No, this isn’t Comic Con or Burning Man- it’s something altogether different. Imagine living in your favorite cyberpunk video game or science fiction movie for 5 days. That’s exactly what Neotropolis, a festival in California, is offering. Part LARP, synthwave celebration, and desert campout, this event is ALL party.
From the same team behind Wasteland Weekend, the event requires every single participant (that’s performers, vendors, volunteers and even visiting press) to be in thematically appropriate costumes. There’s also the age requirement; you must be 18 by the time the festival starts, April 24th-28th, 2024.
“We’ve simply created the future we always wanted,” owner and Event Director Jared Butler said of Neotropolis, which returns for it’s third year in 2024. “Wasteland Weekend has been going for over ten years, bringing a post-apocalyptic Mad Max world to thousands of people, and now we wanted to branch out into a different kind of future.”
Some images from the event:
While you won’t see recognizable characters from franchises, you will see inspiration from across the genre. “It’s unbounded display of creativity,” Butler said. “When the future we’re living in doesn’t quite measure up, it’s time to imagine a different one. And we’ve created a space where people can live in it for a few days.”
The Core
A main stage performance area called The Core hosts bands and acts specially curated to fit in thematically. Neotropolis 2023’s acts included Night Club, Night Rider 87, and Megatronix, among others. There are several areas created by “Factions” that offer entertainment as well, from DJs to robot battles, cyber cars, and even an in-world Allegiance system for those who want a more LARP-based experience.
There are groups featuring tabletop, classic and vintage video games, as well as Beyblades, which became something of a favorite ‘sport’ among attendees. And we haven’t even mentioned the Sentinels yet, either.
“The event can be experienced on multiple levels,” Butler explained. “Attendees can just relax (in costume) and have fun dancing and listening to music, or they can dive in deeper and create a character that becomes part of the greater story.”
Tickets for Neotropolis 2024 just went on sale this morning. Festival organizers expect it to sell out quicker than in previous years.
