Thursday 10 October 2024
Free, all-ages from 3pm 'til late at Fed Square
A massive celebration of games culture, featuring a spectacle experience of projections and performance, epic displays of cosplay fashion and free games.
Big Games Night Out (BGNO) will once again take over Fed Square, for a free, accessible, and all-ages event welcoming gamers and games culture enthusiasts from all walks of life.
Come down, play and compete in legendary and indie games – from arcade, to esport, tabletop, and roleplay – or join family and friends in the Main Square for live music, DJs, performances and an unforgettable showcase of cosplay fashion.
Highlights include Blaktasia Universe, celebrating the global premiere of Blaktasia: Invasion of The Murk – the debut game from Naarm-based, Aboriginal-led studio GUCK, slated for release in early 2025. This immersive experience features mesmerising projections across Fed Square’s façade.
Fans can also celebrate 10 years of the viral game Crossy Road, with Melbourne studio Hipster Whale, cosplayers can register for the Cosplay Runway and strut their stuff for the chance to win great prizes, and Dungeons & Dragons fans can join Indiginerd at Koorie Heritage Trust to play a special D&D campaign.
PROGRAM
 | BLAKTASIA UNIVERSEMain Square Blaktasia’s Immersive Projections, Live Music and Line Dancing! Big Games Night Out will present the Blaktasia Universe for the first time on an epic scale. The game’s awe-inspiring First Nations fantasy will be projected live across Fed Square’s iconic façade, immersing spectators in the mesmerising sounds, artistry and characters of the game. Join us, learn the dance and boot scoot the Big Games Night Out night away! |
| CROSSY ROAD & HIPSTER WHALEVarious Locations Play Hipster Whale’s Crossy Road in a giant inflatable chicken costume! Att: Melbourne! Big Games Night Out (BGNO) presents three activations that will bring the mobile game sensation Crossy Road (downloaded over 350 million times) from screen to stage. It's time to literally jump into the iconic scenes of Crossy Road with a world-first life-size jump controller, debuting on Fed Square’s Main Stage and live-streamed onto Fed Square's huge screen! If Main Stage appearances aren’t for you, BGNO continues the Crossy experience with free arcade activations of Crossy Road and the newly released Crossy Castle in The Atrium Games Zone. |
| THE GAMMIN GUILD'S D&DKoorie Heritage Trust The Gammin Guild is a club for adventurous travellers seeking gold, glory and the love of the fight! Join us as we meet some of the newest travellers at the Gammin Guild as we follow them on this very special one-shot campaign. The Gammin Guild is an All-Indigenous cast, with a few special guests along the way. Joining us at Big Games Night Out include special guests from the BlakoutGG crew, a prominent Indigenous musician and a very special guest GM. This D&D campaign will kick off at 5PM, going until 7PM, and will be on the ground floor of the Koorie |
| BIG GAMES NIGHT OUT COSPLAY RUNWAYMain Stage Cosplay Runway & Lip Sync Battle hosted by Montaigne & Megan McKeough Cosplayers will grace the Big Games Night Out Runway to showcase the best in fantasy fashion and vie for the BGNO Cosplay Awards, where we recognise the efforts in detail, strut, and commitment to character! And, for another BGNO first, cosplayers will take to the Main Stage runway to compete against one another in iconic lip-sync battles! Sign up for the BGNO Cosplay Runway here |
| FREE-TO-PLAY GAMES ZONESVarious locations Multiple Games Zones will offer free-to-play games – from 80s to indie, arcades to esports, and tabletop to roleplay. BGNO will feature more than 50 free-to-play game activations for gamers of all walks of life including Crossy Road, created by multi-award-winning Australian studio Hipster Whale, which has amassed over 330 million downloads to date. |
| JUST DANCE WITH TIJKA & DANCERSMain Stage Our favourite Just Dance host and content creator Tijka returns to the main stage with the Big Games Night Out dancers to lead the audience through three special Just Head to Fed Square from 3pm on Wednesday 9 October for the ultimate teaser to Big Games Night Out where you can enter the Just Dance competition in The Edge Games Zone to win prizes and a spot on the Main Stage at Big Games Night Out! |
| THE BASS IN VADER LIVEMain Stage Making his Big Games Night Out debut, Melbourne icon The Bass in Vader will perform four shredding sets on Fed Square’s Main Stage: 1. Classic Rock |
 | BOARD IN THE CITY - TABLETOP GAMES EXTRAVAGANZAThe Atrium Melbourne Meeples is back to share a passion for board gaming at BGNO, showcasing a diverse array of new and old games including games from Victorian and Australian designers and publishers. Board games have experienced a resurgence, becoming one of the best ways for people to step into the world of games. Whether you’re a seasoned player or a curious newcomer, join Melbourne Meeples for an evening of laughter, strategy, and fun at Big Games Night Out 2024. |
| ACMI LATE NIGHTSACMI Explore the chaos and craft behind everyone’s favourite cheeky goose with a visit to Honk! Untitled Goose Exhibition. Check out and play classics at the ACMI Collection arcade stations or the best new Australian games of the year with the AGDAs: ACMI Audience Award exhibit. Be one of the first to try out Rotted Luck – a brand new games commission from Australian artists and developers Ian MacLarty and Vidya Rajan. Catch local DJs, grab a drink or a bite to eat and take a break in the dedicated Quiet Room. |
| BLAKTASIA CUSTOM KOALA FAIRY FLOSSby Son-In-Law in The Atrium Games Zone Stop by our Fairy Floss pop-up in The Atrium Games Zone because Son In Law is returning to add some sweetness to Big Games Night Out 2024. Son In Law’s fantasy fairy floss creations are almost too cute to eat, and this year, they will be koala-inspired in collaboration with Australia's first Aboriginal-led mobile Don't miss the chance to sample this extraordinarily delicious games-themed cotton candy, and before you tear it apart and eat it, be sure to grab some pics because this sweet treat deserves a spot on the grid. |
| MABU MABU x BGNO TAKEAWAY TUCKSHOPThese delicious hand-held offerings will be available from the Main Square pop-up:
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| BEER DELUXE FREE-TO-PLAY GAMESThe Beer Deluxe regular menu is available for dine-in, and there will be a special pop-up takeaway outlet for fans to fuel up on the move. If you are dining in, you can get your food and drinks with a side of Rock Band, Giant Connect 4 or Giant Jenga! |
WARM-UP WEDNESDAY AT THE EDGE GAMES ZONE IN FED SQUARE
 | EVENTS ENGINE ESPORTS TOURNAMENTWednesday 9th October, The Edge Fed Square Due to demand BGNO has added a warm up night featuring the following: 4pm - Tetris score challenge The Edge Games Zone esports is supported by Razer. Sign up on the day for all activities except for fighting games, which you can register here to compete for cash and door prizes! |
| MELBOURNE MEEPLES PANEL: WHAT BOARD GAMES HAVE LEARNED FROM VIDEO GAMES6pm Wednesday 9th October, The Edge Theatre, Fed Square Join Melbourne Meeples at 6pm on BGNO warm-up Wednesday 9th October in The Edge Theatre for a panel looking at different ways modern board game design has evolved by learning from video games, discuss some amazing board games where that's been successful – and maybe a few examples of when it's been less so... |
Big Games Night Out is proudly presented by Creative Victoria in partnership with Fed Square. BGNO is a hero event of Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2024.
