The largest gathering of steampunks was achieved by 185 participants at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, USA, on 24 July 2010. The event was co-ordinated with the help of The League of S.T.E.A.M (Supernatural and Troublesome Ectoplasmic Apparition Management) – a collective of “Steampunk Ghostbusters” based in southern California.

Steampunks belong to a sub-culture inspired by the writings of Jules Verne, HG Wells and other Victorian science-fiction writers. The dress code is heavily Victorian and Edwardian British, augmented with appropriately-aged fashion accessories, plus “modern” gadgets and weapons re-imagined for the steam-age.