The four-day Music and Gaming Festival, MAGfest, kicks off January 4 at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center at National Harbor.
From January 4-7, the annual MAGfest Music and Gaming Festival will be running non-stop, 24 hours a day, and will feature live entertainment, consoles, arcades, LAN, tabletop games, guest speakers and more.
MAGfest is a true gamers' event run by fans for fans, and is also a non-profit event -- the organizers’ goal is to further the appreciation of gaming and video game music.
From the long list of musical guest performances to the demos, guest speakers and panels to the countless games setup for patrons, MAGfest 2018 promises to be a whole lotta fun and one event local area gamers will not want to miss!
Tickets to MAGfest are $85, which is more than fair given that badges provide gamers with 72 hours of non-stop fun and entertainment as well as the range of activities and attractions scheduled for the weekend. A $10 discount is available for group leaders who register eight people or more, and kids 12 and under badges are $42.
Panels, Demos and Video Game Tournaments
Doors to the event will officially open at 10 a.m. on Thursday January 4. Things will kick into full gear after the noon Welcome ceremony. Demos, guest panels and workshops, arcade game tournaments take place simultaneously in several of the convention center's meeting rooms. Events, tournaments and panels and more are taking place all night long until the festival’s conclusion at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday January 7.
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courtesy of ABOGJ[/caption]
Indie Game Showcase
Stop in and spend some time in the
Indie Game Showcase. Dozens of new independent games will be introduced to gamers, while an Indie Arcade featuring innovative independent games will be setup, along with classic game consoles, brand new home-brewed games, and a game show called MAGfest Versus.
Visual Art
Visualists dr!p, mrghosty, Noukon, Pixelseed, Claire Kwong, and Nate Horsfall will wow audiences with their visual installations, performances, and pixel art that will be complemented by music and musical soundtracks.
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Live Musical Performances
Thursday, Jan. 4
A DJ Showcase will take place inside the Pose Rooftop Lounge, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.; a mix of internet based musicians performing vgm, dance, pop, and experimental music. Then at 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. the Pose Rooftop Lounge will be hosting the biggest video game DJ acts, including Dj CUTMAN, GRIMECRAFT, James Landino, A_Rival, and VOIA.
If you're not into DJ's, then you might want to stop in the Maryland Hallway between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday, where live musical performances will be taking place as part of the Nerdy People of Color Collective's "Get it Started" musical celebration. "Get it Started" will start with a performance by Ducky Dynamo followed by Oh-I, Kadesh Flow, D&D Sluggers, Eye-Q, Amanda Lepre, Shubizilla with Bill Beats and Sammus.
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Courtesy of Guidebook[/caption]
Friday, Jan. 5
"Crazy Composers Collective" featuring the Videri String Quartet will start at 1:40 p.m. in the Potomac Ballrooms. Pose Nightclub will host another DJ Showcase put on by MidnightSnacks.fm, with DJ's from around the world spinning sets that span across different musical genres, from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m. To end the night, a DJ battle between five DJ's will happen from 12:00 a.m. until 3 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 6
VGR and Hip hop fans will want to checkout DJ duo Blessed Pockets from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. in the Pose Nightclub. Retro-Active Live and Pixel Seed will perform in the Potomac Ballrooms from 9:00 p.m. until 10:10 p.m.
A "Sonic Adventure Music Experience" will be held from 10:30 p.m. until 11:40 p.m. -- the live band led by SEGA Games Sound Director for the Sonic Adventure Series, Jun Senoue, will perform for the first time as their performance will be complemented by gameplay footage from the series.
Pose Nightclub will host the weekend's final party from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. The event will be a DJ showcase and "PJ Battle." Patrons are encouraged to wear their favorite cosplay and pajamas as an all star guest DJ lineup performs.
If you are not sure which musical performance to attend, just stop in either the Potomac Ballrooms or Pose Nightclub on any night of the festival to see what appeals to you.
Comedy, Game Shows and More
Video game comedy troupe “these guys are sick” will be entertaining audiences and live game shows such as “MAGfest Versus” are also scheduled. Antipode’s own unique form of dance that has come to be known as “geeky belly dance” are something most folks haven’t seen or heard of and will keep patrons entertained.
For tickets, schedules and to learn more about MAGfest, visit the event’s
website.
Will you be attending the festival? Let us know in the comments below. And don't forget to
share your photos with us!
Also, checkout the video below to get an idea of what to expect at MAGfest:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=278&v=_BAE3KDK-p8[/embed]
