LevelUp Longmont

LevelUp Longmont is a one-day esports event that celebrates competition, creativity, and community. At the heart of the event is a livestreamed esports tournament at the Longmont Museum. Surrounding it is an all-ages festival with outdoor activities, vendor booths, pick-up games, a convention-style tabletop/card game room, tech demos, local art and culture, watch parties, and a Quest Log, a bingo-style activity where festival goers complete challenges by visiting booths and doing activities to gain Experience Points (XP) for prizes. Proposed date is Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026.

“LevelUp Longmont was an exhilarating and joyful platform for Housing and Community Investment to reach residents about the Homeowner Rehab Program. Through our participation, we were able to connect directly with families and successfully identify six potential applicants, who were otherwise unfamiliar with the program. The Homeowner Rehab program focuses on addressing health and safety concerns while making critical construction upgrades to protect homeowners from weather-related damage and accessibility challenges, by providing grants up to $25,000.00. The event allowed us to build rapport with community members, in a low-stakes environment, which allowed for deeper connections and more authentic outreach to a City Department. The playful, engaging environment helped build trust and opened important conversations about what makes a safe, healthy home.  On behalf of the Housing and Community Investment Division, we found LevelUp Longmont to be an effective and impactful outreach opportunity, and we highly recommend it to other City departments seeking innovative ways to connect with residents.” — Alexis McCowan- Housing and Community Investment Program Specialist

“Participating in LevelUp Longmont gave NextLight a unique opportunity to connect with Longmont’s gaming community and their families in a fun, high-energy setting. As the event’s WiFi and technology partner, we were proud to help power the tournament while talking with players and parents about the importance of fast, reliable home internet, especially for gaming. It was exciting to see so many residents stop by our booth to learn more about NextLight, our Gig+ speeds, and digital wellness. Events like this help us connect with our community on a more personal level, and we’re proud to support an event that celebrates technology, competition, and community.” — Audri Bobo, NextLight Marketing Manager

We love our volunteers! Please email Tracey Steele to be added to our list of interested volunteers. Positions will be assigned later this year.

Northern Colorado gamers have a power-up nobody else can match: really good local internet. Just ask PC Magazine, which named Loveland’s Pulse and Longmont’s NextLight municipal internet services as the nation’s Best Gaming ISPs for 2026.  

Read the article.

Thank you to everyone who made our first LevelUp Longmont event a success!

Tournament players enjoyed:

• grand prizes: EON Manufacturing is providing our tournament winners with custom-designed 60% aluminum mechanical gaming keyboards
• branded player jerseys
• meal voucher
• opportunities for interviews and the spotlight (if you want it!)
• all matches in the tournament will be livestreamed

Festivalgoers enjoyed:

• food trucks: Sweet Cow and Marco’s Hot Dogs & Tacos
• an F1 simulator
• completing a quest log of activities
• indoor and outdoor games
• meeting the tournament players
• vendor booths and tables
• livestreams of the tournament
• a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere
• giveaways, prizes, swag and more!