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TwitchCon

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TwitchCon
StatusActive
GenreLivestreaming, entertainment, esports, internet Culture
FrequencySemi-annual
Location(s)
San Diego until 2028
Rotterdam until 2026
InauguratedSeptember 25, 2015 San Francisco (9 years ago)
Most recentSeptember 22, 2024; 2 months ago (2024-09-22) (San Diego, 2024)
Next eventMay 31, 2025; 5 months' time (2025-05-31) (Rotterdam, 2025)
Attendance30,000 (San Diego, 2024), 11,500 (Rotterdam, 2024)
Organized byTwitch Interactive
SponsorsSan Diego 2024 - AT&T, CAPCOM, Chevron, Samsung Galaxy
Websitewww.twitchcon.com

TwitchCon is a semi-annual convention for the video live-streaming service Twitch. It is organized by Twitch Interactive and focuses on the culture of live-streaming, entertainment, esports and internet culture. TwitchCon is open to industry professionals, streamers, and fans; the convention allows community members to meet streamers, discover new products, and trial upcoming games.[1] The North American convention is set to be hosted in San Diego through 2028,[2] and the European convention is set to be held in Rotterdam through 2026.[3]

The first convention was held in 2015 in San Francisco. In 2019, the first European convention was held in Berlin. TwitchCon is hosted twice a year, in North America for three days and in Europe for two days.[4] All North American conventions were held in California until 2023, in which an event in Las Vegas took place. The North American convention is most frequently hosted in San Diego. The European conventions have been held in Berlin, the Netherlands, and Paris; though most commonly in the Netherlands.

TwitchCon North America

2015 San Francisco

The inaugural TwitchCon was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on September 25 and 26, 2015. The event was organized by Twitch, and featured a keynote by Twitch CEO Emmett Shear. All of the convention's panels were livestreamed on Twitch.[5]

2016 San Diego

In 2016, the convention was moved to the San Diego Convention Center and expanded to a three-day annual event. This TwitchCon introduced sponsors such as Xbox, Truth, and Amazon Game Studios.[6]

2017 Long Beach

In 2017, TwitchCon took place at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. This included the first esports tournaments to be held at TwitchCon included H1Z1 Arena, Lineage 2: Revolution 30 vs 30 Fortress Siege Showcase, and Power Rangers: Legacy Wars Showdown.[7]

2018 San Jose

TwitchCon 2018 took place at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The main presentation was held on the first day of the event by djWHEAT, director of Twitch studios, who made numerous statements about forthcoming features for the platform.[8] Twitch Speaks, a speaking series first presented at TwitchCon 2018, featured Tony Hawk, Kevin Smith, Felicia Day, Emmett Shear, and Ninja.[9] The Fall Skirmish final, a competitive Fortnite tournament final, was held at TwitchCon 2018, at the time making it the second largest Fortnite LAN event held.[10][11]

2019 San Diego

Emmett Shear at TwitchCon 2019 opening ceremony in San Diego

TwitchCon North America returned to San Diego, taking place from September 27–29, 2019. It introduced the debut of an updated Twitch logo, TwitchCon logo, and brand design. This was the second time the event had been held in San Diego, with the first being held in 2016. This was also the first time a TwitchCon event was held at a venue more than one time.[12][13]

2020 San Diego

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TwitchCon North America, which was scheduled to occur at the San Diego Convention Center between September 25 and 27, 2020. On November 14, 2020, in lieu of TwitchCon, Twitch held a 12-hour virtual convention named "GlitchCon."[14] Over 425 streamers participated in the event. Notable activities included Twitch Rivals tournaments for Fortnite and Fall Guys, the Austin Talent Show featuring judges T-Pain and Andy Milonakis, and a US$1 million donation being made to the AbleGamers foundation.[15]

Neither a GlitchCon or TwitchCon event occurred in 2021. The next event would be held in Amsterdam in 2022.

2022 San Diego

TwitchCon North America took place at the San Diego Convention Center in October 2022.[16] This was the third time the event has been held in San Diego. The events required face coverings and had numerous COVID-19 prevention protocols in place.

The TwitchCon San Diego party was held at Petco Park, and featured the artists Meet Me at The Altar, Kim Petras, and Megan Thee Stallion. The party gained significant media attention when an attendee cosplaying as Master Chief from the Halo series of video games was allowed on stage during a performance with Megan Thee Stallion.

The foam pit at TwitchCon San Diego 2022

However, many people were critical of the San Diego event. One of the more notable criticisms of the event was the lack of security protocols in place for exhibitors, resulting in overcrowded venues and reported stalking incidents. Legion by Lenovo and Intel hosted an interactive exhibit that involved attendees dueling in an arena using large padded instruments and landing in a pit of foam cubes. However, the arena was not padded properly, causing people to land on hard ground, resulting in various injuries.[17] Of the two injured, streamer Adriana Chechik reported that she had broken her back after landing, and had to undergo surgery to set the fracture with a rod implant. Lenovo and Intel both remained silent on the matter. Chechik posted on social media that neither Intel, Lenovo, or Twitch had contacted her directly about the incident.[18]

At TwitchCon San Diego, Twitch did not announce a location for a potential TwitchCon North America event in 2023 during the closing ceremony, breaking years-old tradition.

2023 Las Vegas

TwitchCon North America took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 20–22, 2023,[19] Marking the first TwitchCon North America event to be hosted outside of California.

2024 San Diego

Photo of the main stage at the Block Party at the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego

TwitchCon North America made its return to the San Diego Convention Center in California from September 20–22, 2024, marking its first time back in San Diego since 2022, after being held in Las Vegas in 2023. During the opening ceremony of TwitchCon NA 2024, Mary Kish, Twitch's Director of Community Marketing, kicked off the event. As part of the ceremony, Twitch announced a $100,000 donation to Alveus Sanctuary, which was received by its founder, Maya Higa. [20][21][22][23] Additionally, Twitch revealed the dates for the following year’s event, reviving the tradition of announcing future TwitchCon dates during the convention for the first time since 2022.

The event also featured popular shows and activities, including The Table ft. QTCinderella, Name Your Price LIVE! ft. AustinShow & WillNeff, and the classic Twitch Rivals Ultimate Challenge, among many others. [24]

TwitchCon San Diego 2024 was also the first year in which Twitch did not offer a concert event. In place, Twitch offered attendees a "Block Party" add-on to the TwitchCon pass. The Block Party allowed attendees access to a blocked-off section of the Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego from 7 to 10 PM on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Twitch partnered with local businesses to offer free food, drinks, and alcoholic beverages to attendees of the event, as well as live music, karaoke sessions, and lounge areas.

2025 San Diego

TwitchCon is set to return to San Diego October 17th-19th 2025. This also marks 10 years of TwitchCon.

TwitchCon Europe

2019 Berlin

The inaugural TwitchCon Europe took place at CityCube Berlin in Germany on April 13–14, 2019.[25] American actor, singer, producer, and businessman David Hasselhoff appeared as a motivational speaker at the event. Attendees had to be over the age of 18 to enter TwitchCon Europe, Berlin.[26][27]

2020 Amsterdam

TwitchCon Europe was scheduled to occur at RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre in Amsterdam between May 2 and 3, 2020.[4] The convention was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was replaced by a virtual showcase named "GlitchCon".[28]

2022 Amsterdam

After a three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, TwitchCon Europe took place in July 2022 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.[29]

2023 Paris

TwitchCon Europe took place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France, on July 8–9, 2023.[19]

2024 Rotterdam

/LittleBigWhale receiving the new 'bleed purple' trophy at TwitchCon Rotterdam

TwitchCon Europe made its return to Europe at the Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands with over 11,500 attendees on June 29–30, 2024. This marks the second time the event has been hosted in the Netherlands, previously being held in Amsterdam in 2022. At TwitchCon Europe 2024's opening ceremony, Director of Community Marketing Mary Kish And CEO Dan Clancy introduced three 'bleed purple' themed trophies awarded for achieving 5 million, 50 million, and 250 million hours of watchtime. The first trophy, for 5 million hours, was presented to /LittleBigWhale at the event, marking a new way to celebrate streamer milestones. An afterparty hosted by the Twitch music community raised over $2,500 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.Twitch CEO Dan Clancy joined the festivities, making the event a great way to end TwitchCon Europe.

2025 Rotterdam

TwitchCon is set to return to Rotterdam 31st May & June 1st 2025. This also marks 10 years of TwitchCon.

Locations and Dates

North America

No. Dates Venue City Attendance Notes
1 September 25–26, 2015 Moscone Center San Francisco, California[30] 20,000[30]
2 September 30 – October 2, 2016 San Diego Convention Center San Diego, California 35,000[6]
3 October 20–22, 2017 Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center Long Beach, California 50,000[31]
4 October 26–28, 2018 San Jose Convention Center San Jose, California[32] 30,000[33]
5 September 27–29, 2019 San Diego Convention Center San Diego, California 28,000[34]
6 September 25–27, 2020[4] - Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. GlitchCon takes place instead.
October 7–9, 2022 ~30,000[35]
7 October 20–22, 2023 Las Vegas Convention Center Winchester, Nevada ~30,000
8 September 20–22, 2024 San Diego Convention Center San Diego, California 30,000
9 October 17–19, 2025 TBA

Europe

No. Dates Venue Country & City Attendance Notes
1 April 13–14, 2019[25] CityCube Berlin Berlin, Germany[25] 9,500[36]
2 May 2–3, 2020[4] RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre Amsterdam, Netherlands[4] - Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. GlitchCon takes place instead.
July 16–17, 2022 14,500[36]
3 July 8–9, 2023 Paris Expo Porte de Versailles Paris, France - Attendance numbers not made public
4 June 29–30, 2024 Rotterdam Ahoy Rotterdam, Netherlands ~11,500
5 May 31-June 1st 2025 TBA

References

  1. ^ "What is TwitchCon? FAQs". TwitchCon 2018. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  2. ^ Union-Tribune, Lori Weisberg | The San Diego (January 23, 2024). "TwitchCon's thousands of gamers returning to San Diego this year – plus four more years". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "TwitchCon 2024 has entered chat". blog.twitch.tv. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e Hawkins, Josh (September 27, 2019). "Twitch announces TwitchCon 2020 dates and locations". Shacknews. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  5. ^ "TwitchCon 2015: What it is, and what to watch". Polygon. September 24, 2015. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Freitas, Evan (October 12, 2016). "That's a wrap on TwitchCon 2016!". Twitch. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  7. ^ Albert, Brian. "Announcing TwitchCon 2017's exhibitors, sponsors, and activities". Retrieved September 14, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ Arguello, Diego (October 30, 2018). "Everything that happened at TwitchCon 2018". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  9. ^ "Twitch Talks: Stories from Tony Hawk, Kevin Smith and Felicia Day". TwitchCon 2018. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  10. ^ "twitchcon 2018". Epic Games' Fortnite. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  11. ^ "Epic Games' Fortnite". Epic Games' Fortnite. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  12. ^ Vincent, Brittany (February 20, 2019). "TwitchCon 2019 Returns To San Diego Convention Center With Fifth Annual Event". Variety. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  13. ^ Garrett, Eric. "Twitch Reveals First Details for TwitchCon 2019". comicbook/wwg. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  14. ^ Stephan, Bijan (November 2, 2020). "Twitch announces a virtual TwitchCon next week". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Weiss, Geoff (November 9, 2020). "Twitch Unveils Full Rundown For Saturday's 'GlitchCon' — Its Virtual Reimagining Of TwitchCon". TubeFilter. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Garske, Monica (September 22, 2021). "This Is Happening, IRL: 'TwitchCon' 2022 Is Returning to San Diego". NBC 7 San Diego. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  17. ^ Sung, Morgan (October 10, 2022). "TwitchCon had a foam pit exhibit. Two attendees say they got injured when they jumped in". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  18. ^ Serrano, Jody (October 15, 2022). "Twitch Mum on TwitchCon Foam Pit Injuries, Pretends Everything's Fine". Gizmodo.
  19. ^ a b "TwitchCon 2023, hype intensifies!". Twitch Blog. February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  20. ^ "Everything We Announced at TwitchCon Rotterdam | TwitchCon". twitchcon.com. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  21. ^ Kumar, Suresh (September 20, 2024). "Maya Higa Overwhelmed After Twitch Donates $100K to Support Alveus Animal Sanctuary". TheRecentTimes.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Pastuchow, Peter (September 22, 2024). "Twitch donates $100K to Maya Higa's animal sanctuary". Spilled.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Twitch W". Twitch. September 20, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "Everything We Announced at TwitchCon San Diego". blog.twitch.tv. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c Crecente, Brian (November 21, 2018). "TwitchCon Expands to Europe in 2019". Variety. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  26. ^ "TwitchCon Berlin tickets". TwitchCon. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  27. ^ Twitch Username Checker
  28. ^ GlitchCon [@TwitchCon] (June 18, 2020). "An update on TwitchCon San Diego and what comes next" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Holt, Kris (September 22, 2021). "In-person TwitchCon events will return in 2022". Engadget. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  30. ^ a b Sarkar, Samit (February 18, 2016). "TwitchCon 2016 announced, coming to San Diego this September". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  31. ^ Grady, Angel (October 23, 2017). "Twitch Welcomed Gamers at TwitchCon 2017". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  32. ^ Lumb, David (February 28, 2018). "TwitchCon returns to the Bay Area on October 26th". Engadget. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  33. ^ "TwitchCon 2018 Recap: 5 Biggest Takeaways For Marketers". Mediakix. November 7, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  34. ^ "Sponsor or Exhibit at TwitchCon". TwitchCon. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  35. ^ Staff, B. G. N. (October 12, 2022). "Here Are The Highlights of What Happened at TwitchCon 2022". Black Girl Nerds. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  36. ^ a b Tsiaoussidis, Alex (July 26, 2022). "TwitchCon enjoys big return to Europe: Amsterdam event breaks attendance records". Dot eSports. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
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