#1 | VGM Jam, Vintage Bazaar, IbashoCon

Plus some thoughts on starting this newsletter.

Author

Matias Faundez
January 10, 2025

Community Cork Board

Today on the cork board: NERD GATE Southeast!

  • I’m Matias and I made a newsletter. This is an outlet for me to share all about nerd culture happenings in my area, and I hope you use it to share what’s happening around you too. Check out the launch post on the homepage or email me with any thoughts or recommendations at [email protected]

    – Matias

Upcoming events

Some recommendations on things to do over the next few months.

Triangle Video Game Music (VGM) Jam

Raleigh, NC – January 16, 2025 @ 5 PM - 8 PM | IG: @trianglevgmjams

This is as local as it gets. If you like live music, jazz jams, and video games, this is for you.

The Turnabout Players (IG: @turnaboutplayers) will be hosting their first video game music jam of the year. This is 3 hours of live music jams, where the band and members of the audience (could be you!) jam over popular video game tunes in a jazz form style.

Super informal, very fun, and a great FREE local event to attend. The jam will take place at the Hartwell (IG: @hartwellraleigh) from 5 PM until 8 PM. If you want to take part as a musician, there will be a signup sheet available.

Join the discord server: https://discord.com/invite/76MUa5pVtx

Cost: Free!

Address: Hartwell, 620 W South St, Raleigh, NC 27603

Raleigh Retro Gamers @ NC Vintage Bazaar

Raleigh, NC – January 18-19, 2025 | Official website

Video games + vintage clothing? 🤔

The Raleigh Retro Gamers have been holding pop-up gaming stations & markets around town, and this month they’re teaming up with the NC Vintage Bazaar. I haven’t been to the vintage bazaar, but it’s apparently the biggest vintage clothing event in North Carolina! Here’s what the Raleigh Retro Gamers have to say:

Expect retro video game setups 🎮, photobooths 📸, live music 🎵, food trucks 🍴, and a vibe you won’t forget.

Cost: The vintage bazaar charges $18.49 for a single-day pass online. They’ll also be selling bazaar tickets at the door for $15 after 2 PM, subject to availability. (Get tickets here.)

Address: NC State Fairgrounds Expo Center, 4825 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

IbashoCon

Raleigh, NC – February 22-23, 2025 | Official website

Here’s a new one! It’s the inaugural year of IbashoCon in Raleigh! This convention is all about Asian pop-culture. Here’s some of what we’ll find at the event: Cosplay contests, video game tournaments, special guests, and (what I’m really interested in) K-Pop dance competitions.

Fun fact: Ibasho (居場所) translates to “a place where one can be oneself.”

This could be an interesting event, so I’ll be there to check it out. Reply to this email if you want to meet up there and we’ll coordinate something!

Saturday to Sunday at the Hilton Raleigh North Hills hotel.

Cost*: $40.22 for a single-day pass. Other options available up to $171.30 for a sponsor badge with extra perks.

*Their website previously mentioned a coupon code. You could try it and see if it still works: JOYFUL15

Address: Hilton Raleigh North Hills, 3415 Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609

Let’s create something together

Five years ago, I was consistently going out and attending all kinds of events that I enjoyed. I explored new types of businesses and met fascinating and creative people. But when the pandemic hit, everything changed. We all went indoors, businesses closed, events canceled, and I stopped meeting those people. I lost a significant part of my social life.

That first year was characterized by scrolling social media, playing video games, and going on quiet lonely walks in the suburbs. Even as things reopened, I fell into a pattern of staying home and not doing anything out in the world. I was comfortable. But I wasn’t happy. I longed for the world before the pandemic, where I was actively seeking out events and meeting interesting people.

Now I’m trying to reconnect with that world. I spend more time searching for nerdy businesses that draw me in and attending events I enjoy. And meeting interesting people and creators who are into nerd culture. So I thought I should document and share my findings with others. And if I can discover all these things happening in our local community, there have to be others who know about events I don’t know about. We could share that knowledge!

I want to create a community space where we can do just that. I’ve decided to dedicate the time to curate, compile, and archive this information. And package it up into a pretty newsletter that is enjoyable to read.

I also want this newsletter to be a platform for other individuals to share their own findings. And if someone creates something exciting, I want them to have the platform to tell others about it. This newsletter can help us rediscover the experiences and connections we lost five years ago. It can also spark new ideas and foster a greater sense of community that many of us have been missing.

The strength and value of this newsletter will grow as more and more people participate. So I hope you’ll be a part of making it great. Since this is a community newsletter, I want you to feel empowered to reply back whenever you wish.

There are other ways to get involved, too. I love the idea of guest writers. If you have an experience you want to write about, let me know and maybe we add it to a newsletter issue.

One of my hopes is to be able to plan meetups and other events for us to meet and explore modern nerd culture together. So if you like organizing events and want to help out, send me an email and we’ll talk!

And if you know others who would enjoy this newsletter or want to be a part of this community, share it with them. This project will really be a reflection of the people reading it, so let’s build our community together.

Thanks for being a part of NERD GATE Southeast.

– Matias