ŌAMARU, New Zealand (AP) — The small, rural town of Ōamaru, New Zealand, has become an unlikely world capital for the retro futuristic genre of steampunk.
Over a span of four days each year, a steampunk festival draws thousands of airship captains, Victorian inventors and make-believe aristocrats as they show off costumes and personas they have spent months or even years creating.
A participant reacts as he marches in a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 30 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A participant reacts as he marches in a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 30 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Steampunk NZ Festival chair Lea Campbell, dressed as her steampunk persona Dusty Traveller, poses for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival chair Lea Campbell, dressed as her steampunk persona Dusty Traveller, poses for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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The event takes place on a preserved Victorian street in Ōamaru, population 14,000, a town on New Zealand’s South Island that has embraced its designation as a steampunk hub.
Steampunk, a term coined in the 1980s, mixes Victorian aesthetics with science fiction oddity and allows participants to imagine a parallel universe in which the age of steam continued to the present day, fueling invention and discovery. The genre prizes recycled materials and self-made creations, which leads participants to learn sewing and various other crafts and trades so they can produce the finest and strangest outfits they can imagine.
Steampunk NZ Festival attendees Fiona Hilton, left, Sandy Jones and Priscilla Martin, right, pose for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival attendees Fiona Hilton, left, Sandy Jones and Priscilla Martin, right, pose for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Attendees participate in a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Attendees participate in a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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The genre allows for fantastical rewriting of Victorian social conventions, offering a space where anything goes. Brass weapons with children’s ray guns hidden inside, leather hip holsters containing bone china tea cups and saucers and extravagantly tall headpieces are popular.
Lukas Hazlehurst drives a remote-controlled vehicle around an obstacle course during a teapot racing contest at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Lukas Hazlehurst drives a remote-controlled vehicle around an obstacle course during a teapot racing contest at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Eccentric activities at the festival include teapot racing and parasol dueling and a parade of elaborately clothed participants drawing hundreds of spectators.
A participant rides a tractor during a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A participant rides a tractor during a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Artist Martin Horspool poses in his store at the Victorian precinct in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Artist Martin Horspool poses in his store at the Victorian precinct in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Steampunk NZ Festival attendees Juliet Thorn and Greg Thorn, dressed as their steampunk personas Lady Sarsaparilla Ovabyte and Captain Bob McSpoon, pose for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival attendees Juliet Thorn and Greg Thorn, dressed as their steampunk personas Lady Sarsaparilla Ovabyte and Captain Bob McSpoon, pose for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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An attendee at the Steampunk NZ Festival walks through the Victorian precinct in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
An attendee at the Steampunk NZ Festival walks through the Victorian precinct in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Steampunk NZ Festival attendee Carl Yates, dressed as his steampunk persona Sir Gideon Steamcrank, poses for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival attendee Carl Yates, dressed as his steampunk persona Sir Gideon Steamcrank, poses for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Participants march in a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Participants march in a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, on May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Steampunk NZ Festival attendee Alan Bryan, wearing a coat he made from old ties, poses for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival attendee Alan Bryan, wearing a coat he made from old ties, poses for a portrait during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Participants walk in a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Participants walk in a parade at the Steampunk NZ Festival in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Steampunk NZ Festival attendee Ross McKay, dressed as his steampunk persona, Captain Roscoe Dangerfield, Inspector of Nuisances to Her Majesty Queen Victoria III, poses during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival attendee Ross McKay, dressed as his steampunk persona, Captain Roscoe Dangerfield, Inspector of Nuisances to Her Majesty Queen Victoria III, poses during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Steampunk NZ Festival attendee Darrell Jeffries stands for a photo during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival attendee Darrell Jeffries stands for a photo during the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Steampunk NZ Festival co-founder Helen Jansen poses for a portrai at the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival co-founder Helen Jansen poses for a portrai at the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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Steampunk NZ Festival co-founders Iain Clark, who goes by Agent Darling, and Helen Jansen walk in a parade at the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Steampunk NZ Festival co-founders Iain Clark, who goes by Agent Darling, and Helen Jansen walk in a parade at the annual event in Ōamaru, New Zealand, Saturday, May 30 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
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