SiliCon
SiliCon began as Silicon Valley Comic Con, an annual gathering at the San Jose Convention Center that tried to braid two cultures into one weekend. Steve Wozniak, Stan Lee, and Rick White founded it, an unusual trio of a computer pioneer, a comics legend, and a co-organizer. The very first event ran March 18 to 20, 2016, not yet at the convention's later home but at San Jose's McEnery Convention Center. Why would a comics and movie convention plant itself in the heart of Silicon Valley, and why would it carry that valley's name in its title? What did its founders want the floor to feel like, and what made it different from an ordinary comic con? And after only a handful of years, why did it stop?
Steve Wozniak and Stan Lee announced Silicon Valley Comic Con on the 17th of April 2015, through an online video featuring the two of them. The aim was to bring popular culture touchstones together in a single convention. Comics, movies, genre TV, and technology would share one floor. The lineup of voices the organizers wanted reached across the creative spectrum. They planned panels with artists, writers, actors, directors, and producers, alongside science communicators who could speak to the technology side. This convention arrived in a Bay Area that had gone quiet for large multi-genre events. It would be the San Francisco Bay Area's first such convention since WonderCon left after its 2011 show. After that departure, the largest convention remaining in the Bay Area had been Big Wow! Comicfest, which was folded into Silicon Valley Comic Con's schedule.
Wozniak hoped the convention would carry a uniquely Silicon Valley flavor, mixing popular culture and technology rather than choosing between them. That ambition showed up in the layout of the floor itself. The event kept the familiar comic convention staple of an "artists alley", a space for creators to show and sell their work. Beside it sat an "app alley", devoted to new and emerging technology items. The guest list reflected the same split personality. Movie and television studios came to the inaugural event, among them Warner Bros. Pictures, Lionsgate, and AMC. The convention also drew technology-focused guests, including astrophysicists and technologists who fit the valley's identity.
On the 13th of July 2016, organizers confirmed a second annual event for April 21 to 23, 2017, this time at the San Jose Convention Center and spilling into several additional nearby venues. The convention was outgrowing a single building. A larger shift in identity came a few years later. On the 20th of February 2020, the event was renamed SiliCon, and Adam Savage was named its new creative director. The branding now tied the convention to a single well-known host. The 2020 SiliCon was set for October 16 to 18 at the San Jose Convention Center, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced officials to move to a virtual show.
SiliCon 2023 was cancelled, and the convention was discontinued altogether. The organizers pointed to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to funding issues. The convention had been canceled after the 2022 event, closing the run that began in 2016. The San Jose Convention Center did not stay empty of comic conventions for long. In 2024, a different event, GalaxyCon, debuted there, taking up the space SiliCon left behind.
Common questions
What was SiliCon with Adam Savage?
SiliCon, formally Silicon Valley Comic Con, was an annual pop culture and technology convention at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California. It combined comics, movies, genre TV, and technology in a single event.
Who founded Silicon Valley Comic Con?
Silicon Valley Comic Con was founded by Steve Wozniak, Stan Lee, and Rick White. Wozniak and Stan Lee announced it on the 17th of April 2015, through an online video.
When was the first Silicon Valley Comic Con held?
The inaugural Silicon Valley Comic Con was held March 18 to 20, 2016, at San Jose's McEnery Convention Center. A second event followed April 21 to 23, 2017, at the San Jose Convention Center.
Why was Silicon Valley Comic Con renamed SiliCon?
On the 20th of February 2020, the convention was renamed SiliCon, and Adam Savage was named its new creative director. The 2020 event was planned for October 16 to 18 but moved to a virtual show because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why was SiliCon cancelled?
SiliCon 2023 was cancelled and the convention was discontinued, with organizers citing the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and funding issues. The convention was canceled after the 2022 event.
What replaced SiliCon at the San Jose Convention Center?
In 2024, a different comic con called GalaxyCon debuted at the San Jose Convention Center. It arrived after SiliCon was discontinued.