Louisiana Steampunk Festival

What is steampunk? According to Lafayette theatre troupe Cité des Arts, co-presenter of this event with the Lafayette Science Museum, Steampunk is a genre of creativity—one whose practitioners explore advanced fictional technological devices and Victorian-style clothing, costumes, facial hair, and other accessories—to create elaborate stories and interesting new worlds. Picture the clockwork wizardry of Martin Scorsese's 2011 movie Hugo and the old-world sci-fi of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and you'll have the general idea—a world where steam and mechanical machines are the epitome of exploration and design.

In celebration of the genre and its stylings, the Steampunk and Makers Fair attracts folks who love to make and design stuff—all kinds of stuff—and to do so in magnificently mustached style. Part costume play, science, and county fair and part something else still in the process of definition, the Louisiana Steampunk Festival, formerly known as the Steampunk & Makers Fair, is a showcase of science, technology, education, and art. Back in Lafayette for a fifth year, steampunk artists and creatives will join forces with scientists and inventors, programmers and fabricators, to breathe mechanical life into their visions. Organizers promise a series of events, exhibitions and opportunities. 10 am - 8 pm Saturday and Sunday. $10-25. (337) 291-1122 or steampunk-festival.org.