I had the thrilling opportunity to attend Dreamhack 2024 over the weekend as part of the media crew covering all the events, cosplay, and gaming.

On the first day, a select few of us, including myself, were granted exclusive early access to the event. This privilege, which was not extended to the general public, allowed us to explore the venue in its pristine empty state, and to be among the first to experience the brand-new creator lounge. The improvements from the previous year were staggering and testament to the meticulous planning and dedication of the organisers.

Once the doors had opened, it was a mad rush from the public as the venue quickly filled. The merch store was first on the list for many, the next being the very popular coffee shop, which I was also in line for as coffee in the morning keeps the day rolling smoothly. A pretty popular attraction was the Pokemon Go stand and the DreamHack Wheel, which gave attendees the chance to win some fantastic prizes.

It was a bit cold to start the day off, so there weren’t too many cosplayers around, but there was quite a unique setup with medieval costumes and some very cool hand-made human-sized dragons that you could stand inside of, which was something I hadn’t seen before.

There were two arenas, one being mainly for expos of popular hardware companies like MSI and Intel, with also a showing of the streaming service Kick with their decent-sized booth, not to mention a massive booth for Monster Energy with their custom truck and glassed fridges full of drinks for the public to purchase.

Now that was only one part of the arena with a significant portion going to a big stage for different events with the first day going to standup comedy which was quite enjoyable. Most of my attention went to the other arena which was hosting a massive Esports ESL Counter Strike 2 tournament with a vast number of teams from Australia and other countries like the US and Brazil. A few more took up most of my time until the last game of the night ended around 9 pm, so it was a full-on day. Not to mention another entire building dedicated to the Lan Centre, with people streaming from computers and podcasts on smaller stages, filling the area quite nicely.

Day two was a lot more packed due to it being Saturday and warm, meaning many more people were cosplaying, filling the outside area with colourful and very detailed outfits and good photos from all around. The Esports continued from the previous day, with the losers of the previous day fighting for a second chance at the semi-finals. Also having a massive Just Dance contest with many people showing up to perform with prizes going to second and first place.

However, the highlight of the day was the HoloLive Concert. It was a next-level experience, being solely performed by V-Tubers in a 3D space, showcasing the future of concerts. Unfortunately, they were very strict with no photos or videos, and they did not disappoint in finding people in the crowd who were using their phones, so I decided not to get told off and enjoy the show.

Day three was similar to Saturday, but there were the semi-finals and grand final for Counter-Strike 2 Esports, which was exciting to watch. Some games came down to the last round, with some team’s neck and neck and a crowd bursting at the seams, with a ball being thrown around the crowd to the Mexican wave really getting the atmosphere going.

With also more comedy shows in the other arena, giving everyone an option for what they want to watch, play, or just chill out and eat some of the fantastic food they provided, I was drawn to grab an excellent hot fresh chicken burger each day I just couldn’t resist, they were terrific.

Overall, I’m so happy with the way that Dreamhack 2024 turned out. There was so much attention to detail in all aspects of the weekend, really making it a special time to remember. With over 35,000 attendees and over 10,000 more than last year’s Dreamhack, it’s easy to see why it’s growing at a good pace. A massive shoutout to Jayden and Alex for making our weekend go smoothly and soundly. I’m so excited to see what they bring to the table for next year.