Insomnia The Gaming Festival Returns, which is great as its also a four-day bank holiday weekend in the UK on the 29th March 2024 – 1st April 2024 for Easter. Insomnia The Gaming Festival 72 (i72) is the first Insomnia The Gaming Festival of the year and boy was I looking forward to it. After attending i71 last year I have been patiently waiting for the return of this glorious festival. Mainly because it’s on my doorstep and provides everything you could want in a gaming festival.
i72 – Insomnia The Gaming Festival 72
There is plenty of merchandise, Esports tournaments, Entertainment and above all the opportunity to partake in some Lan party goodness. The good thing about Insomnia is that even though it is catered for gamers it would make a fantastic day out for anyone. You don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy what Insomnia The Gaming Festival 72 (i72) has to offer.
Again, Insomnia The Gaming Festival returns to the NEC Birmingham which in my opinion is the best location for this event. As I say whenever I cover Insomnia The Gaming Festival, the NEC is so easily accessible for all modes of transport. It has local hotels for those that aren’t camping out inside the venue and for £5 parking for a Full day which is right next to the event, you can’t complain.
There are even regular shuttle buses from the car park to the event’s front door which after a long day of walking around and gaming is nice to be able to jump on the shuttle bus back to your vehicle (that is if you drove). The event hall is a short walk away from the train station and there is even the possibility of attending the event if you live internationally as the airport is close by.
The layout of Insomnia The Gaming Festival 72 (i72) felt a lot more structured this time around. The layout of the different stores and areas felt more localised and relevant to one another which made it more accessible. The tabletop area has all the tabletop merch stores right near it and all the gaming booths seem to be together as well. I liked this as it gave the event a better flow when walking around it.
I did feel like the meet and greet section was hidden away and did take me going to one of the maps that was on display in the venue to see where it was but other than that it was good. It was nice seeing Monster Energy back as it was missed dearly at the last one. I love their booth and they always deliver with their stand, not to mention the Monster car that they always bring with them.
There are plenty of places to grab a bite to eat and get something to drink. Just outside the hall, there is Subway and Wetherspoons and inside the event, there is a food court area as well as plenty of other food stalls. The facilities are spot on, with plenty of toilets and locations to sit down and take a break. It would have been nice to have more tables available in the tabletop area as I and my partner brought our Disney Lorcana desks to play at the venue but sadly didn’t get a chance due to this area of the event being busy.
A few more tables would have gone a long way and made it more accessible for people to join in. There is plenty of room to move around the venue even at the busiest of times the only part that did feel a bit overcrowded or hard to walk through was where all the merch stores were. If you manage to get your hands on the early bird tickets, I will highly recommend this as you get a period where the event isn’t as busy and can get first dips on the attractions and browsing.
It was nice to see some returning exhibitors and stores at the event with a sprinkling of new ones too. The return of the Zombie Checkpoint is something I have become accustomed to seeing at Insomnia The Gaming Festival and is a fantastic thing to check out. You do have to pay an additional fee, but it is worth it.
The VR immersive games and experience return with all the goodness that is the world of VR and we welcomed the life-size DnD attraction which allows you to bring the famous tabletop game to life in a new way with a selection of characters, giant inflatable dice, and serval scenarios. This had several slots available over the weekend so it would have been brilliant to do with your party. These were located next to the tabletop section and Battle Royale arena.
Escape from Tarkov was centre hall showing off its new Arena mode. This combines the hardcore mechanics of Escape from Tarkov and the fast-paced gameplay of session matches. There were other games available to try like Sker Ritual which is due out later this month.
Of course, there were plenty of games to play at the event like Valorant, League of Legends, Call of Duty and Fortnite. With regular competition taking place over the weekend. Yorkshire Tea even has a tournament running where you could win a teapot-shaped medal or big trophy. It was open to most ages and was super fun to participate even if I didn’t do too well.
I liked seeing all the different PC builds on display and I desperately wanted the Monster Can PC that they had at their booth. I am mainly a console player, but I would love to have any one of the PCs that they had at Insomnia The Gaming Festival 72 (i72) . The Lan area for those that bring their own PCs and games all weekend is still located at the back of the venue and only accessible for those with the correct tickets, but I have yet to take part in this part of the event, one day.
The main stage had a variety of shows on throughout the weekend and I highly recommend you check these out as they are so much fun. I caught the Saturday Session Zero’s live D&D show which was hilarious, and I enjoyed every moment of it, even more so when the audience got to participate in certain elements.
Then on the same day, I caught the Cosplay Championships. Each of the cosplayers that took part in this show was amazing and their craftmanship should be celebrated. Every cosplayer at this event was fantastic and it is slowly building my confidence to hopefully have the courage to cosplay myself one day.
i72 is the best Insomnia The Gaming Festival I have attended since discovering this wonderful gaming festival. Even if you only attend for a day, you can still get an enjoyable experience, however, I do feel that there are several sessions and shows that can be missed out on if you don’t attend the whole weekend. Neither the less you can check out the lineup and what’s going on before booking your tickets to get the right day or days for you.
To be honest, just book the full weekend. You won’t be disappointed. Take a few of your friends and family or attend community events to meet others with similar interests.
It was nice to be back at Insomnia The Gaming Festival with Insomnia The Gaming Festival 72 (i72). This gaming festival is full of life and every time I go, I can honestly say it doesn’t disappoint. I feel a lot more comfortable now having attended a few of these events to know what to expect and the staff on hand are very helpful, polite and help make the event feel welcoming and for everyone.
The different games at this show are aimed at a wide range of audiences and there is a family section so if you wanted to come with your kids, they would have something to do too. You will probably end up spending a lot of money with food, drinks and merchandise so I highly recommend putting the odd pennies aside ready for i73 but you can still enjoy this event just as much if you didn’t buy anything.
The main stage shows, tournaments and gaming areas have plenty on offer for you to truly enjoy this gaming festival and whether you are there for a day or the whole weekend you will be coming away pleased and glad that you attended. I believe i73 will be on in September later this year, so keep your eyes peeled for the news and tickets to go on sale.
Pros
- Weekend packed full of engaging content.
- Plenty to try out and immerse yourself in.
- Disability & Accessible friendly (one of the best events for this).
- Everyone is lovely to speak to and interact with. (Guests, Content Creators, Cosplayers, and staff)
Cons
- Be prepared to spend money.
- There will be queuing.
- Stock becomes an issue on the (Saturday and Sunday).
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