TwitchCon
TwitchCon is an annual convention for the video livestreaming service Twitch. It is organized by Twitch Interactive and focuses on the culture of livestreaming, entertainment, esports and internet culture. TwitchCon is open to industry professionals, streamers, and fans; the convention allows community members to meet streamers, discover new products, and try out upcoming games.
The first convention was held in 2015 in San Francisco at the Moscone Center. In 2019, the first European convention was held in Berlin at the CityCube. TwitchCon is hosted twice a year, in North America for three days and in Europe for two days. All North American conventions are held in California, except for 2023, in which the event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The North American convention is most frequently hosted in San Diego at the San Diego Convention Center. The European conventions have been held in Berlin, Paris, and most commonly the Netherlands.
TwitchCon North America
2015: San Francisco
The inaugural TwitchCon was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on September 25 and 26, 2015. The event was organized by Twitch, and featured a keynote by Twitch CEO Emmett Shear. All of the convention's panels were livestreamed on Twitch.2016: San Diego
In 2016, the convention was moved to the San Diego Convention Center and expanded to a three-day annual event, taking place from September 30 to October 2. This TwitchCon introduced sponsors such as Xbox, Truth, and Amazon Game Studios.2017: Long Beach
In 2017, TwitchCon took place at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California from October 20–22. This included the first esports tournaments to be held at TwitchCon included H1Z1 Arena, Lineage 2: Revolution 30 vs 30 Fortress Siege Showcase, and Power Rangers: Legacy Wars Showdown.2018: San Jose
TwitchCon 2018 took place at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California from October 26–28, 2018. The main presentation was held on the first day of the event by djWHEAT, director of Twitch studios, who made numerous statements about forthcoming features for the platform. Twitch Speaks, a speaking series first presented at TwitchCon 2018, featured Tony Hawk, Kevin Smith, Felicia Day, Emmett Shear, and Ninja. The Fall Skirmish final, a competitive Fortnite tournament final, was held at TwitchCon 2018, at the time making it the second largest Fortnite LAN event held.2019: San Diego
TwitchCon North America returned to San Diego, taking place from September 27–29, 2019. It introduced the debut of an updated Twitch logo, TwitchCon logo, and brand design. This was the second time the event had been held in San Diego, with the first being held in 2016. This was also the first time a TwitchCon event was held at a venue more than one time.2020 and 2021 cancellation
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TwitchCon North America, which was scheduled to occur at the San Diego Convention Center between September 25 and 27, 2020, as well as TwitchCon 2021, was canceled. On November 14, 2020, in lieu of TwitchCon, Twitch held a 12-hour virtual convention named "GlitchCon". Over 425 streamers participated in the event. Notable activities included Twitch Rivals tournaments for Fortnite and Fall Guys, the Austin Talent Show featuring judges T-Pain and Andy Milonakis, and a US$1 million donation being made to the AbleGamers Foundation.2022: San Diego
TwitchCon North America 2022 took place at the San Diego Convention Center from October 7-9. This was the third time the event has been held in San Diego. The events required face coverings and had numerous COVID-19 prevention protocols in place.The TwitchCon San Diego party was held at Petco Park, and featured the artists Meet Me at The Altar, Kim Petras, and Megan Thee Stallion. The party gained significant media attention when an attendee cosplaying as Master Chief from the Halo series of video games was allowed on stage during a performance with Megan Thee Stallion.
However, many people were critical of the San Diego event. One of the more notable criticisms of the event was the lack of security protocols in place for exhibitors, resulting in overcrowded venues and reported stalking incidents. Legion by Lenovo and Intel hosted an interactive exhibit that involved attendees dueling in an arena using large padded instruments and landing in a pit of foam cubes. However, the arena was not padded properly, with two feet of foam cubes resting on a concrete floor, causing people to land with significant force, resulting in various injuries.
Actress and Twitch Streamer Adriana Chechik reported that she had broken her back in several places after landing, and she had to undergo surgery to set the fracture with a rod implant, as well as terminate her newly discovered pregnancy. Lenovo and Intel both remained silent on the matter. Chechik posted on social media that neither Intel, Lenovo, or Twitch had contacted her directly about the incident.
At TwitchCon 2022, Twitch did not announce a location for the next TwitchCon event during the closing ceremony, breaking the years-old tradition.
2023: Las Vegas
TwitchCon North America 2023 took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 20–22, marking the first time the event was hosted outside of California. With over 30,000 attendees, the event featured key platform updates, including new collaboration tools, expanded emote slots, and enhanced safety measures like chat warnings and policies against doxxing and swatting. Panels, meet-and-greets, and product demos from brands like Elgato and Corsair added to the interactive experience, making it a memorable event for the streaming community.2024: San Diego
TwitchCon North America made its return to the San Diego Convention Center in California from September 20–22, 2024, marking its first time back in San Diego since 2022. The opening ceremony was kicked off by Mary Kish, Twitch's Director of Community Marketing. As part of the ceremony, Twitch announced a $100,000 donation to Alveus Sanctuary, which was received by its founder, Twitch Streamer Maya Higa. Additionally, Twitch revealed the dates for the following year's event, reviving the tradition of announcing future TwitchCon dates during the convention for the first time since 2022.File:TwitchCon Block Party.png|thumb|Photo of the main stage at the Block Party at the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego|225x225pxThe event also featured popular shows and activities, including The Table ft. QTCinderella, Name Your Price LIVE! ft. AustinShow & WillNeff, and the classic Twitch Rivals Ultimate Challenge, among many others.TwitchCon 2024 was also the first year in which Twitch did not offer a concert event. In place, Twitch offered attendees a "Block Party" add-on to the TwitchCon pass. The Block Party allowed attendees access to a blocked-off section of the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego from 7 to 10 PM on September 21. Twitch partnered with local businesses to offer free food, drinks, and alcoholic beverages to attendees of the event, as well as live music, karaoke sessions, and lounge areas.
2025: San Diego
TwitchCon North America returned to the San Diego Convention Center on October 17–19, 2025. The event marked 10 years of TwitchCon.Prior to the event, several major creators publicly opted out of attending the event, citing safety concerns. During the event, Twitch streamer Emiru was assaulted by a fan, who grabbed her and attempted to kiss her before her personal security intervened. Twitch responded by stating that the company "immediately blocked this individual from returning to the TwitchCon premises", which Emiru denied, calling the statement a "blatant lie". Twitch initially planned to suspend the person from the platform for 30 days, and then indefinitely only after Emiru pushed back. She stated that the fan was allowed to walk away after his attempted assault and was only caught hours after the incident. Furthermore, she commented that she felt TwitchCon staff did not take the assault seriously and noted that Twitch had banned her preferred bodyguard in a previous TwitchCon for "holding a stalker’s arm to bring him to police".