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 July 3, 2024: Jagex has issued an update for ticket holders regarding RuneFest, having now moved the date to 2025.

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?

On July 3, 2024, Jagex confirmed that RuneFest is indeed still happening. However, the date has now been moved to March 2025. In a statement, the company said, "We want to thank our fans for their patience while we found solutions to ensure RuneFest goes ahead, and we’re excited to confirm the new date in March next year,

 RuneFest is now a standalone, independently-run event with the same ambition: bringing our wonderful community together to celebrate our games."

Following the closure of Insomina Gaming Festival, RuneFest has moved to being its own standalone event. The show will now take place across March 1 - 2, 2025, at the NEC in Birmingham, UK. An additional 1,000 tickets have been made available for fans to purchase. Existing tickets will be automatically transferred and will be valid for the new dates and venue.