Fragapalooza is an annual video game festival held over four days during the summer. The event started in 1997 in Edmonton by a group of gaming enthusiasts and has expanded each year. This is the fifth year the event has been hosted in Leduc and the Leduc Recreation Centre. Fragapalooza began on Thursday August 6 and concluded Sunday August 9.
Attendees bring their own computer and play PC or console games on a high speed local area network. They can also participate in official staff run tournaments or ones run by various participants.
During the four days spectators were welcomed to attend and many took advantage of the free admission to the event watching the various activities and cheering on their favorite gamer.
Gamers also had an opportunity to take part in numerous giveaways provided throughout the four days by the Fragapalooza staff. There were random draws, crowd toss-ups, and venue-wide challenges to motivate individuals while providing some unique prizes.
Over 300 participants were in attendance during the event coming from all over western Canada and a few from the United States. Wyatt Berlinic came as far away as Cambridge, Massachusetts to participate in Fragapalooza. Wyatt is originally from a small town in eastern Saskatchewan and after graduating from the University of Saskatchewan was hired by Microsoft and relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. Some of his Saskatchewan friends told him about Fragapalooza and he decided to join them. He found it a great way to rekindle old friendships and have fun doing it.
Fragapalooza growth can be contributed to the support from a growing list of sponsors that have provided the stimulus and encouragement to the event. The increase in registrations required the hosting committee to open up the overflow seating area.