@-party /at'par`tee/ n.
[from the @-sign in an Internet address] (alt. `@-sign party'
/at'si:n par`tee/) A semi-closed party thrown for hackers at a
science-fiction convention (esp. the annual World Science Fiction
Convention or "Worldcon"); one must have a network address to get in, or at
least be in company with someone who does. One of the most
reliable opportunities for hackers to meet face to face with
people who might otherwise be represented by mere phosphor dots
on their screens. Compare boink.
The first recorded @-party was held at the Westercon (a U.S.
western regional SF convention) over the July 4th weekend in
1980. It is not clear exactly when the canonical @-party venue
shifted to the Worldcon but it had certainly become established
by Constellation in 1983. Sadly, the @-party tradition has been
in decline since about 1996, mainly because having an @-address
no longer functions as an effective lodge pin.