What’s On?

Westercon 74, the 2022 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference, will be held starting on the morning of Friday, July 1, 2022 and ending in the late afternoon/early evening of Monday, July 4, 2022. There may be additional activities happening on the evening before the convention starts and after the official closing on July 4.

Wondering when you should plan to arrive and leave?

Tonopah is in Pacific Time Zone, and Nevada observes Daylight Savings Time. All times are in Pacific Daylight Time (UTC -7).

    • Advance membership badge pick-up starts on Thursday, June 30. Pre-registered members will be able to collect their membership badges and other material starting that afternoon from a Registration table in the lobby of the Belvada Hotel.
    • If you would like to help us move in to the Convention Center, we will be moving in on Thursday, June 30. Volunteers to help us move in are welcome.
    • Main Registration opens on Friday, July 1 at 9 AM in the lobby of the Belvada Hotel. Registration on Saturday through Monday will be in the lobby of the Tonopah Convention Center starting at 9 AM each morning.
    • The Tonopah Convention Center (TCC) will be open to all members starting at 10 AM on Friday, July 1.
    • The TCC will be open around the clock through Monday. The Main Hall will be open all night long every night until the close of the “Alien Autopsy Party” just before Midnight on Monday.
    • There will be online programming starting at 8 AM each day of the convention including Friday.
    • The first scheduled in-person program items will be at 11 AM each day including Friday.
    • The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for Friday, July 1 at 2 PM in the Main Hall (but note that online and in -person programming starts earlier in the day — think of it as a “cold open” before the opening titles of a TV show.
    • Online programming is available to all members, including supporting members. Information on how to access online programming will be sent to all members who have registered an email address with the convention closer to the convention dates.
    • The Closing Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, July 4 at 5 PM in the Main Hall. There will be a short closure to allow time to reset for the “Alien Autopsy Party” in the Main Hall starting around 7:30 PM, which will run until just before Midnight on Monday.

    Where Are Things Happening?

    Westercon 74 will be held at the Tonopah Convention Center, Mizpah Hotel, the Mizpah Club ballroom, and the Belvada Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada.

    • The convention activities including a large Hospitality space will center on the Main Hall of the Tonopah Convention Center, which will be open from 10 AM Friday through 5:30 PM Monday, then from 6:30 PM Monday until just before Midnight.
    • The Dealers Room will be in the Buckboard Room at the rear of the Tonopah Convention Center. The Dealers Room will be open Noon-6 PM Friday, 10 AM-6 PM Saturday, 10 AM-6 PM Sunday, and 10 AM-2 PM Monday.
    • The Opening Ceremony will be at 2 PM on Friday in the Main Hall of the Tonopah Convention Center.
    • The Closing Ceremony will be at 5 PM on Monday in the Main Hall of the Tonopah Convention Center.
    • Due to space and staffing constraints, there is no Art Show, although there will be a small art exhibit near the Dealers Room.
    • Fan Tables will be located on the upper level of the Main Hall of the Tonopah Convention Center.
    • Parties will be on the upper level of the Main Hall of the Tonopah Convention Center, not in the hotels.
    • In person Programming will be in the Blue and Gold Rooms of the Tonopah Convention Center, the Nevada Club Room of the Belvada Hotel, the Mizpah Club Ballroom located on the upper floor over the Mizpah Club Casino (entrance through the A&W Restaurant door at the north end of the building).
    • Tabletop Gaming will be in the boardroom of the Mizpah Hotel.
    • Kaffeklatches will be in the Safe Room of the Belvada Hotel.
    • Filking will be in the Blue Room of the Tonopah Convention Center.
    • Due to facility constraints, there is no Masquerade, but Hall Costumes are encouraged and there will be hall costume judges awarding prizes.
    • Our Saturday evening big event will be the Match Game SF game show in the Main Hall of the Tonopah Convention center from 7 PM  – 9 PM. Contestants will be drawn randomly from the audience and there will be prizes (even if only a Lovely Parting Gift) for all contestants.
    • Westercon Site Selection voting will be the in Lobby of the Tonopah Convention Center from 2 PM – 6 PM on Friday and 1 PM – 7 PM on Saturday.
    • The Westercon Business Meeting will be at 11 AM on Sunday in the Main Hall of the Tonopah Convention Center.

    The original dates of Westercon 74 were in July 2021, but the convention was postponed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Westercon is a science fiction and fantasy convention with an emphasis on SF/F literature and art, but including costuming, audio/visual media, and related subjects. Anyone can attend Westercon by purchasing an attending membership. Westercon does not sell “tickets” but instead classifies everyone as a “member.” The event depends completely on the effort of volunteers. Nobody is paid to work on the convention, and the event is generally organized on an “everyone pays, everyone plays” basis.