This ‘all-inclusive’ conspiracy theory convention wants you to ‘come curious but leave questioning everything’

When I called Christopher Bruce at our agreed-upon time to discuss the conspiracy theory convention he’s organizing in Wilmington this weekend, his cell phone went straight to voicemail.

I tried again. Same thing. I texted. No response.

Four minutes after we were supposed to talk, Bruce emailed me: “I’m ready when you are!”

“I’ve been ready. That’s why I’m calling you!” I thought.

When we finally connected, Bruce had a theory about our technical difficulties.

“It’s gotta be a conspiracy,” he said.

I was quick to agree because I certainly preferred that explanation over the possibility that one (or both of us) doesn’t know how to use a phone correctly.

Like many, I’ve always been fascinated by conspiracy theories. Growing up, I’m pretty sure my dad taught me about the Philadelphia Experiment before he taught me about the Second Continental Congress, and I definitely raised my hand during a high school history class once and asked if aliens could’ve helped build the pyramids.

So when I received a news release for ConCon Expo 2026, which bills itself as the “first all-inclusive conspiracy theory convention,” I was as intrigued as when my friend told me she recently dated a guy who believes newscasters are lizard people, a cold-blooded belief so popular it’s known as the reptilian conspiracy theory.

“Did you ask him how the lizard people get past HR?” I said to her, as I thanked my lucky lily pads that I’m not in the dating pool anymore.

ConCon Expo isn’t about whether conspiracy theories are true, it’s about why we’re fascinated by them, Bruce said. The convention is “all-inclusive” because it’s for all conspiracy theories, from the popular and potentially true (aliens do exist!) to the obscure and absolutely ridiculous (Finland doesn’t exist!).

But there’s a catch to the all-inclusivity of the event, which someone will probably create a conspiracy theory about.

“We’re leaning more into the fun stuff, we’re not getting deep into political things or the conspiracies that divide us,” Bruce said. “We’re focusing more on things like ‘Are birds real?’ and ‘Is Avril Lavigne alive or not?’”

ConCon takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Siegel Jewish Community Center in Wilmington. Events include a cryptid costume contest, a tinfoil hat-making station, and a Bigfoot calling championship where people will try to come up with guttural sounds they think will summon Bigfoot, like duck calls.

“What does Bigfoot sound like? I don’t know, let’s find out,” Bruce said.

AllHipHop.com will run a hip-hop conspiracy booth, Second-Hand Serpents Reptile Rescue will have live lizards, and Delaware Researchers of the Paranormal will host a panel about ghosts.

“Hopefully, you come curious but leave questioning everything in a fun way,” Bruce said.

The inspiration for the event comes from an independent mockumentary film released in January called The Conspiracists, which culminates with a conspiracy theory convention called ConCon (and features a cameo from Eagles superfan Jamie Pagliei, aka “The Philly Sports Guy”).

“We have this fictional event, this made-up convention that was developed and created for a feature film, and here we are making that fictional event real,” Bruce said. “It really is art meets life.”

Bruce coproduced the movie through his Wilmington-based company, King Creative. The comedy, now streaming on Amazon Prime, has a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It was shot primarily in Delaware over 11 days for about $250,000. The real-life ConCon will culminate with a screening of the film at 5 p.m. Sunday with members of the cast.

“As independent filmmakers, you have to find creative ways to drive interest. The big challenge isn’t so much making the film, it’s once it’s made how do you get people to know about it without tens of millions in marketing to spend?” Bruce said. “We have to create those opportunities and a lot of times you’ve got to think outside the box and this is just a really creative, fun way to promote the film. Or maybe it will take off, maybe we have something here.”

So is ConCon just a marketing con? Can we ever really know the truth about anything?

To understand more about conspiracy theories and why we’re drawn to them, I reached out to Derek Arnold, a senior instructor in the communication department at Villanova University. Arnold specializes in conspiracy theories.

While conspiracies really do happen — think of Watergate or the Tuskegee experiments — a conspiracy theory is when people question the accepted version of events without solid proof, like with the JFK assassination.

“Conspiracy theories are things we just don’t know and can’t really prove yet so a lot of that stuff is on faith,” Arnold said. “When we find that there is truth or proof they’re no longer conspiracy theories, they then become conspiracies.”

In The Conspiracists film and in my conversation with Bruce, heavy emphasis was placed on how conspiracies bring people together. As one character says, “When you get a group of people who believe in the same thing, it becomes normal.”

While camaraderie plays a role, it’s not the only reason we’re drawn to conspiracy theories, according to Arnold.

“Part of it is the whole storytelling. Folks are just suckers for a really good story and the bigger the story, the more alluring it can be,” he said. “People also want to buy into conspiracy theories because that gives them some kind of explanation.”

Believing you’re in-the-know about something others aren’t can make us feel better about ourselves, especially if we don’t have, or don’t think we have, control over our own lives. Agenticity, the idea that the world is controlled not by our own free will, but by invisible agents pulling the strings, can offer comfort, Arnold said.

“If you don’t have that power, you look for reasons that people may have the power … because the alternative, if there’s not something happening by people above us, is our life is just random,” he said.

Studies have shown that if you buy into one conspiracy theory, you’re more likely to believe in others as well, according to Arnold. One thing is certain, if you research conspiracy theories online — as I did for this story — you will be fed more conspiracy theories, which feels like a conspiracy all its own.

Today, technology and social media allow our conspiracy theories to travel faster and wider than ever before, but these theories also have to compete with something that’s often just as weird, if not weirder — the truth, Arnold said.

“Things are just so bizarre sometimes in today’s world that conspiracy theories have to work hard to catch up to what’s actually happening in real life,” he said.

When we live in a country planning to livestream a public execution by firing squad, when AI submits a false homicide tip to the Philadelphia Police Department, and when people are betting online on the Little League World Series, I find myself hoping for a visit from aliens to bring us a little sanity.

Until then, I hear there will be a 9-foot inflatable extraterrestrial available for photo ops at ConCon.

For more information about ConCon Expo 2026, visit theconspiracists.com/concon.