This weekend, March 25th – 28th, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England, is holding its first Insomnia Gaming Festival of the year. The event, run by Multiplay, combines large-scale LAN halls, special guest appearances, a packed exhibition hall, eSport challenges, and so much more, catering for gamers of all ages.
The Insomnia Gaming Festival was founded in 1999, and has called many sites around the UK its home. But since December 2015, it has been held in Birmingham. The festival runs in the Spring, Summer, and Winter in England, with yearly events in Scotland and Ireland as well. It makes it easier for anyone around the UK to attend an event closer to home.
The venue is split into lots of different zones, so make sure you have a game plan of what you want to see and do if you’re planning to attend. Maybe you’d like to have a look at some up-and-coming indie games in the Indie Zone? Or perhaps the massive Minecraft Zone would be your thing? No matter what your gaming tastes are, there is an area to suit everyone.
The weekend will also be hosting a number of eSports events. Start practicing and get ready for battle with games such as Hearthstone, DOTA 2, FIFA 16, Smash Bros, SMITE and many more. There are some fantastic prizes and bragging rights to be won. Most are already closed for registration, but there are still some open– so you’d better be quick! You can check out the schedule on Insomnia’s Battlefy page.
There is a whole host of exhibitors attending, such as Razer, Corsair and Transcend. And there will be well over 40 special guests in attendance over the course of the weekend. However, the organizers of the event, Multiplay, have had to apologize to visitors this year, because there will be no scheduled meet-and-greet sessions with these special guests.
Tickets start from £24 for day visitors, and go up to £99 for Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC), plus camping. Tickets will not be available on the door, so make sure you book in advance.
