You can celebrate “Bring Your Kids to Work Day,” or you can be a real parental hero and bring your budding geeks to the GeekWire Bash on Thursday, March 7.
We’re big believers that there’s no age requirement on being a geek, and that’s why — for the first time in our history — our annual geek festival will be open to families. More than 1,500 people attend the GeekWire Bash at CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle — including a number of leading technology companies from across the region — to participate in a wide-range of activities: ping pong, dodgeball, foosball, board games, virtual reality and much more.
We’re once again rolling in the video game trucks for some exciting video game action, everything from Rocket League to FIFA to Minecraft. We’ve also created a new STEM-oriented Junior Geek Zone, where partners will host fun activities like mini rocket building and a portable planetarium.
The hallmark of our new family-friendly area: A 24-team GeekWire Robotics Cup, where more than 200 grade and middle school participants from the non-profit FIRST Washington will compete with specially-created Lego-based robots.
Watch the action as these future engineers compete with creations tied to the theme of “Into Orbit” — celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing.
A special $25 ticket type has been created for kids, with the Bash geared toward ages 5-17. Tickets include limited food and drinks.
Grab tickets for you and your junior geek(s) here or below.
This one-of-a-kind event is fun for geeks of all ages. Here are some of the fun activities you and your kids can enjoy at the GeekWire Bash:
1. Explore the all-new Junior Geek Zone: Launch a paper rocket or explore the solar system in the Pacific Science Center’s portable planetarium; interact with exhibitors at Camp STEM including Code.org, DigiPen Project Fun, The Academy of Interactive Entertainment and Mighty Coders; play with the Museum of Flight’s Ozobots and take the Battle Tracks challenge at the Play-Well TEKnologies’ station.
2. Get your game on: Visit the tabletop gaming zone to discover a new family game or learn how to play Magic the Gathering with Meeples Games. Love video games? We’ve got those too! Play on the latest consoles in the Game Truck and FIFA lounge.
3. Watch great competitions: Cheer on the GeekWire Robotics Cup competitors made up of more than 200 kids in 4th to 8th grades (who knows, maybe your junior geek will be competing next year!) or watch adults play like kids in the official ping pong, foosball and dodgeball tournaments.
4. Go play: Grab a paddle in the open play area and see who’s the best ping pong player in the family. Or, you can head to the sumo mat and try to topple your friends, family or fellow Bash attendees (sumo for ages 13 and up). There will be giant games like Jenga, Connect 4 and chess, too.
The GeekWire Bash, presented by First Tech Federal Credit Union, comes but once a year. If you’ve got a Lego-loving kid, a future video game designer or a pint-sized lover of technology, math and science, bring them out to the Bash to play, engage and mingle with geeks of all ages. Grab your tickets below!
