About this Event:

Come join us this Memorial Day weekend as we celebrate urban nerd culture!! "Blerd Bash", a national tour that makes the anime and gaming fan experiences more accessible to urban communities, is returning for its second annual Chicago event. We're bringing you an awesome event that fuses urban and otaku/gamer culture for a day packed with fun activities and good vibes.

What to expect:

🏆 Tekken 8 Tournament
🛍️ Vendor Marketplace
💃🏾 Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B Dance Party
🦹‍♀️ Cosplay Contest
🎮 Open Play Video Games
🍸 Delicious Food & Themed Cocktails
📷 Photoshoot
🎤 Local Hip-Hop Music Showcase

The Venue

This event will be held at Ignite Gaming Lounge where there is no shortage of gaming available with your selection of over 80 PCs, state-of-the-art VR stations, an arcade floor, numerous Xbox and PlayStation consoles, dedicated RockBand rooms, racing sims, and more. There are two full bars that sell a number of cocktails and great food including pizza, wings, sandwiches, milkshakes, etc.

Transportation and Parking

• Ignite Gaming is just 4 minutes walking distance from Oakton-Skokie station (Yellow Line).
• The building has a dedicated parking lot with free parking. There are also plenty of other parking options within a short walking distance. Please drive responsibly!
• Ignite Gaming is approximately 15-25 minutes away from downtown Chicago by car (depending on traffic).

Tekken 8 Tournament

Dust off your sticks and get ready for our Tekken 8 tournament powered by AT&T Fiber. Think you have what it takes to come out on top? Grab your general admission ticket and register for your chance to win a piece of our $500 prize pool. The tournament will be held from 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Participation in the tournament is free with your ticket to the event (General Admission tickets are $25). The tournament will be 32-48 players, double elimination on PS5. You are welcome to bring your own controller.

Tournament Schedule:

• 1:00 pm - Doors open and tournament check-in begins
• 2:00 pm - Waitlist players selected to backfill any registered player who has not yet checked in
• 2:30 pm - Tournament start
• 7:00 pm - Tournament finals

Tournament Registration:

• To register in advance, please visit our StartGG page.
• Registrations will also be accepted on-site at the event while space lasts.

Waitlist:

• Please note that your spot for pre-registration will only be held if you check-in for the tournament by 2:00 PM.
• If the question on the order form has the word “WAITLIST” in it, please understand that 32 spaces at that time have already been registered and you will now be registering for the waitlist.
• Waitlist individuals may be called to participate in the tournament in the order in which they registered, so long as they are on-site and respond when our TO calls their name.

In the competitive world of gaming, having a reliable internet connection can mean the difference between victory and defeat. With AT&T Fiber, you'll experience lightning-fast speeds, minimal lag, and unmatched reliability, giving you the competitive edge you need to dominate. Elevate your gaming and streaming experience with AT&T Fiber and stay ahead of the competition.

Open Play Gaming

Come hang out at THE best gaming lounge and esports center in the country! Enjoy your pick between numerous games across Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and even PC. Or perhaps you want to jam out in one of the private RockBand rooms. Be sure to also check out the number of arcade games available.

• Gaming is NOT included with the general admission ticket but can still be purchased on-site. Combination tickets are available online which offer the best rate for both admission to the event and access to the game stations.
• The gaming lounge will be open from 1:00 pm – 12:00 am (please note, the gaming lounge will be closed for the last hour of the party which ends at 1:00 am).
• Access to gaming stations is available on a first-come, first-served basis and is subject to availability.
• Game time does not have to be consecutive. For example, if you purchase the two-hour package, you can start playing at the couch console co-op for an hour, pause to go to check out the vendor marketplace for an hour, grab a bite to eat at the bar, and then come back and play on PC for another hour. Your time will be paused when you are not at a game station.

Vendor Marketplace

Visit our vendor marketplace and support local brands related to anime, video games, comics, hip-hop culture, and other related topics. The vendor marketplace will be available from 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

Party

The party really starts when the sun goes down! The vendor hall will shut down at 8:00 pm and the room will reopen again at 9:00 pm for a huge dance party. Our live DJ will spin some of the best hip-hop and R&B songs from old-school classics to modern-day hits. Stick around for our cosplay contest and support local music artists gracing us with their performances during our music showcase. Gaming will still be available throughout the lounge until 12:00 am and there will be limited gaming available inside of the party room.

Age Restrictions

• From 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm, all persons under the age of 14 inside the vendor marketplace hall (the main event room) need to be accompanied by an adult.
• The gaming lounge is a separate space and will be available to the public of all ages up until 10:00 pm.
• After 10:00 pm, no person under the age of 18 will be permitted into the building, this includes both the main event room and the gaming lounge.

Important Note

Please note there is one hour allotted (8:00 pm - 9:00 pm) to reconfigure the room for the party event. During this time, the vendor hall (the main event room) will be closed and all attendees must move over to the gaming lounge. These are two rooms in the same building connected by a short hall (where the bathrooms can be found) and a kitchen and bar. The bar and kitchen will still be available for enjoyment during this time (the food is really good!) It is not required that you leave the premise but if you choose too, re-entry is allowed when you show event staff and security your wristband.