Fox Valley Steampunk Festival debuts at trolley museum with Victorian-era fantasy fun

Even the antique passenger vehicles will be cosplaying at the inaugural Fox Valley Steampunk Festival Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin.

“Our trolleys, trains and streetcars are electric, but we will be making some of them look as if they are running on steam for the Steampunk Festival,” said Ryan Prusinski, a museum volunteer helping coordinate the 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. event.

For its 2026 season, the museum added new events that have included a multi-era historical weekend, a ragtime festival, and now the steampunk fest, which is being put together in association with the Chicagoland Steampunk Society.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity as it would let us host a new event for the steampunk fandom and support a good cause: helping the museum. Promoting history and education in a fun way is always a great idea,” said Eduardo Questell, a society administrator who will emcee the gathering.

For those unfamiliar with steampunk, Questell described it as a mix of science fiction and fantasy that reimagines the future as the Victorians might have dreamed it — a world full of steam-powered machines, clockwork inventions and airships.

“The term ‘steampunk’ was coined in 1987 by author K.W. Jeter as a playful reference to cyberpunk. It describes fiction set in the 19th century with futuristic technologies powered by steam,” Questell said. “I like the quote by sci-fi author George Mann: ‘Steampunk is… a joyous fantasy of the past, allowing us to revel in a nostalgia for what never was. It is a literary playground for adventure, spectacle, drama, escapism and exploration. But most of all it is fun.’”

Questell said his interest in steampunk came from being raised in a household where science and history were highly valued.

“My dad is an archaeologist, geologist and a science fiction aficionado, so I grew up around books, fossils, historical artifacts, comic books and nerdy things. You could say that I always had an interest in eccentric pursuits, Victorian aesthetics and the whimsical,” he said.

What also inspired him was visiting Busch Gardens in his hometown of Tampa and becoming fascinated with the now-closed Questor, a motion simulator ride in which people took a trip on a steampunk-style hybrid air- and watercraft.

He became involved with the steampunk community in Florida in 2010, and joined the Chicagoland Steampunk Society when he moved to Aurora in 2017. He currently works as the city of Aurora’s director of brand, marketing and digital strategy.

As for the festival, in addition to trolley rides, the afternoon will feature a variety of steampunk games. They will include a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors played with parasols; racing remote-controlled vehicles designed to look like teapots; and tea dueling, in which two players face each other to see who can hold a biscuit dunked in hot tea together the longest.

“I am particularly biased toward Steampunk Nerf Gun Duels since I have hosted that game many times in different steampunk events, particularly at TeslaCon, the biggest steampunk event in the Midwest,” Questell said.

Attendees can come as they are but are welcome to dress for the occasion. Questell will gear up as his steampunk persona, Capt. Quaestor, an adventurer, inventor, explorer and captain of the airship The Crimson Hammer.

“I am looking forward to a day of whimsical fun for individuals and families,” he said. “Both the Trolley Museum and Chicagoland Steampunk Society are very welcoming organizations. This will be an opportunity for everyone to step away from the humdrum of everyday life and step into a world of goggles, gears and imagination.”

For tickets and more information, go to foxvalleysteampunk.com.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.