SiliCon with Adam Savage (formallySilicon Valley Comic Con) was an annualpop culture and technology convention, at theSan Jose Convention Center inSan Jose, California. Theconvention was founded bySteve Wozniak,Stan Lee and Rick White. The inaugural event was held March 18–20, 2016 at San Jose's McEnery Convention Center.[2] The convention was rebranded as SiliCon in early 2020 andAdam Savage appointed as the creative director. It was canceled after the 2022 event.[1]
Silicon Valley Comic Con was first announced April 17, 2015 through an online video featuring Steve Wozniak and Stan Lee.[3] The aim was to bring together popular culture touchstones such ascomics, movies, genre TV and technology together as one convention. Including panels featuring creative artists, writers, actors, directors, producers, andscience communicators.[4]
Silicon Valley Comic Con will be theSan Francisco Bay Area's first large multi-genre convention since the departure ofWonderCon after that convention's 2011 show.[5] Since WonderCon's departure the largest convention left in the Bay Area had been Big Wow! Comicfest, which is being added to Silicon Valley Comic Con's schedule.[6]
On July 13, 2016, the second annual event was confirmed to be occurring April 21–23, 2017 at the San Jose Convention Center as well as expanding into several additional venues nearby.[7]
On February 20, 2020, the convention was renamed SiliCon, and Adam Savage was named the new creative director.[8] The 2020 event was to have taken place October 16–18 at the San Jose Convention Center, but theCOVID-19 pandemic forced officials to move to a virtual show.
The SiliCon 2023 was cancelled and the convention was discontinued, with the organizers alluding to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and funding issues.[9] In 2024, a different comic con,GalaxyCon, debuted at the San Jose Convention Center.[1]
The convention aimed to include both popular culture and technology in what Wozniak hopes will be a uniquelySilicon Valley flavor.[10] In that spirit, the convention had typical comic convention staples such as an "artists alley", but it also had an "app alley" featuring new and emerging technology items. Several movie and television studios were represented at the inaugural event includingWarner Bros. Pictures,Lionsgate andAMC.[11] Additionally several technology-focused guests were involved as well including astrophysicists and technologists.
