A Chicago area regional convention founded in 1980 and held annually since then. It is traditionally a four-day convention, running from Thursday through Sunday in February. Membership is consistently just below 1,000. Phandemonium is the corporate parent.
One standard feature of Capricons is the "Phineas T. Track," more recently called the "Lake Wobegon Track." This is an entire hoax track of programming, usually indicated by taking place in a fictional room of the hotel with a dead panelist, a fictional panelist, and a living panelist.
Capricon's mascot is Capricious the Goat, who appears on most of its advertising and program books and gave the name to the at-con newsletter, Goat Droppings. At the con, one concom member is tasked to wear a Capricious the Goat costume during various events.
Capricon was founded with the explicit aim of feuding with Windycon, but hostility between the two conventions gradually subsided. A number of fans now work on both, and hardly anyone remembers that they were originally supposed to be inimical.
Capricon website (external link)
Goat Droppings (Capricon blog page)
| Convention | Date | Location | Notes/Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capricon 1 | February 20-22, 1981 | Holiday Inn in Evanston, IL | |
| Capricon 2 | February 1982 | Radisson Hotel in Chicago, IL | |
| Capricon 3 | February 1983 | Radisson Hotel in Chicago, IL | |
| Capricon 4 | February 1984 | Continental Hotel in Chicago, IL | |
| Capricon 5 | February 1985 | Lincolnwood Hyatt in Lincolnwood, IL | |
| Capricon 6 | February 28-March 2, 1986 | Lincolnwood Hyatt in Lincolnwood, IL | |
| Capricon 7 | February 1987 | Lincolnwood Hyatt in Lincolnwood, IL | |
| Capricon 8 | February 1988 | Arlington Park Hilton in Arlington Heights, IL | |
| Capricon 9 | February 1989 | Lincolnwood Hyatt in Lincolnwood, IL | |
| Capricon 10 | February 1990 | Lincolnwood Hyatt in Lincolnwood, IL | |
| Capricon 11 | February 21-24, 1991 | Lincolnwood Hyatt in Lincolnwood, IL | Expanded Universes |
| Capricon 12 | February 20-23, 1992 | Marriott Lincolnshire Resort in Lincolnshire, IL | |
| Capricon 13 | February 18-21, 1993 | Pheasant Run in St. Charles, IL | |
| Capricon 14 | February 1994 | Wyndham Hamilton in Itasca, IL | |
| Capricon 15 | February 16-19, 1995 | Wyndham Hamilton in Itasca, IL | |
| Capricon 16 | February 8-11, 1996 | Wyndham Hamilton in Itasca, IL | |
| Capricon 17 | February 20-23, 1997 | Hyatt Oak Brook in Oak Brook, IL | |
| Capricon 18 | February 5-8, 1998 | Holiday Inn O’Hare in Rosemont, IL | |
| Capricon 19 | February 11-14, 1999 | Arlington Park Hilton in Arlington Heights, IL | Villains |
| Capricon 20 | January 27-30, 2000 | Arlington Park Hilton in Arlington Heights, IL | Armageddon |
| Capricon 21 | February 8-11, 2001 | Arlington Park Hilton in Arlington Heights, IL | Tellurian Exposition |
| Capricon 22 | February 7-10, 2002 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL | Fun and Games |
| Capricon 23 | February 6-9, 2003 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL | Gods & Monsters |
| Capricon 24 | January 29-February 1, 2004 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL | Sensawundah |
| Capricon 25 | February 10-14, 2005 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL | Mad Scientists |
| Capricon 26 | February 9-12, 2006 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL | University of Fandom |
| Capricon 27 | February 8-11, 2007 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL | A Celebration of High Fantasy |
| Capricon 28 | February 14-17, 2008 | Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL | Pirates |
| Capricon 29 | February 19-22, 2009 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, | Camp Among the Stars |
| Capricon 30 | February 11-14, 2010 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, | Celebration! |
| Capricon 31 | February 10-13, 2011 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL | Escape |
| Capricon 32 | February 9-12, 2012 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL | Choose Your Own Adventure |
| Capricon 33 | February 7-10, 2013 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL | Artificial Intelligence |
| Capricon 34 | February 6-9, 2014 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL | The 4th Dimension |
| Capricon 35 | February 12-15, 2015 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL | |
| Capricon 36 | February 11-14, 2016 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL | Storytelling |
| Capricon 37 | February 16-19, 2017 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL | "And the Children Shall lead" |
| Capricon 38 | February 15-18, 2018 | Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL |
