All night long: Big Games Night Out unveils full line-up featuring games, arcades, music, fashion and more!
From twilight to late on Thursday 5 October, the Big Games Night Out invites Victorians and visitors to come together in Melbourne’s iconic Fed Square and surrounds for an immersive night of digital games, music and cosplay.
Big Games Night Out is a free, inclusive, accessible and all-ages event that welcomes families, casual, social, hardcore and curious gamers from all walks of life to come together and celebrate amongst a spectacle of games, technology and civic ritual.
The Big Games Night Out will feature live performances from Tripod, Montaigne and many more (see full line-up below), plus games activations, tournaments, games swap meet, intergenerational games meet, immersive audience participation experiences, and prizes.
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What’s going down at Big Games Night Out
Big Games Night Out is bringing a free, all-night gaming and cosplay party to Fed Square
The Main Square will come alive with music, games and projections, with DJ Levins kicking things off at 5:00pm, Just Dance at 6:00pm leading into the not-to-be-missed Cosplay Runway at 7:00pm. Then it’s more from Just Dance before the Stray Gods Fashion Showstarts at 8:00pm.
Cult of the Lamb: The Ritual will begin in the Main Square at 8:30pm, with a live DJ performance by River Boy, giant animated projections featuring your favourite characters from the hit game, and large-scale puppets and performers roaming around Fed Square bringing the game to life.
From 9:45pm, get down to the Main Square to see a live performance from Tripod and special guest Montaigne.
In the Atrium’s Games Zone, play the classics like Pacman Championship Edition, FIFA Soccer, Street Fighter 6, and Mario Kart; or try your hand at Melbourne’s indie games like Stray Gods, Drive Me To the Moon, and Catacombs of Solaris.
The Edge will host a number of esports tournaments, alongside a bevy of beloved arcade games like Sega Racing, Space Invaders, Donkey King and more. With a mix of old-school arcade machines and screens to play multiplayer Switch games, there’s a huge selection of retro and nostalgic games available to play for free.
For lovers of tabletop games, Melbourne Meeples will be hosting a tabletop boardgame bonanza, plus Board in the City will be set up for individuals and groups to play Ticket to Ride, Burger Up, Obsession and more.
Exhibitions at ACMI will also stay open late (until 8:00pm), where you can see The Story of the Moving Image and lots of amazing local indie games at the Freeplay Parallels exhibition.
Major Big Games Night Out highlights include
Melbourne International Games Week is back in 2023 and bigger than ever
Cosplay Parade and Runway Experience: Open to all cosplayers to participate, regardless of skill level, whether you make or buy your costumes – all are encouraged to sign up here now. It’s open to all cosplayers regardless of whether you make or buy your costumes – all are welcome to sign up via the EOI here.
Stray Gods Fashion Show: Stray Gods is a Victorian role-playing musical game expected to impact the games industry greatly. It’s an epic story about gods, magic, and a thousand-year journey to rediscover one’s purpose in a fantasy world filled with magic, music, fashion, and adventure. To mark the launch of Stray Gods, Big Games Night Out presents a multi-disciplinary event highlighting the game’s incredible blend of games, music, and fashion. Eight Melbourne designers will showcase Stray Gods’ character costumes and creations in virtual and real life.
Cult of the Lamb: The Ritual: Join everyone’s favourite lamb and a cabal of cute and creepy denizens in a spectacular, immersive Fed Square takeover. Presented by ACMI and Melbourne Fringe Cult of the Lamb: The Ritual features jaw-dropping large-scale puppets and performers, a live DJ performance by River Boy and giant animated projections featuring your favourite characters from the hit game. The performance is created by Massive Monster, and features Goldens Scissors Puppets and Jean Poole Projection Mapping.
Line-up, event highlights, set times and maps are available below, more information on the Big Games Night Out here
