Has RuneFest 2024 Been Cancelled?

After a five-year hiatus, RuneFest is finally scheduled to return this September as part of the Insomnia Gaming Festival in Birmingham, UK. However, recent events surrounding event organiser Player1 laying off its staff and closing down Insomnia has left fans wondering about the state of RuneFest.

Update May 23, 2024: Jagex has issued an update for ticket holders regarding RuneFest 2024.

RuneFest 2024 Ticket Sales Postponed Following Insomnia Gaming Festival Closure

On May 14, 2024, the official RuneFest X account posted a statement regarding the postponement of a new wave of ticket sales for the upcoming event. The statement read, "Due to unforeseen circumstances we are postponing the sale of RuneFest tickets tomorrow (Wednesday, May 15th).

We understand this is disappointing, and we'd like to apologise for the inconvenience. We'll update you as soon as we have more information to share with you."

On May 23, Jagex issued a new statement in the interest of transparency for ticket holders. The statement revealed that some of the Player1 Events team the company had been working with for RuneFest are "no longer with the company." In regards to tickets and the continuation of RuneFest, the statement read, "Whilst we cannot give a definitive answer today, please be assured that we are working to explore every opportunity possible, and we will update you as soon as we have more news to share."

RuneFest's intitial wave of ticket sales sold out rapidly with Jagex later informing fans that more tickets were to be made available later, though this new batch has now been postponed. There are currently no available options to purchase tickets on the official RuneFest website. 

Is RuneFest 2024 Still Happening?

At the time of writing, RuneFest's future remains unclear. Neither Jagex or Insomnia Gaming Festival has put out a confirmation on whether or not RuneFest 2024 will still be going ahead. It's likely that, in the event that RuneFest 2024 isn't cancelled, the organisers will look for a new venue. 

The official FAQs for RuneFest explain that the event is separate to Insomnia Gaming Festival, though RuneFest tickets did also grant attendees weekend access to the festival as a perk.

The event is currently expected to take place in Birmingham NEC Arena on 7th & 8th September, 2024. It is set to be the biggest real world celebration of all things RuneScape, featuring activities, merchandise, content creator appearances and more. We will be sure to update this article with more information as it is made available.