Bradford Steampunk & Gothic Fair

Bradford Steampunk & Gothic Fair

Hello lovely readers, as anyone who has been following me on Facebook or Twitter already know, I attended my first Steampunk Fair on Saturday 27th May.

I was really excited to be invited by the lovely Catherine Gilford, to be an attending author. My writing hasn't ventured into the Steampunk genre yet, but it's a fun foray into Fantasy and Witchcraft.
I personally love the whole Goth vibe, especially the music and fashions - it just seemed to strike a chord when I was younger.



To be honest, when we were teenagers, we were called "sweaties" rather than goths. A rather unfortunate colloquial term at my school, but it stuck. I've not actually heard it outside of Doncaster, and have gotten funny looks from using the term in the wider UK, so I'm guessing it's one of those very localised things!

Anyway, enough reminiscing, we want to get onto the main event.

Saturday was so much fun. The Brewhaus in Bradford is a gorgeous pub/restaurant/venue. It's the first time I've been there, but we got lovely service and support from the staff.

With the help of fellow authors Craig Hallam and David Driver, who braved the torrential rain to carry my boxes; I got set up upstairs, and got to use some of my new promotional material.
After the Indie Lit Fest last year, I was very giddy about getting my own banner made, and I've got to say I think it looked really good.
The other promotional material... I'm not giving a close-up just now, because they'll be coming with me to future gigs.

And so the Fair begins...

It started about midday, and I got to see some amazing outfits, from both the traders and the general public. There was an incredible attention to detail, and there was a fantastic eclectic mix of hats and clothes and accessories - oh, the accessories! You haven't lived until you've seen a steampunk-umbrella-holder.
The people were universally friendly, and chatty, and all willing to gossip about their outfits, other steampunk parties, and even about books!

As the day wore on, things became a little surreal. We've been having a bit of a heatwave in Yorkshire, which can mean only one thing - a tremendous storm. And we had bloody tremendous rain, which wasn't content at turning the road into a river; it also leaked through sections of the roof!
Luckily, none of the leaks happened above the traders, and everyone's goods stayed dry.
It didn't last long, and soon became a point of amusement.

Anyways, time flies when you're having fun, and I was having an absolute blast with the previously-mentioned authors Craig and David. They are hilarious company, and I'd recommend meeting them if you're going to any book fairs this year.
Yeah, they seem to be starting up a bromance!

The rest of the traders were pretty awesome, too.
I had a good time chatting about local landscapes, and discussing future fairs etc, with artist Steven Spencer. And when he wasn't busy with Tarot readings, Ray Bokor was telling me about the spiritual energies and work as a medium (which may or may not appear in future work ;) ).

There were plenty of stands with jewellery, trinkets and clothing. It was a shame I only got a chance to see the ones that were upstairs with us.
I'm glad I didn't have my purse with me, or I would have spent my horse's rent money on lots of Laura Nicholson's glowing jewellery.





And Goodfairy Badfairy had some awesome coats that are like my favourite (very horsey) wax jacket.
lovely trinkets.






I really liked
Megaera's Realm had a really lovely array of

Fantasy-inspired jewellery, including a unicorn skull brooch - I know!

One of my favourite moments was seeing some close-up magic by Robert Ellams and his friend. Now, normally I'm really sceptical about magic (I know, the irony!), and I'm always the first to try and work out how the did the sleight of hand happened, but I was just blown away.
#DeadParrotEgg

I had to keep reminding myself that I was there as a "professional"...
I'm definitely looking forward to more Steampunk Fairs!


Quick link list

Venue: Brewhaus in Bradford
Authors: Craig Hallam and David Driver
Artist: Steven Spencer
Medium: Ray Bokor
Shopping: Laura Nicholson ; Goodfairy Badfairy and Megaera's Realm
Magic: Robert Ellams