Games Booth

Multiplay celebrates its biggest ever spring Insomnia Gaming Festival

Multiplay, hosts of the UK’s biggest gaming festival has reason to celebrate following its biggest ever spring Insomnia event. Insomnia51, Multiplay’s first event at the Ricoh Arena, saw an unprecedented footfall of over 20,000 across the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.

Thousands of gamers from a variety of backgrounds gathered to enjoy a schedule packed full of engaging content, with Main Festival Stage presenting from We’ve Got Game Founders, Matt Littler and Darren Jefferies. The festival’s activities spanned the range of modern gaming culture, from high level Esports tournaments to a thriving exhibition hall including Minecraft, Indie, Tabletop Gaming, and Retro zones.  There were also panel talks in a 650-seat dedicated auditorium, and of course the UK’s biggest LAN gaming halls.

Following on from the success of Insomnia49 last summer, Insomnia51 featured appearances from special guests from across the globe. Providing fans with the chance to meet them in person, Insomnia51 enabled YouTube stars to connect with their communities through Meet & Greet sessions, panel talk sessions, and main stage shows.

As the first Insomnia Gaming Festival of 2014, Insomnia51 saw increased entries for not only Esports tournaments on PC, but also on console. As part of their pledge to help grow the console tournament scene at Insomnia events, Multiplay delivered the Console Esports Arena, an area wholly dedicated to console Esports including tournament stations, a spectating zone, and an area for press.  

Last year the Insomnia Gaming Festivals hit several milestones, with both its largest ever event and it’s fiftieth outing. 2013’s rapid growth and increased attendance inspired a change of venue, and the UK’s biggest gaming festival found a new home at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena resulting in the highest attendance for an Easter event in Multiplay’s 17-year history.

 “There is no equivalent to the Insomnia Gaming Festival in the UK. There’s no single event that combines the LAN halls, the tournaments, the exhibition, the special guests, the stage activities, all into a single weekend-long gaming-focused festival experience,” said Craig Fletcher, CEO & Founder of Multiplay. “With each passing year Insomnia grows bigger and better, in no small part due to our incredible community and the fantastic partners we work with. With our summer plans for Insomnia52, 2014 is shaping up to be an unstoppable year for Multiplay events.”