If you think of cities which represent style, you will probably think of London, Naples, Florence or Paris. However, one weekend in August, the historic city of Lincoln is the style capital of the world. For four days the historic streets of Lincoln are filled with thousands of spectacularly dressed steampunks enjoying a festival which combines style, art, literature and music.

Origin

Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk is often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has maintained mainstream usage, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.

Steampunk perhaps most recognisably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era's perspective on style, culture, architecture and art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.

The “punk” in “Steampunk” comes from going against convention that, through creativity and declaration of one’s individuality be it through style, gadgets, or attitude, sets one apart.