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MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 1:59 pm
by Libra Monkee
What is MAGFest all about?
In short, MAGFest is a music and video gaming festival run by fans, for fans. In more verbose terms, it's an annual event dedicated to the celebration of video games and video game music. Every year offers 24-hour console, arcade, and PC game rooms, live video game cover bands, a vendors area, and guest speakers from the video game industry and fan scene. It also features a "JamSpace" available to all attendees for impromptu music performances. Numerous other events are scheduled each day.
What makes MAGFest unique is that it's an event run by fans for fans. There are no corporate sponsors, no over-crowded showfloors, and no top-secret-behind-closed-doors showings. MAGFest is built from the ground up to be a party-like atmosphere with focus on community and fan creations, which creates an environment that no other expo or convention can ever recreate.
Where did MAGFest start and where is it now?
MAGFest is currently headed by Brendan Becker and his crack team of specialists. The first MAGFest was held September 27-29, 2002, at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood in Roanoke, Virginia. We've had a total of nine MAGFests so far, and they've been a blast! We have grown rapidly to our current size, and sold out at 3,000 people during MAGFest 9 in January, 2011. MAGFest will be held in the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, and we hope to see you there!
I'm doing this again this year. It used to be at the hotel down the road from me but since that three-letter-agency moved in across the street the whole neighborhood's gone to hell.
So it's going to be at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center at National Harbor this year and I'll probably get me a room just to keep from running back and forth.
They have table top gaming, random contests, a LAN party room, and vendors selling tshirts, Japanese imports, and vintage games.
But the main reason to go is the the nightly concerts. Different bands who do rocked out and remixed versions of video game music. They even had an 8-bit Concert where people jam out to midi music composed on Gameboys.
This year the headliner group is Earthbound Papas. A group created by Nobuo Uematsu, the music composer for Final Fantasy 1-9.
Registration ends at the end of Dec 16th so if you want to go, hurry up and buy.
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Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:04 pm
by Sabre
Can't get to it from work, but I'm going to try my best this year!
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:14 am
by ElZorro
I'm a maybe for Saturday night and Sunday.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:16 am
by ElZorro
Note, preregistration discounts for Supporter and Super Supporter end tomorrow (Sunday) night.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 4:59 pm
by Raven
I've been pre-regged since before September. Have a hotel room with friends, we're gonna party like mad for 4 days. Drop me a line.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 1:20 pm
by Libra Monkee
FYI... I got an email saying that even though pre-registration is closed you can still get tickets at the door. $40 for a one day pass $55 for the whole weekend. Since they're at a larger venue this year it's not likely that they'll sell out.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:06 am
by captainslow
Is this a furry-inclusive event? Just asking so I know what to wear.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:50 pm
by Sabre
Blixa wrote:Is this a furry-inclusive event? Just asking so I know what to wear.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:07 pm
by captainslow
Well, "Sensual Sloth" will have to wait until next Magfest. I did not don my costume, a decision I now regret after seeing what everyone else wore last night.
Btw to anyone who was there, what gender was the person dressed as Princess Daisy? I think it was a tall chick who hasn't mastered personal grooming habits yet. My friend swears it was a dude who lost a bet.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 8:54 pm
by Libra Monkee
Princess Daisy was a dude. So was one of the Misty's, whoever had the butterfly net, and the skirt selling anime art by the door to the vendor area. I also saw a dude as tails whose costume wasn't too far from this:
Was kinda missing the "Sensual Sloth" but it was cool to see you there.
Uematsu was awesome though. Drinking Sam Adams and playing
Dancing Mad.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 9:43 pm
by captainslow
It was good to see you too!
Uematsu's band was definitely worth checking out. I couldn't understand anything they were saying, but their English is better than my Japanese
The arcade room was worth the price of admission.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 7:53 am
by chicken n waffles
chuckles, how was the new location vs. the hilton?
i kind of developed an affinity for the old location even though it was a bit of a clusterfuck after a while.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:36 am
by Libra Monkee
The new location was awesome. It was at the Gaylord Hotal at National Harbor so we had a lot more room. So by third day you don't feel like your crammed in a small area with a bunch of sweaty nerds.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 2:41 pm
by Mr Kleen
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:29 pm
by Raven
Yes, the con funk didn't settle in until Saturday evening.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:34 pm
by chicken n waffles
Libra Monkee wrote:The new location was awesome. It was at the Gaylord Hotal at National Harbor so we had a lot more room. So by third day you don't feel like your crammed in a small area with a bunch of sweaty nerds.
nice.
Re: MAGFest Jan 5 - 8, 2012 (Thu - Sun)
Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:14 am
by Libra Monkee
I got pictures of the fest and the venue.
