Kent Nerd Party 2026

The Kent Nerd Party, brought to you by The Game Shelf, where downtown Kent transforms into the ultimate haven for nerds!

The Nerd Party is a street-wide event with a cosplay contest, miniature painting contest, Lego museum, LARP games, outdoor vendors, food trucks and more.

All nerds are welcome—whether you love science fiction, fantasy, horror, anime, gaming, or one of the other innumerable geeky pursuits!

Applications to sell at the Kent Nerd Party can be found here!

Volunteers make the Kent Nerd Party possible. Meet awesome people, experience the event from a new angle, AND get a free KNP tshirt. Volunteer!

The Game Shelf, The Kent Downtown Partnership,Ezee Fiber, Page Turner Books, 4Culture, Tents and Party Rents, BrickCon, Chiro One Wellness Centers, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, SeaLUG, Seattle Indies, Big Wu Fitness, Game Bound Video Games Seapine Brewing,Maggie's On Meeker, Republic Services, Bricks and Wheels, Running Stitch Fabrics Jurrasic Ink Zephyr Workshop

Info: Located outside 202 W Gowe St from 2PM to 7PM

Ages 21 and up only! Have your ID ready.

Card & tap-to-pay only–no cash accepted.

Enjoy a refreshing beer or cider alongside food from the nearby food vendors! Beer provided by our sponsor Seapine Brewing Company and cider by our sponsor 2 Towns Ciderhouse.

Info: Come game with Seattle Indies at 207 1st Ave S

Info: Come to Rosebed Park for a unique opportunity to learn and experience Historical European Martial Arts!

Info: Need a place to retreat & recharge? Visit the back room at Jurassic Ink Tattoo for a break from stimuli to avoid sensory overload

Info: Come check out the BLAZE Robotics booth where they’ll be featuring:
“Drive-a-Robot” Station: An interactive area where attendees can get hands-on experience and try driving robots themselves.
Competition-Level Demos: Live maneuvers of our high-performance robots to showcase advanced engineering and programming
3D Printing in Action: demonstrations of how they design and print custom parts for their machines

Info: Authors will be selling and signing their own books! See website for full descriptions. Jeff Grubb, Stan!, Drew Huff, Kimberly Wheelock, M.T. Zimmy, Heather Greye R.K. Devon, Steffi Thomas, Arledge Comics, Rayna L. Stiner, Walsh Wettengle, Kasandra Davis, Mockery and Vodka Presents, JD Davenport, Travis Corwin, Michael L Stevens.

Info: BigWu Fitness is hosting SeaLUG, a group of Seattle-based Lego brick enthusiasts, presents the Lego Museum! Their elaborate Lego creations, which often take hundreds of hours to create, will be on display for all to see.

Info: Cosplay malfunction? Not to worry! The team at Running Stitch Fabrics is here to save the day. Head into the store and ask for directions to the Cosplay Repair station–they’ll be happy to help!

Info: The Hallow Ian Horror Hour is Seattle's Scare-ity Show. Hallow Ian and the Graveyard Gang will be at Page Turner Books all day - come by to check out

Info: Level Up! Vocal Ensemble (LU!VE) invites you to experience some of your favorite video game songs in a live choir performance! Our concert will take you on a musical adventure, so you'd better bring a buddy to watch your back because we all know - it's dangerous to go along. LU!VE is a Seattle-based chamber choir with a mission to promote video game music through public performance, while building a supportive and fun community where members can level up their musicianship and share their creativity and passion. (singers will be masked during performance).

Info: For the first time, Kent's beloved Maggie's on Meeker will be open for the entirety of the Kent Nerd Party featuring model train displays! Come by anytime for something to eat during the event & after 3 to see some detailed train displays! Maggie's will be serving: Cold sandwiches, chicken strips, caesar salad w/ chicken; all above items come with your choice of french fries, chips, side salad, or fruit. As well as ice cream and cookies :)

Info: Located in 403 W Meeker St

Grab your cape, polish your armor, and enter the Kent Nerd Party’s cosplay contest! Whether you’re ready to strut your stuff or get inspired by this year’s winners, this is one event you won’t want to miss.

Categories:

Adult Cosplay (1 winner) – Prize $100
Children’s Cosplay (1 winner) – Prize $25
Honorable Mention (1 winner)
Sign-up and judging 4PM-5PM (capped at 30 participants), participant showcase and winners announced 5:30PM. Must participate in showcase & be present to win.

Info: Located in 403 W Meeker St
Grab your $1s and celebrate cosplay contest winner & the end of Kent Nerd Party with a dance party hosted by Tacoma's horror queens!

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Kent Downtown Partnership