One of the biggest esports and gaming festivals in the world is coming to Austin, Texas.
Since its founding in a youth center in Sweden in 1992, DreamHack has grown into one of the most influential esports organizations in the world, popularizing competitive gaming through its series of tournaments and festivals across Europe.
But while DreamHack festivals have sprouted up everywhere from Moscow to Bucharest to Valencia, they’ve never crossed the pond to North America. And that’s a pity for American esports and gaming fans: DreamHack’s unique combination of esports tournament and LAN festival has never been replicated on North American soil.
So on July 6, when the company teased that it would run a North American event for the first time, fans were ecstatic. The question on everyone’s lips, however, was “where exactly?” Just two days later, we have our answer.
The first DreamHack North America will be held in Austin from May 6 to 8, 2016 at the Austin Convention Center. Organizers are promising the full DreamHack experience, including top esports competitions and an expo alongside the core LAN event. Austin is a natural choice for the competition: It’s annually one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, with a young and tech-savvy population and a bustling technology industry.
The move isn’t a complete surprise. DreamHack’s Michael Van Driel teased the location back in March when he tweeted a picture of a floor plaque that is located just outside the Austin Convention Center.
Traveling during DreamHack Open announcement… pic.twitter.com/wX9dWyJgXr
— Mike (@AdebisiSC) March 10, 2015
