Dreamhack brings back Stockholm as a location for its 30th anniversary

Dreamhack, an event organiser for gaming and esports events and is part of the ESL FaceIT Group, has announced its expansion of events to Stockholm, Sweden, adding to its portfolio of events it's looking to host in 2024.

Running from November 22-24th, it’s returning to the capital for the first time since 2018. It is the second event Dreamhack is looking to host in Sweden in 2024, other than their usual Dreamhack Winter event in Jonköping.

Not a replacement but an addition

Click to enlarge

“We're just excited that we can keep the legacy of DreamHack [in Jonköping], but also expand into a city that is not just replacing a Swedish city with another,” Shahin Zarrabi, VP of Festivals for Dreamhack said to us, while at Dreamhack Winter 2024, preempting potential fan concerns.

Zarrabi likens the approach to Dreamhack's expansions to other global cities like San Diego, Tokyo, and Melbourne. Stockholm, with its burgeoning gaming industry and international stature, offers infrastructural advantages, including better accessibility for partners, esports players, and creators

Over the weekend, Dreamhack ran its event in Jonköping, including esports competitions for games such as Brawl Stars and Counter-Strike, while also featuring expo components as well as a creator hub, inviting influencers from within the industry. According to Dreamhack, 45,000 visitors were in attendance at the Elmia Congress Center, breaking its record on Saturday. 

A gateway to esports

Click to enlarge

Within the ESL FaceIt Group portfolio, Dreamhack is positioned as a less hardcore, more open event format, which incorporates esports and connects it with a more casual gaming audience. Over the years, it has become a proving ground both for up-and-coming players but also esports titles.

“DreamHack has been a kingmaker in esports since 2009. The first League of Legends World's Finals were here. We’ve had Dota 2 majors and the first CS majors,” Zarrabi says, adding that “any game that is good enough to be an esports could fit within the scope of a festival whether it's a triple a production major or if it's your grassroots tournament.“

Described as a jump-off point, the same spirit holds true for ESL Challenger, according to Zarrabi: “It's always been at the level of finding the next top-tier team. There are a lot of teams that have been made at Dreamhack recently, thanks to what was previously Dreamhack Open and now ESL Challenger.”

This year, Ukrainian esports organisation Monte prevailed, beating Eternal Fire in the Grand Final in a close 2-0 victory. Through a victory at Dreamhack Winter, the team has qualified for the ESL Pro League Season 19, giving it the chance to directly compete against the world’s best teams.

Dreamhack is heading to Valencia, Spain soon, hitting of competition on the weekend starting December 7th, running further events a week later in Hannover, Germany and Atlanta, Georgia, USA simultaneously.