Weird Al Yankovic Fan Convention

By: © Nelson Taylor 2008

Festival Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Festival State: Illinois Festivals

Festival Type(s): Fan Coventions, Bizarre Festivals

You have to expect that people weird enough to worship Weird Al will have a convention -- and it's known as ALCON. You remember Weird Al, right? He's the guy who has made a killing off of his hilarious re-recordings of the day's hottest tunes. Those that made him famous in the early-80s include, "My Bologna," "I Love Rocky Road," and "Like a Surgeon."

Some 250 fans of all shapes, sizes and genders showed up at the first convention in June of 1998. But ALCON is not an annual event. Rather, it's presently scheduled to be an every other year sort of thing. The next two gatherings are scheduled for May 2000 and May 2002. You can expect all kinds of Weird Al events, such as those honoring people like the radio host Dr. Demento, who first gave Weird Al his break; an auction of unique Weird Al memorabilia; a Weird Al Look-AL-Like Contest; a Lip-Synching Contest (to Al's tunes, of course); plus a screening of Al's music videos and the movies he's starred and appeared in, such as UHF and Desperation Boulevard.

But the biggest question is: Does the king of weirdness show up? ALCON producer Amanda Cohen says, "In 1998, he surprised us. He showed up halfway through the day and made a big entrance while we were all watching a video interview with him on the big screen." While the vendor room is open for free to the public, to enter the main ballroom (the location for many of the events) and the video room, you must purchase a ticket.