EVERETT June 17: Look out! Geeks are taking over downtown Everett! Specifically, they’re flocking to Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett July 19-21 for Geekfest West, a celebration of all things geeky.
Imagined as a street festival reminiscent of events like Woodstock or Burning Man for the pop culturally inclined, Geekfest will spread itself across the downtown area from the Historic Everett Theatre to Hewitt Avenue to Angel of the Winds Arena to nearby hotels and club spots.
Geekfest will feature an exhibitor’s hall and street fair with 150 plus vendors, a wrestling ring on Hewitt, comedy shows, a cosplay contest, video game tournaments and a film festival, which means there is bound to be something to enjoy for every kind of nerd.
This is Geekfest’s first year of operation, hosted by the local non-profit Courtyard Media Foundation. Courtyard Media Foundation President and Geekfest Event Organizer, Nathan Mumm, is looking to bring Geekfest back every year on the third weekend of July. In fact, plans for the 2025 edition are already underway.
“I consider myself a nerd,” Mumm said. “There’s probably more geeks out there [Pacific Northwest] than any other demographic.”
What separates Geekfest West from other conventions? It’s by locals, for locals.
“A lot of artists have been pushed out of larger cons,” Mumm said, “We’ve worked with local artists instead of going for big celebrities. A lot of our sponsors are local, and we take a lot of pride in that fact.”
Geekfest West is going to host the largest gathering of Magic the Gathering artists in the Pacific Northwest with multiple surprises throughout the day from potential flash mob dances to special exhibits curated by the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle.
Geekfest West is already seeing higher than expected numbers of pre-sales for tickets and with 10,000 badges printed already, they’re anticipating needing more.
“As we grow, we’re hoping to take over more and more of the downtown area,” Mumm said. “I want this to be a different experience. Instead of just going to buy stuff, you’ll interact. You’ll play games with others, see a free comedy show, check out the cosplay contest. You should feel really geeky and nerdy and walk away saying ‘wow, that was way better than I expected’.”
Tickets can be purchased at geekfest.com.
