No sleep for Coventry as Insomnia set to grip Ricoh Arena
THE biggest stars from British online gaming will be heading to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena to take part the UK’s largest gaming festival.
The Insomnia Gaming Festival, organised by Multiplay, will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend between Friday August 22 and Sunday August 24.
The event will not only the leading names in the gaming sector but will also feature a live DJ set from internationally-renowned DJ Zane Lowe on the main stage on Friday night.
Insomnia52 will feature special guests such as YouTube stars Syndicate of TheSyndicateProject, The Yogscast, Ali-A, SIVHD, Sacriel, the Noxcrew, AshleyMarieeGaming and members from the Mindcrack Minecraft server, with more to be announced.
The event introduces the Festival Arena, which will take place in the stadium, with a huge marquee taking over the pitch with an array of new features including the biggest stage yet.
There will also be live stage shows, Esports tournaments, Q&A sessions, meet and greets and lots of fun activities throughout the weekend.
Visitors can also participate in the Minecraft, Retro and Tabletop Gaming zones, or visit the Jaguar Exhibition Hall which will be packed with booths and content where attendees can play upcoming games and shop for the latest gaming merchandise.
More announcements are expected over the coming weeks, and CEO and founder of Multiplay Craig Fletcher said he was pleased the event gathered in popularity each year.
“When we first started Insomnia all those years ago we had these far-off dreams for where we’d like the event to one day be, and reality has finally caught up,” he said.
“This is our 52nd event, and we all feel incredibly proud to have helped Insomnia grow into the unique gaming festival experience it is today, in no small part thanks to our fantastic community.”
Justine Hewitt, stadium manager at the Ricoh Arena, said Insomnia’s debut at the venue earlier this year had been extremely successful.
“This will be the biggest Insomnia event ever organised and it looks set to be three days of memorable fun for gaming fans,” she said.
“All the different elements to the event will take place throughout the venue because there are so many attractions to entertain gamers.
“Our on-site hotel has already sold out and we have added a second camp site for this event to meet the demands of visitors. It looks set to be a fantastic success.”
