Southern Maine Family Game Festival

If you are in the Northeast next weekend and looking for some people to game with, look no further than the first annual Southern Maine Family Game Festival. The brainchild of PortCon, the people who brought big time conventions to Maine, the festival is a fundraiser for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Want to play games all day and all night? As my husband keeps telling me, “It’s for the kids, honey.”

There are two events. The first, held during the day, is the Family Game Festival. This is a family friendly event open to all ages. It is geared towards spreading the love of board and video games. There will be gamers on hand to teach you new games or you can join in something you already know. The overnight event is the Extra Life Marathon. Extra Life is a national gaming event to benefit children’s hospitals.

Where?: The Double Tree Hilton, 363 Maine Mall Road, South Portland, ME 04106

When?: Saturday, November 2nd, 2013. The Family Game Festival starts at 9AM and runs until 4PM. The Extra Life Video Game Marathon starts at 6PM and runs until 6AM on Sunday. See our schedule for more details.

How Much?: The Family Game Festival is $5 per person, with children under the age of 6 free! All proceeds go towards the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.

The Extra Life Video Game Marathon is for adults age 18 and above. It requires either a sponsorship of $25 or more as an individual, sponsorship plus additional money to equal $25 at the door, or simply $25 at the door. Individuals may be part of a team, but each individual must raise $25 to attend the overnight event. If you are paying through sponsorship make sure to bring ID when you arrive.

Bracelets for entry to the day event will be available at the door. No tickets will be sold in advance. Simply come, donate your admission fee, and you’ll receive your entry bracelet! Your bracelet will be good for all day activities, the vendor area, all of the game demonstrations, as well as discounts at local stores. After the event visit any of these stores to receive a discount simply by showing your bracelet.

To attend the Extra Life event individuals or teams can register online via the Extra Life site. Evening attendees will receive a separate custom silicone bracelet for attendance. As an evening attendee, please plan on bringing: your laptop computer and/or your gaming system (including a TV if needed), a power strip, video game, snacks, drinks, and any games you might be interested in playing with others. You are responsible for everything you bring during the evening. They will have tournaments running on supplied equipment during the event, but if you plan on marathoning on your own system throughout the evening you will need to supply all of your own equipment.

You can come in costume, and you can get your face painted. There will even be an artist available between 10 and 3 to draw family caricatures. This event is an all together fantastic way to spend a chilly November day in Maine.