Published September 24, 2026 at 12:36 PM CDT

PolaCon is the world's first three-day instant film convention that celebrates the medium of film photography. The festival kicks off Friday, Sept. 25 at the State Fair of Texas and runs through Sept. 27.

On Friday, you can join the Instant Film Society on their 15th annual "PolaWalk," where attendee's can walk around with a group and explore the state fair through the lens of a film camera.

Daniel Rodrigue, cofounder of the IFS, says seeing new people discover the joy of film photography through these walks is really special.

"Seeing young people have that experience with the magic of instant film, watching it develop before your eyes," he said. "I think a lot of people just get addicted to it."

The rest of the weekend is filled with hands-on workshops, a swap meet, and plenty of opportunities to connect with other film lovers.

Tickets for the three-day weekend can be found here.

Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning are the hosts of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org or Ron at rcorning@kera.org.

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