Conference: UCSC Festival of Monsters

The 2026 Festival of Monsters academic conference, hosted by the UC Santa Cruz Center for Monster Studies , brings together scholars, artists, students, and members of the general public to explore the ways monsters and tropes of monstrosity pervade our culture.

The conference will take place at the Courtyard by Marriot (313 Riverside Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060) on Oct 14-18, 2026, with a day of pubic events in downtown Santa Cruz on Saturday, Oct. 17. The registration fee includes a welcome reception the evening of Oct. 14, breakfast and coffee Oct. 15-18, the Monsters Ball on the evening of October 17th, and all conference events. All conference presenters and attendees should register for the conference by Monday, Sept. 14, 2026.

For the convenience of conference attendees, we have reserved a block of rooms at the Courtyard by Marriott Santa Cruz. Please use this link —https://bit.ly/MariottMonster— by Sept. 14 to reserve your room at the conference rate of $145/night plus tax.

Current UC Santa Cruz students, staff and faculty may attend the conference for free. The free registration for DOES NOT include food. Visit https://bit.ly/UCSCMonster26 for UCSC-affiliated registration. If you are a UCSC-affiliated presenter at the conference, please contact Center staff for a code prior to registering.

Have more questions? Check out our FAQs at www.monsterstudies.ucsc.edu/festivalfaqs.