PAX Aus will return to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in 2021, taking place 8-10 October. The games community is rejoicing at the expo’s return to the real world, after 2020 saw PAX Aus merge with PAX West to form the ten-day online event PAX Online, which included a virtual artists’ alley, expo hall and indie showcase.
The announcement statement acknowledged that 2020 ‘challenged from every direction’, and promised a total return to form with an in-person event:
‘At PAX Aus HQ we tasked ourselves to think differently about how to best connect this amazing community of gaming fans. We’ve focused on delivering meaningful virtual content such as PAX Online and PAX Presents and our brand-new PAX Australia Discord channel.’
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If I promise to socially distance can I come 🥺
— Paladin Amber (@PaladinAmber) March 10, 2021
The announcement reiterated that the expo would ‘take all necessary precautions for public health and follow national and local health guidelines that are in place at the time of our event.’ The organisers added that:
- ‘Tickets will initially be limited to reflect the current capacity restrictions of Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, which we hope will continue to relax as we get closer to PAX Aus 2021, and allow us to release more tickets
- ‘Ticket purchases would be refunded to ticket purchases who are unable to travel due to COVID-19 border closures, or due to quarantine restrictions.’
