RuneFest returns to UK after 4-year absence

7 March 2024

Attention all RuneScape aficionados, and especially those in the United Kingdom, because RuneFest is returning to the UK! After an absence of no less than four years, the iconic celebration of all things RuneScape will return for a 2024 edition this year, during the Insomnia Gaming Festival 71, which is set to take place during the weekend of September 7th and 8th, 2024. Like the Festival, RuneFest 2024 will be held at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, formerly known as the NEC Birmingham, and tickets will be on sale from March 27th onwards.

RuneFest 2024 in the UK

For years, RuneFest was one of the major RuneScape events in the world, an annual real-world convention for RuneScape and Old School RuneScape players and fans. Like the upcoming 2024 edition of the event, all previous editions were organised by Jagex Limited, the British game studio behind RuneScape. The event location’s capacity is around 2.000 and the organisers are expecting to sell all tickets well before the start of the event itself.

While the theme for RuneFest 2024 has not been revealed yet, the organisation did already lift the curtain on its agenda. On Saturday, September 7th, the traditional RuneFest activities will take place, including presentations of the latest content, dedicated LAN parties, and, of course, lots of cosplay. On Sunday, September 8th, the focus will be more one community and panel discussions featuring guest speakers and other experts.

Or, in the words of the organisers themselves, “RuneFest is a real-life celebration of all things RuneScape! It’s the ultimate IRL Gielinor-themed gathering, where thousands of players come together to share the love.”

Ticket sales starting soon

While the event itself is still some time away, the tickets for RuneFest 2024 will be going on sale soon. Jagex has announced that ticket sales will start on Wednesday, March 27th, at noon (GMT) and there will be two types of tickets available. The standard ticket provides you with access to RuneFest 2024 on Saturday and Sunday, and will cost £ 175 per person. There will also be 500 early bird tickets for sale, which will cost £ 150 a piece for full access to the two-day event.

On top of two days of RuneFest 2024, each ticket also grants you access to Insomnia Gaming Festival 73 plus a fun-packed goodie bag. The Insomnia entrance in particular is worth mentioning, as this year marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic gathering for games and fans. It will feature a bunch of panel sessions, presentations by content creators and other on-stage entertainment, on top of the various esports tournaments, of course.

For those who are not able to attend to RuneFest 2024, Jagex will be setting up a livestream as well. All of the content will be streamed on the official RuneScape Twitch channel, so no one has to miss a single second of what many people call the world’s greatest RuneScape party.