Robot Apocalypse: Journey to the End of the Night

Name: Robot Apocalypse: Journey to the End of the Night
Start: 2025-09-20T17:00:00-05:00
Location: N Lincoln Park W, Chicago, IL 60614, United States

Schedule

Sat, 20 Sep, 2025 at 05:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

N Lincoln Park W, Chicago, IL 60614, United States | Chicago, IL

Here’s the Plot to the Game
"You cannot win. Humanity is obsolete."
It’s still Chicago but it’s the year 2075 and you are on the run from killer robots. Your hideout has just been discovered. But you have a map with details about some safe secret locations (checkpoints) where you just might be able to take a rest and discover some secrets for survival. You just have to get to those locations before the robots tag you and turn you into one of their own!
Since 2006, Journey to the End of the Night has delighted thousands of people all around the world as a challenge that pits your wits against the city streets. Will you avoid getting tagged by one of Chicago’s killer robots on the loose? Or will you join the robots and try to catch as many people as you can?
Either way, expect to see a side of the City you’ve never experienced before, and join your fellow competitors afterwards to hear and share your craziest stories of the night. Near misses, amazing tags, and fast friends made in the alleys you’d never have ducked down if it weren’t for RA:JEN.
It might not be enough to be fast… stealth and resourcefulness will help you survive this challenge!
Is this a race! (A bar crawl?) Maybe it’s more like a park crawl?
Chicago’s Robot Apocalypse: Journey to the End of the Night, at its heart, is a way to discover the city in new and exciting ways! And on your own terms. You will meet at a predetermined meeting place. There you will receive a map to three secret locations and two ribbons.
One will be red. One will be blue.
The blue one will be placed on your arm. The red one will go in your pocket.
Beginning at 7:00pm you will follow the map across the city trying to make it to the secret checkpoints as quickly as you can. All the while you’ll be chased by robots wearing red ribbons.
If you get caught, you will hand over your blue ribbon as a prize to the chaser. You will take the red ribbon out of your pocket and place it around your arm. You are now a robot. The object of the game is to get to checkpoints without getting tagged or to catch as many runners as you can.
This is a footrace–As you go from place to place, only your own two feet and public transit are permitted. No bicycles, no skates, no cars, no taxis.
Rules Keep You Safe
1. Chasers (Robots) may only catch one person at a time.
2. You must take the blue ribbon before you tag another runner.
3. Checkpoints are safe zones. No one can be tagged in a safe zone.
4. Safe zones will be noted on the map you receive in the beginning. (Both sides of the street are safe.)
5. Public transportation is always a safe zone. The only thing that counts as public transit are buses and trains.
6. If there is an argument about who got caught, you settle it like adults in the dark of night between each other remembering the game is meant to be fun. (Runners make final decisions on whether or not they got caught.)
7. Everyone who makes it to the finish line is a winner and will receive a prize.
8. The runner who reaches the finish line first wins a trophy.
9. The chaser who captures the most runners wins a trophy.
🔴 Obey all traffic laws. Your safety needs to be our and your highest priority. There are no real stakes. Even if you get caught, you can still win. 🔴
Where does the route go?
This is classified information and varies from place to place. That said, Chicago’s Robot Apocalypse: Journey to the End of the Night aims to give players a fuller appreciation for our City. Organizers create a route to send the pursuit through a variety of neighborhoods with a variety of atmospheres, and volunteers create checkpoints that are strange, fun, and welcoming.
Clever tips on Surviving the Night
Travel light. The less you have weighing you down, the faster you’ll be escaping chasers. Wear comfortable shoes, dress for the weather, bring some water and possibly a camera.
Arrive a little early. Organizers will be at the start early, so you can collect a map and plot out your route without time pressure. If you don’t have a plan, you could find yourself running in the wrong direction.
When you see a chaser, run. Get around a corner and hide, or try to make it to the nearest safe zone. Always know where the nearest safe zone is.
Bring a friend or two. Preferably ones you can outrun.
Fill up your transit card. Parts of the journey may be faster on public transit. Also, a transit map may prove useful.
The most direct route between two checkpoints is likely to be the way most patrolled by chasers. Take a longer route to reach the safe zone from another angle.
Keep your eyes open. Anyone could be a chaser.
Move quickly, but try not to draw suspicion. They’ll be looking for your ribbon (you can’t hide it), but it’s dark and details are often hard to see at a distance. If they start moving towards you, be ready to run.