| TwitchCon | |
| Status: | Active |
| Genre: | Livestreaming, Entertainment, Esports, Internet Culture |
| Frequency: | Semi-Annual |
| Location: | North America, Europe |
| First: | September 25, 2015 San Francisco (8 years ago) |
| Last: | (Rotterdam, 2024) |
| Next: | (San Diego, 2024) |
| Attendance: | 11,500 (Rotterdam, 2024), 30,000 (San Diego, 2022), 14,500 (Amsterdam, 2022) |
| Organizer: | Twitch Interactive |
| Sponsors: | San Diego 2024 - AT&T, CAPCOM, Chevron, Samsung Galaxy |
TwitchCon is a semi-annual convention for the livestreaming video platform Twitch. The convention is organized by Twitch Interactive and focuses on the culture of Livestreaming, Entertainment, Esports and Internet Culture. TwitchCon also serves as an opportunity for streamers and content creators to improve their stream quality and grow their brand.[1] TwitchCon is open to industry professionals, streamers, and fans; the convention allows community members to meet streamers, discover new products, and trial new games.
The first convention was held in 2015 in San Francisco. In 2019, the first European convention was held in Berlin. TwitchCon is hosted twice a year, in Europe for two days and once again in North America for three days.[2] All North American conventions were held in California until 2023, in which an event in Las Vegas, Nevada took place. The North American convention is most frequently hosted in San Diego. The European conventions have cycled between Netherlands, Paris And Berlin; most commonly in The Netherlands.
The European convention is set to be held in Rotterdam until 2026,[3] and the North American convention is set to be hosted at the San Diego Convention Center until 2028,[4]
The inaugural TwitchCon was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on September 25 and 26, 2015. The event was organized by Twitch, and featured a keynote by Twitch CEO Emmett Shear. All of the convention's panels were livestreamed on Twitch.[5]
In 2016, the convention was moved to the San Diego Convention Center and expanded to a three-day annual event. This TwitchCon introduced sponsors such as Xbox, Truth, and Amazon Game Studios.[6]
In 2017, TwitchCon took place at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. This included the first esports tournaments to be held at TwitchCon included H1Z1 Arena, Lineage 2: Revolution 30 vs 30 Fortress Siege Showcase, and Power Rangers: Legacy Wars Showdown.[7]
TwitchCon 2018 took place at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The main presentation was held on the first day of the event by djWHEAT, director of Twitch studios, who made numerous statements about forthcoming features for the platform.[8] Twitch Speaks, a speaking series first presented at TwitchCon 2018, featured Tony Hawk, Kevin Smith, Felicia Day, Emmett Shear, and Ninja.[9] The Fall Skirmish final, a competitive Fortnite tournament final, was held at TwitchCon 2018, at the time making it the second largest Fortnite LAN event held.[10] [11]
TwitchCon North America returned to San Diego, taking place from September 27–29, 2019. It introduced the debut of an updated Twitch logo, TwitchCon logo, and brand design. This was the second time the event had been held in San Diego, with the first being held in 2016. This was also the first time a TwitchCon event was held at a venue more than one time.[12] [13]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TwitchCon North America, which was scheduled to occur at the San Diego Convention Center between September 25 and 27, 2020. On November 14, 2020, in lieu of TwitchCon, Twitch held a 12-hour virtual convention named "GlitchCon."[14] Over 425 streamers participated in the event. Notable activities included Twitch Rivals tournaments for Fortnite and Fall Guys, the Austin Talent Show featuring judges T-Pain and Andy Milonakis, and a US$1 million donation being made to the AbleGamers foundation.[15]
Neither a GlitchCon or TwitchCon event occurred in 2021. The next event would be held in Amsterdam in 2022.
TwitchCon North America took place at the San Diego Convention Center in October 2022.[16] This was the third time the event has been held in San Diego. The events required face coverings and had numerous COVID-19 prevention protocols in place.
The TwitchCon San Diego party was held at Petco Park, and featured the artists Meet Me at The Altar, Kim Petras, and Megan Thee Stallion. The party gained significant media attention when an attendee cosplaying as Master Chief from the Halo series of video games was allowed on stage during a performance with Megan Thee Stallion.
However, many people were critical of the San Diego event. One of the more notable criticisms of the event was the lack of security protocols in place for exhibitors, resulting in overcrowded venues and reported stalking incidents. Legion by Lenovo and Intel hosted an interactive exhibit that involved attendees dueling in an arena using large padded instruments and landing in a pit of foam cubes. However, the arena was not padded properly, causing people to land on hard ground, resulting in various injuries.[17] Of the two injured, streamer Adriana Chechik reported that she had broken her back after landing, and had to undergo surgery to set the fracture with a rod implant. Lenovo and Intel both remained silent on the matter. Chechik posted on social media that neither Intel, Lenovo, or Twitch had contacted her directly about the incident.[18]
At TwitchCon San Diego, Twitch did not announce a location for a potential TwitchCon North America event in 2023 during the closing ceremony, breaking years-old tradition.
TwitchCon North America took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 20–22, 2023,[19] Marking the first TwitchCon North America event to be hosted outside of California.
TwitchCon North America is set to return to the San Diego Convention Center September 20–22, 2024. This event is set to showcase shows such as 'The Table ft. QTCinderella', 'Name Your Price LIVE! ft. AustinShow & WillNeff' and the classic 'Twitch Rivals Ultimate Challenge' and more. Bringing the Twitch community together again, this is the fourth time the event will be hosted in San Diego, and the seventh time the event will be hosted in California. TwitchCon is expected to be held at the San Diego Convention Center until 2028[20]
The inaugural TwitchCon Europe took place at CityCube Berlin in Germany on April 13–14, 2019.[21] American actor, singer, producer, and businessman David Hasselhoff appeared as a motivational speaker at the event.[22] Attendees had to be over the age of 18 to enter TwitchCon Europe, Berlin.[23] [24]
TwitchCon Europe was scheduled to occur at RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre in Amsterdam between May 2 and 3, 2020. The convention was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was replaced by a virtual showcase named "GlitchCon".[25]
After a three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, TwitchCon Europe took place in July 2022 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.[26]
TwitchCon Europe took place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France, on July 8–9, 2023.
TwitchCon Europe made its return to Europe at the Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands with over 11,500 attendees on June 29–30, 2024. This marks the second time the event has been hosted in the Netherlands, previously being held in Amsterdam in 2022. At TwitchCon Europe 2024's opening ceremony, Director of Community Marketing Mary Kish And CEO Dan Clancy introduced three 'bleed purple' themed trophies awarded for achieving 5 million, 50 million, and 250 million hours of watchtime. The first trophy, for 5 million hours, was presented to /LittleBigWhale at the event, marking a new way to celebrate streamer milestones. An afterparty hosted by the Twitch music community raised over $2,500 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.Twitch CEO Dan Clancy joined the festivities, making the
When TwitchCon dates in 2024 was announced, it was announced that TwitchCon Europe would return to Rotterdam until 2026.[27] The dates for the event are yet to be announced.
| No. | Dates | Venue | City | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 25–26, 2015 | San Francisco, California[28] | 20,000 | ||
| 2 | September 30 – October 2, 2016 | 35,000 | |||
| 3 | October 20–22, 2017 | Long Beach, California[29] | 50,000[30] | ||
| 4 | October 26–28, 2018 | San Jose, California[31] | 30,000[32] | ||
| 5 | September 27–29, 2019 | San Diego, California | 28,000[33] | ||
| 6 | September 25–27, 2020 | - | |||
| October 7–9, 2022 | ~30,000[34] | ||||
| 7 | October 20–22, 2023 | - | Attendance numbers not made public | ||
| 8 | September 20–22, 2024 | San Diego Convention Center | San Diego, California | TBA | |
| No. | Dates | Venue | Country & City | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 13–14, 2019 | CityCube Berlin | 9,500 | ||
| 2 | May 2–3, 2020 | - | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| July 16–17, 2022 | 14,500[35] | ||||
| 3 | July 8–9, 2023 | Paris, France | - | Attendance numbers not made public | |
| 4 | June 29–30, 2024 | Rotterdam Ahoy | Rotterdam, Netherlands | ~11,500 | |
| 5 | TBA | TBA | TwitchCon is set to return to Rotterdam in 2025 |