For over 50 years, PulpFest has celebrated mystery, adventure, science fiction, and much more. In the pulp magazines of the early twentieth century — which gave PulpFest its name — the hardboiled detective, science fiction, and sword and sorcery genres developed and flourished. They gave us Buck Rogers, Conan the Barbarian, Cthulhu, Doc Savage, Hopalong Cassidy, John Carter of Mars, Sam Spade, The Shadow, Solomon Kane, Tarzan, Zorro, and many other pop culture icons.
At this year’s convention, PulpFest will commemorate the centennials of Amazing Stories and Ghost Stories, the sesquicentennial of Jack London’s birth, and more. But that’s not all!
The fans of Philip José Farmer will also be returning to PulpFest for FarmerCon XXI.
Since 2011, PulpFest has hosted FarmerCon, a convention celebrating the life and times of the longtime pulp fan and Grand Master of Science Fiction, born over 100 years ago.
By holding the convention alongside PulpFest, Farmer fans get a variety of programming and a room full of pulp and book dealers to enjoy. Of course, the premier publisher of Farmer and related works, Meteor House, will have a prominent spot in our dealers’ room. And don’t forget the after-hours socializing that the fans of Philip José Farmer are known to enjoy. These gatherings are always vibrant, entertaining, and informative.
One of the highlights of FarmerCon XXI will be the convention’s panel exploring the author’s work for the pulps and digest magazines. “The Early Philip José Farmer” is scheduled for 2:30 pm on Friday, July 31, in the PulpFest 2026 programming room. It will be followed at 11:05 pm by “Fraternize at FarmerCon” in the Ember & Vine lounge at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry. All are welcome to join the “Friends of Phil” for their gathering in our host hotel’s restaurant and lounge.
The devoted “Fans of Bronze” will also be back at PulpFest 2026 following the successful revival of Doc Con at last year’s PulpFest. Founded in 1998 by Rob Smalley, Doc Con provides fans a chance to “get together to celebrate the heroes of the pulp era.”
What’s in store for you at Doc Con 2026? We’ll take a look at “The Amazing Adventures of Doc Savage” on Thursday evening and the long-running The Bronze Gazette — featuring the fanzine’s founder, Howard Wright — on Saturday afternoon. We’ll also have a “Bronze Bash” in the Ember & Vine lounge in the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, an after-hours social event. More socializing opportunities are also being planned, including a possible “Banquet of Bronze” at a local restaurant.
Stay tuned for further details about this year’s fabulous Doc Con plans. You’ll also find updates by following the Doc Con Facebook page.
Inspired by the success of mini-conventions such as FarmerCon and Doc Con, in 2025, a few devotees of The Shadow approached the PulpFest organizing committee, asking if we’d be interested in hosting a convention for fans of The Dark Avenger.
If The Shadow pulp could last for 325 issues, spanning eighteen years, and successfully revive the concept of the single-character magazine, serving as the template for other hero pulps and, later, scores of comic book superheroes, why not host a convention devoted to Walter B. Gibson’s mysterious avenger?
Starting small with just a few events, The Shadow Con 2026 will get things rolling with “The Haunted Shadow,” a look at some of the supernaturally charged adventures of The Dark Avenger. It will feature Tim King, a lifelong fan of The Shadow who has spoken several times at PulpFest.
Scheduled for Saturday afternoon, “The Haunted Shadow” will be followed later that day by “A Night at the Cobalt Club,” taking place in the Ember & Vine Lounge and Restaurant at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry. This after-hours social event will be an informal gathering of fans of The Shadow. Everyone is welcome.
The organizers of The Shadow Con are also planning a luncheon for Shadow fans at a time to be determined. It will have a Chinatown theme, and those who prepay will receive a collectible pint glass featuring The Black Ship. Owned by Red Mike, The Black Ship was an underworld dive that appeared in some of The Shadow’s adventures.
We’ll have more on The Shadow Con 2026 in the months to come. So stay tuned to pulpfest.com. And don’t forget to follow The Shadow Con page on Facebook.
Since there will be an East Coast ERBCon (formerly the Dum-Dum) from June 24 to 26 in Raleigh, North Carolina, there will be no ERBFest at this year’s PulpFest. We will, however, not forget the fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs and his classic creations.
PulpFest 2026 will celebrate the centennial of the birth of Robert Kennedy Abbett, one of the leading magazine and paperback illustrators of the second half of the twentieth century. Although he illustrated book covers for war novels, detective novels, thrillers, historical fiction, and science fiction, Abbett is probably best remembered for the cover paintings for the Tarzan and Mars series that he did for Ballantine Books.
We’ll have both a presentation and an art show devoted to “A Century of Robert K. Abbett” at PulpFest 2026.
Your PulpFest membership also makes you a member of this year’s Doc Con, FarmerCon, and The Shadow Con. That’s 4 conventions for one price! You can’t beat that, especially if you’re a Doc, Farmer, Shadow, and pulp enthusiast! And if you’re an ERB or a Bob Abbett fan, then you’re absolutely golden!
Register now by clicking here! We hope you’ll join us from July 30 – August 2 in Mars, Pennsylvania, for PupFest 2026, Doc Con 2026, Farmercon XXI, and The Shadow Con 2026!
Don’t forget to book a room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry. They’re going fast! The special convention rate of $138 plus tax per night includes two complimentary hot breakfasts per room during your stay, free Wi-Fi, and free parking. To thank you for your support, PulpFest will provide free early-bird shopping when you book a room at the convention’s host hotel.
To learn more about PulpFest and its associated conventions, visit our YouTube Channel . . .
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Our featured image is excerpted from the November 1926 front cover for Ghost Stories, featuring work by an unknown artist. We will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the debut of Bernarr Macfadden’s Ghost Stories and more at PulpFest 2026.
Our lead image was adapted by William Lampkin from Clarence Doore’s cover for the July 1954 issue of Amazing Stories. We’ll also be celebrating the centennial of Amazing Stories, the first continuing science fiction magazine.
Bill Lampkin also adapted Alex Schomburg’s cover art for the September 1961 issue of Amazing Stories, featuring Philip José Farmer’s “Tongues of the Moon,” Walter Baumhofer’s cover for the July 1935 issue of Doc Savage Magazine, illustrating Lester Dent’s “Quest of Qui,” George Rozen’s cover for the November 1, 1936 issue of The Shadow Magazine, illustrating Theodore Tinsley’s “Partners in Peril,” and Robert K. Abbett’s cover art for the 1969 edition of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Thuvia, Maid of Mars, published by Ballantine Books.
PulpFest‘s videos are produced by Craig McDonald, author of the Hector Lassiter and Zana O’Savin series. To learn more about Craig’s work, please visit craigmcdonaldbooks.com.
