One of the biggest video game and pop culture conventions is making a return to Boston in 2022, and it will be live and in-person.
ReedPop has announced that PAX East 2022 will be held from Thursday, April 21 to Sunday, April 24 in Boston, Massachusetts. More details about the event will be coming soon. Presumably, it'll take place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center like it always has.
Additionally, ReedPop anticipates that all participants for PAX East 2022 will be required to be fully vaccinated and present proof of vaccination upon their time of entry. Masks are required as well for all attendees, including cosplayers, exhibitors, guests, artists, Enforcers, and staff.
#PAXEast returns, live and in-person, April 21-24, 2022. More details coming soon. pic.twitter.com/PZ3LMPVlRh
— PAX (@pax) November 15, 2021
There will be increased sanitation and hygiene standards, and the convention's layout will have physical distancing in mind. Interestingly, PAX East's Health & Safety guidelines page doesn't mention the option of presenting a negative COVID-19 test like PAX West 2021 did, so it seems like being fully vaccinated is the only way to attend.
After over a year of pivoting to virtual events, PAX came back as an in-person event for PAX West 2021 in Seattle, Washington. Originally, the convention didn't have a vaccine or negative COVID-19 test requirements but eventually implemented them after receiving criticism. It definitely looks like ReedPop wants to avoid that situation again.
In related news, last month ReedPop announced that it would be shutting down PAX South for the foreseeable future due to its stagnant growth.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey