Sail the Sea of Thieves and get your Pirate on at Fest of Legends 2024
Taking swash buckling adventures from the screen to real life When you think about pirate-themed video games the first thing that comes to m...
With such a large following behind it and the regular addition of content from Rare, it's no surprise that a convention for the game would pop up eventually. SoT Fest is the UK-based convention for the game, but with it being in Walsall it is quite the sword lunge away from the North American fan base, or really any other fan bases outside of Europe.
Enter Fest of Legends! The only Sea of Thieves convention in North America and the only other Sea of Thieves convention in the world. Taking place in Columbus, Ohio – because only the truest of pirates find ways to sail in the middle of a country, nowhere near any significant sources of water! – it started in 2023 and its second annual gathering is right around the corner in a week's time! The 2024 convention will be held at the Nationwide Hotel & Event Center in Columbus from July 19th through July 21st.
So what's so great about Fest of Legends? Quite a lot actually. There are a ton of activities to do, content creator panels to watch, a cosplay competition and more. But how much stuff is there to actually take part in, you ask? Well, let me lay it all out for you so you can read just how far this convention has come in just one year!
Start your engines...eerrrr SAILS!
Dread Pirate Doug, the creator and host of Fest of Legends, has been running an in-game competition that has garnered quite the following called the Race of Legends, and the World Championship finals will be taking place at Fest of Legends!
To give you an idea of the scope of this competition- Since its inception, there have been over 600 competitors, 130 competitions, and 10 seasons! The Race of Legends pits crews against each other in a mad dash across the Sea of Thieves. Each season brings a new path to sail and new objectives for the crews to complete at each island along the way. It's quite exhilarating and fun to watch, and is something I highly recommend viewing while you're at the convention. For more information on the Race of Legends please visit www.raceoflegends.com. The winners of Race of Legends will receive Affiliate Alliance sails AND beautiful FoL burned wood plaques.
The Mini Race of Legends - a much more lighthearted, real-world version of the Race of Legends - will also be taking place at the convention on Sunday, July 21st. This version will be taking over the real seas, aka the hotel's swimming pool, and pitting miniature sail ships being controlled by only the wind, aka fans on sticks, against each other. Look... we're in Ohio, give us a break. The competitors will have to navigate many obstacles as well as avoid the remote controlled Megalodon to make it to the finish. It's a blast to watch and makes for a lot of good laughs! The winner of the competition will win the Affiliate Alliance sails!
Man the cannons, prepare to board!
Another long-standing competition in the Sea of Thieves is the Cutlass Crusades, and the Championships will be taking place at Fest of Legends as well. This competition is much more geared towards the PvP aspect of the game, with teams competing against each other to hoard the most valuable treasures to ultimately bring to the Reaper's Hideout at the end of each round to get the highest score. With limited weapon loadouts per ship size and high stakes, high reward loot to seek out the Cutlass Crusades is the competition all of those Reapers that hunt the Sea of Thieves will want to watch. However fierce the competition may seem though the Cutlass Crusades raises money for charity, so these Reapers actually have hearts of gold. For more information on the Cutlass Crusades please visit www.cutlasscrusades.com. The winners of Cutlass Crusades have a bevy of loot they can earn - too much to list here!
A pretty pirate ship is a happy pirate ship
During the Fest of Legends there will be a Boat Decorating contest taking place for those who want to show their artistic side. If you were quick enough to pre-purchase one of these miniature boats, you’ll have three days to decorate it before the final winner selection on Sunday, July 21st. The winners can choose from the Obsidian Capstan or Obsidian Banjo. If what we saw last year is any indication expect to see some unique designs!
Last year we saw some absolutely astounding cosplay and we hear rumors our winners are coming back for more! I can’t wait to see what people come up with - hopefully not all Captain Jack Sparrows, although if I do see even one Guybrush Threepwood I would be very excited!
A pirate's wit is as important as his sword
What is this Game Show you might ask? I guess you'll have to come to the convention to find out! Many prizes are lined up for the Game Show including the sought after Affiliate Alliance sails for the winner!
There will be a Photo Booth with all of the pirate props you could ever want to spice up and slice up your pirate pictures! There will also be a Giant Cardboard Pirate Ship to allow for more awesome photo opportunities. Don't get too rowdy as the only insurance pirates ever have for injuries is a mug of grog, a hack saw and a peg leg!
Aye, The Sea Whispers Secrets to Those Who Dare Listen.
Don't forget about the Creator Panels that will be taking place over the span of the convention. We have popular Sea of Thieves personalities from around the world coming to chat with us. The list of creators is as follows:
- Captain Logun: Day 1 Pirate, In-Game Skeleton Captain and Host of the keelhauled Podcast
- KroTukk: Sea of Thieves funny man and possibly the most bearded pirate on the high seas
- World of Chap: Sea of Thieves YouTube and TikTok sensation
- PushinWood: Sea of Thieves Partner and creator of custom Sea of Thieves skateboards
- Captain McEire: Twitch, TikTok and Instagram legendary pirate
- Jon Bardcore: YouTube personality and the self-proclaimed Banana King of the Seas
- SlothyBearr: Sea of Thieves Charity Fundraising extraordinaire
- Donald McRonald: Twitch Partner and self-proclaimed Richard Simmons of Burger Clownery
The Rare Digital Panel will also be taking place on Saturday, July 20th. Sea of Thieves developers Mike Chapman, Shelley Preston and Andrew Preston will be attending this digital panel hosted by HitboTC! Don't miss out on this exciting event as this is Rare's first appearance at Fest of Legends! You have to be at the convention to experience it as it will NOT be recorded!
X Marks the spot!
The Pirate Bingo Card can be filled out by visiting different vendors and events at the convention. Consider it to be your strategy guide to seeing and doing everything there is in the ga – I mean! – at the convention!
There will be a Giant Pirate Word Search with over 200 Sea of Thieves and pirate terms to find. Work with your fellow scallywags to complete it before the convention is over, but always make sure to keep an eye out behind you for those diabolical Reapers.
Sign a Flag returns to Fest of Legends 2024! Make sure your “X” marks the spot on the flag as it will surely fill up fast!
Do not forget to grab some booty!
Now that I've talked about all of the stuff to do and watch at the convention, I would like to take some time to talk about the vendors that will be attending the convention as well as the Fest of Legends Charity Table.
Vincent Gordon, hailing from Colorado like me, will be returning this year! He is the artist who designed the Fest of Legends logo, t-shirts and some of the other themed merchandise. He will be doing live art at the convention! Get ready to see some of the most unique and psychedelic art be unleashed! For more information about Vincent please visit www.vincentgordon.com.
Kyleia the A-fish-ionado, myself, will be selling “officially unofficial” hand-made Fest of Legends 2024 merchandise at the merch table, as well as if you missed your opportunity to order a shirt - don’t fret - we’ll have that opportunity for you to order & have it shipped to your home!
Officially unofficial, you ask? Here’s a description of what we’ll have available:
The Fest of Legends '24 Jar Collectible is the perfect item for those looking to get something truly shiny! There are two versions of the jar to delight pirates on both sides of the proverbial doubloon. The respectable Athena's Fortune version comes with purple and teal glitter to show your allegiance to The Pirate Lord! The despicable Reapers version comes with black and red glitter to strike fear into the hearts of your victims! All versions include a sheet that has the Fest of Legends '24 logo on one side and the lyrics to "We Shall Sail Together" on the other. Each bottle is also topped with a random charm and has three random seashells inside making each jar unique unto itself!
The Fest of Legends '24 Treasure Chest gives you all of the essentials a pirate needs! Inside you'll find a Chicken, Pig, Snake, the ever important Pineapple, all three of the colored Mermaid Gems, a Miniature Compass and a Pirate Coin. You'll also get a very fashionable Pirate Slap Bracelet for all of those times when you need to look "cool" very quickly! Each chest is also emblazoned with a Fest of Legends '24 logo on the bottom. Each chest is unique with no two sharing the exact same booty!
The Pirate Positivity Bag will bring out all of the smiles! It includes 1 Shark, 1 Pirate, 2 Positivity and 4 random stickers. It also comes with a sheet of Pirate temporary tattoos! Put stickers on your cutlass, pistol or even that Reaper's face right before they murder you! Each bag has unique items so no two are alike!
The Fest of Legends '24 Brigantine Bundle includes 1 Pirate Positivity Bag, 1 Fest of Legends Jar Collectible of your choosing and 1 Fest of Legends Treasure Chest at a discounted price! This is for those captains looking to save a few doubloons and still get their booty!
The Fest of Legends '24 Galleon Bundle includes 1 Pirate Positivity Bag, both Fest of Legends Jar Collectible variants and 1 Fest of Legends Treasure Chest at a steeply discounted price! This is the one for the truly wise and thrifty captains who want the world and all of the gold in it!
PushinWood's Boards will be selling custom, hand decorated, Sea of Thieves inspired skateboards decks. This is for those pirates that want to show off their “sick moves” before searching for fruit to help with their scurvy, or just want one of the coolest things they’ve ever seen for a wall decoration. Check out PushinWood's designs on X/Twitter.
The Extra Life Raffle Table, a dear cause to our emcee Davrim's heart, will have a number of items and are be sponsored by the following amazing companies:
- Pirate Dice Box: @woods_dirty
- Skull King: @GrandpaBecks
- Pirate Borg: @limithron
- Pirate Dice Set: @foambrain
- Lost Loot: @DPHGames
- Raccoon Sky Pirates: Hectic Electron Games
- Skallywager: SRG
100% of the money raised at the Extra Life Raffle Table will go to Nationwide Children's Hospital.
A pirate's life for us
As you can tell there is so much here to entertain each and every one, but honestly, the coolest part of Fest of Legends is getting to meet and spend time with other people. Meet your crew, your community, make new friends.
Tickets for Fest of Legends 2024 are still available. You can get the full 3-Day Pass for $135 or 1-Day Passes for $69! Make sure to get them now as tickets are nearly sold out!
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
Fest of Legends 2024 will have an After Party the night of Saturday, July 20th hosted by Dread Pirate Doug. This will include a surprise artist playing live music and snacks. There will also be a cash bar serving alcoholic drinks. I even heard that Doug may be doing a surprise performance for us! Tickets are still available until Sunday, July 14th but they are selling out very quickly!
For more information about Fest of Legends 2024 please visit www.festoflegends.com.
And that wraps up all of the info for Fest of Legends 2024. Make sure to visit www.geeksvsgeeks.com for more reviews on video games, board games and related gaming news. Don't miss out on our PAX West 2024 articles coming later this year with exciting information on the future of indie gaming!
