SiliCon with Adam Savage (formally Silicon Valley Comic Con) is an annual
pop culture and technology convention, at the
San Jose Convention Center in
San Jose, California. The
convention was founded by
Steve Wozniak,
Stan Lee and Rick White. The inaugural event was held March 18–20, 2016 at San Jose's McEnery Convention Center.[1] The convention was rebranded as SiliCon in early 2020 and
Adam Savage was appointed as the creative director.
History
Silicon Valley Comic Con was first announced April 17, 2015 through an online video featuring Steve Wozniak and Stan Lee.[2] The aim was to bring together popular culture touchstones such as
comics, movies, genre TV and technology together as one convention. Including panels featuring creative artists, writers, actors, directors, producers, and
science communicators.[3]
Silicon Valley Comic Con will be the
San Francisco Bay Area's first large multi-genre convention since the departure of
WonderCon after that convention's 2011 show.[4] Since WonderCon's departure the largest convention left in the Bay Area had been Big Wow! Comicfest, which is being added to Silicon Valley Comic Con's schedule.[5]
On July 13, 2016, the second annual event was confirmed to be occurring April 21–23, 2017 at the San Jose Convention Center as well as expanding into several additional venues nearby.[6]
On February 20, 2020, the convention was renamed SiliCon, and Adam Savage was named the new creative director.[7] The 2020 event was to have taken place October 16–18 at the San Jose Convention Center, but the
COVID-19 pandemic forced officials to move to a virtual show.
SiliCon 2023 was cancelled, with the organizers alluding to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and funding issues.[8]
Features and events
The convention aims to include both popular culture and technology in what Wozniak hopes will be a uniquely
Silicon Valley flavor.[9] In that spirit the convention will have typical comic convention staples such as an "artists alley", but will also have an "app alley" featuring new and emerging technology items. Several movie and television studios will be represented at the inaugural event including
Warner Bros. Pictures,
Lionsgate and
AMC.[10] Additionally several technology-focused guests will be involved as well including astrophysicists and technologists.