth edition in 1995, the convention has alternated between several cities (Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Tampere, Turku and Espoo) without a formal rota. If no city offers to host the event, the year is skipped. In 2020, Finncon was supposed to take place in Tampere, but it was held virtually instead due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 1999, from 2003 to 2009, and then again in 2011 Finncon was held concurrently with Animecon, an anime convention established in 1999 as an outgrowth of Finncon. The two conventions shared venues but not events; nevertheless, this collaboration helped them boost each other's visibility and attendance. The 2003 edition of Finncon also dubbed as Eurocon (an annual science fiction convention coordinated by the European Science Fiction Society that is held in a new European city every year and is usually attached to an existing convention).
The event is organized by Finncon-yhdistys ry (Finncon Association), a nonprofit organization focused on promoting and supporting Finnish science fiction and fantasy culture. It acts as an umbrella association for the country’s sci-fi and fantasy societies. Unlike many other conventions, Finncon is a free admission event open to everyone interested in speculative fiction and related media. For the most part, the convention is funded by cultural grants, commercial traders and advertisers, and voluntary donations.
The program of Finncon includes panel discussions, presentations, seminars, workshops, meetings with authors, book signings, and other exciting events and activities. Some of the events are in English, and some are in Finnish or Swedish. English is the language of the Finncon Academic Track, a special program for science fiction and fantasy researchers. The convention also features the art alley, where non-professional artists can sell the art and crafts they make. Other highlights of Finncon include the traditional Masquerade (a cosplay competition with prizes) and evening parties.
Photo: finncon.org
