The fourth edition of LEVEL UP - The Gaming Festival took place on June 29 and 30 at Messezentrum Salzburg and attracted around 10,000 enthusiastic visitors. With a diverse mix of eSports tournaments, interactive offerings, fascinating exhibitors and impressive cosplay performances, the event offered something for everyone. After this successful weekend, we are already looking forward to the next edition on June 28 and 29, 2025!
Mainstage: eSports and diversity in focus
The mainstage of LEVEL UP 2024 was the hotspot for eSports fans and professionals. Top-class tournaments took place here and thrilled the audience. In exciting competitions in games such as Rocket League, Counter Strike 2 and Super Smash, the best talents of the scene competed and offered thrilling entertainment. The atmosphere on the main stage was electrifying and made the big stage the central highlight of the festival.
A special novelty on the mainstage was SheRivals: Queens of Austria. In this unique League of Legends showmatch, the female teams from NNO Prime and SK Gaming competed against each other. Together with the tournament organization Morekats, LEVEL UP set a strong signal for more diversity and visibility of women in eSports.
Lena Braito, Project Manager of LEVEL UP, on the unique tournament: “At LEVEL UP, we place great value on diversity. That's why we organized an all-female tournament for the first time this year together with our long-standing partners Morekats Gaming. Our aim is to inspire young women and girls and change traditional role models.”
Fun and Entertainment at the Raiffeisen Club Community Stage
The Raiffeisen Club Community Stage offered a variety of interactive program items in which visitors could participate directly. One highlight was the LudeCat, where visitors could compete against each other in indie games. At Game2Help - Beat the Pro, brave participants competed against Super Smash pro and YouTuber Luigikid to prove their skills. For outstanding performances against the pro, 200 euros each went into the Letsplay4Charity donation pot. Visitors proved their knowledge of gaming and nerd culture at The Amazing Nerdquiz - LEVEL UP Edition.
Streaming for a good cause
The Letsplay4Charity livestream was once again a great success. Several well-known streamers raised money for charity together live from the festival in their Twitch streams. The 281,000 viewers were able to donate directly during the broadcasts to support the campaign.
Another important part of the charity campaign was the donations raised through Game2Help's Beat The Pro Challenge. This combined approach made it possible to raise a considerable sum of around 11,000 euros for charity.
But there was also plenty to discover at LEVEL UP beyond the stages and the stream.
Indie games, retro gaming and more discoveries in the Gaming Zone
The Gaming Zone was an exciting area where exhibitors and teams came together to liven up the space. There was an escape room from Salzburg AG, an excavator simulator from Porr and sim racing in the Red Bull Gaming Ground. Numerous companies, including BRZ, W&H and Axess, took the opportunity to look for new employees.
Right next door, the Community Area invited visitors to play and linger. Esports teams and clubs such as Morekats and Virtual Dojo delighted visitors with their diverse activities. The E-Sport School League (ESSL) proudly presented its work on setting up an Austrian eSports school league. In addition, the uRage Free2Play Area offered 50 PCs to play to your heart's content.
Another highlight was the Indie Games Area, presented by the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. This zone was the place to go for anyone interested in innovation and the wealth of ideas of independent developers. Here, 30 game developers had the opportunity to present their creative projects. Visitors were able to discover a variety of unique and original games developed outside the mainstream. The diversity and creativity of the indie game scene inspired young and old alike.
After an excursion into the world of indie games, visitors were able to immerse themselves in nostalgic worlds in the Retro Area. This area was a paradise for fans of classic games, where iconic games from the past could be rediscovered. Here you could find pinball machines, giant Pac-Man and Space Invaders games as well as original consoles and systems from the early days of video games.
From art to action: experiences beyond gaming and screens
For those who wanted to discover the creative side of the scene alongside gaming, the Artist Alley was the ideal place. Here, artists and vendors showcased a variety of unique and handmade items, from artwork and posters to jewelry and fan merchandise. This vibrant zone offered special souvenirs and showcased the creative diversity of gaming culture. Right next door in the Tabletop Area, fans of strategy, board and card games got their money's worth. In a cozy atmosphere, visitors could try out new games, take part in tournaments and exchange ideas with like-minded people.
But there were exciting offers not only for the creative types: The Action Area was a hotspot for all those who wanted to be active in sports as well as playing digital games. Visitors were able to put their riding skills to the test on KTM mini bikes. For those looking for the thrill of a tactical game, laser tag offered exciting matches. At Bubble Soccer, visitors could let off steam in giant inflatable balls, while VR matches blurred the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds. These diverse activities made the Action Area a popular part of the festival with something for everyone.
Alexander Kribus, Managing Director of Messezentrum Salzburg, drew an extremely positive conclusion to LEVEL UP 2024, saying with great satisfaction and anticipation for the coming year: “LEVEL UP exceeded all expectations this year with its diversity and interactive program. The positive response and the enthusiasm of the visitors made the event an outstanding success. We are therefore already looking forward to a continuation next year.”
LEVEL UP 2025 will take place on June 28 and 29 and we are looking forward to it.
