Penguicon 2026 is wrapping up, and we want to hear how it went for you. Tell us what worked, what needs work, and what you want us to keep doing next year. Share your feedback here.

Tanuki Dan has had to cancel due to health issues with his partner. With any luck, he will be able to attend in 2027. A big thank you to him for even considering us.

Joining us again is a GoH from the first Penguicon in 2003. Eric S. Raymond is an observer-participant anthropologist in the Internet hacker culture. His research has helped explain the decentralized open-source model of software development that has proven so effective in the evolution of the Internet. Mr. Raymond is also a science fiction fan, a musician, an activist for the First and Second Amendments, and a martial artist with a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. His home page is at http://www.catb.org/~esr .

During November this year, we will have an online auction to continue to raise funds, not just for the 2026 convention, but to carry the organization on for future years. It costs a lot to run a con, including expenses that happen during the year. If you have items you would like to donate, or know someone who does, please shoot Kelly an e-mail at [email protected] . EDITED TO ADD: Here's a link to the auction! It's live until March 13.

The Maker Market is back, and this year we are opening the doors to a wider variety of vendors! As such, we’ll be renaming it the Penguicon Marketplace! This year, there will be a secured room, and an unsecured area outside the room available for tables. The link for vendor applications should be up soon, as I work with my ConCom to set costs, determine the number of spaces available, etc. In the meantime, there is an interest form available for vendors to fill out and be notified when applications open up! If you or someone you know is interested, head on over to sign up for updates or keep checking back!

We are happy to announce that the hotel reservation link is… mostly up and running! At the moment, parties of 3 or fewer are able to book a room with our reservation link . Parties of 4 or more, or those needing a double room or suite, will please fill out the form so that we can notify you as soon as booking is available! We are trying hard to book up as many rooms as possible this year. The more rooms we book, the more mayhem the hotel will allow! Note: Hotel rooms can be reserved without prepayment! Book now, pay at check-out.

We have our first Guest of Honor for Penguicon 2026! Please join us in welcoming Tanuki Dan. In their own words: “I am Tanuki Dan! I play videogames, make music parodies, perform silly songs, and stream stuff on Twitch! You will generally find Mario Maker 2 and Nintendo content here, so if you are a fan of the things I listed prior I think you will have a good time here!” You can check out some of their stuff here ! There are more feelers out, and we will announce them as soon as confirmations are made. If you have a favorite idea, let me know at [email protected] .

If anyone is interested in learning the news about the con before the newsletters come out, please join us at a monthly ConCom meeting. They are held in the Westin Southfield Detroit , and on Zoom for those who can’t make it in person. The remaining dates as of this post are: October 11th November 8th December 13th January 17th February 14th March 14th There are all sorts of positions available, as well. Everything from being on the ConCom and helping shape the con, to staffing at the con in specific departments or where ever the most help is needed, or even as a volunteer – pitch in 8-10 hours during the event to make Penguicon the kind of place you want to see for many years to come! Check out our community calendar to keep up to date on dates, times, and the Zoom link.

Hey, Penguipeeps! It is your fearless ConChair here. Big news – the website is up! There are a lot of things still to be added, but, thanks to my devoted web gremlin, it is there! There is a lot of information to get out to the community, but we know what you’re most excited to do is get your tickets locked in! This year, we are using Sched for registration and scheduling our events, and have embedded their widget into the site for ease of use. There are three basic badge prices: Early bird through December 31, 2025 Not-so-early bird until March 1 , 2026 EXTENDED to March 15 Regular price until con opens! Anyone can pay the full price for their badge at any time from now until con if they wish to add that extra support. Thanks!