Giant Monopoly board at London Games Festival 2016. Picture: ARS Technica UK
The art, culture and business of gaming will be celebrated at London Games Festival 2017.
More than 400 games will also be available to play at the second-annual festival, which will be held in London between March 30 and April 9.
The festival champions and showcases the best of video games and interactive entertainment with 30 events in 20 London venues.
The 11-day festival is expected to attract around 50,000 visitors in 2017, including both consumers and industry professionals.
London Games Festival 2017 highlights:
• Meet the creators, learn about the industry, test out new video games and more with EGX Rezzed at Tobacco Dock 30 Mar-1 Apr
• Discover new ways to play and try out 100 curious and experimental games with Now Play This at Somerset House 7-9 Apr
• Attend the 2017 BAFTA Games Awards to be the first to know which game came out on top 6 Apr
• Look into virtual reality and artificial intelligence with special talks and workshops
• Get stuck into 20 more fringe events and offerings, and don’t miss the closing parade
Key moments on the schedule this year include:
• A games music concert featuring a big-screen game play-through with accompanying live music
• The return of the Now Play This games exhibition with an extended run at Somerset House
• A school-focused eSports tournament
• A closing weekend parade on the streets of London
“Growing the city’s culture and creative industries is so important, and as Mayor, I’m delighted to welcome this year’s London Games Festival, which promises to showcase the best of the city’s imagination, game design and innovation,” Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said.
“Home to more than 500 games companies and top talent from around the world, London is right at the forefront of cutting-edge technology, and this exciting festival celebrates the richness of our thriving games industry.”
London Games Festival is organised by Games London, a partnership between the capital’s screen industries agency Film London and games trade body Ukie, supported by the Mayor of London’s London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP).
LGF will cover nearly 40 events across 30 different venues, with 50,000 expected to attend over the 11 days.
One of the cultural highlights this year will be the LGF Games Character Parade, which will be held from 1pm on April 8.
Welcoming both video games-inspired cosplayers and official mascots and characters, this first-of-its-kind games event will see iconic interactive entertainment heroes in even more iconic London locations.
More details, including the parade location and other highlights, will be unveiled shortly. But the call for parade participants is open now, information and guidelines at www.games.london/parade.
Follow @londongamesfest on Twitter or Instagram for more updates.