If you’re thinking of attending ESL One Cologne in 2020 -provided it’s a thing-
hopefully this video will prepare you for it. I have attended the event 4 years in a
row, and every time it’s been among my favourite experiences of the year. There are the games,
there’s the crowd, there’s the social life, and more than that it’s the best way
to experience being in a city with 15,000 like-minded people, all of whom are friendly
and welcoming. I go alone to the event, but I never feel alone.
As a Youtuber my experience may be a little different to yours, but I hope with this video
to prepare you for what it’s like to be at this event should you wish to attend next
year. Entering the Lanxess Arena for the first time
is an experience that everybody remembers. For many people I’ve talked to, it’s the
first time they’ve been to something like this. It was for me as well. And it’s surreal
to see so many people in one place at the same time- and even more so when you remember
that they all have a passion for the same videogame as you do.
You will see pros and casters stood in plain sight. You can stare at Stewie2K whenever
you like. And yet despite that, you’ll spend most of your time looking at the screens-
which show the same stuff as you’d watch on-stream if you were at home.
But the bass is ramped up, and around you are 15,000 fans cheering and doing all kinds
of weird and wonderful things. You may see the highlights on reddit, but it means a lot
more to see it yourself as it’s unfolding. The games being played become secondary to
the crowd and the experience of the event as a whole. And even the arena itself is only
half the story. I like the Lanxess Arena because it’s the
easiest place like it to get around. You may see a maze of stairs, but unlike that scene
from Labyrinth, you quickly learn how the arena works and there’s never a time when
you feel trapped in the crowd or unable to go to where you want to. It’s just a brilliantly
designed building, and all around it are stalls and tents with extra activities going on,
as well as numerous places for food and drink. And as big as it is, it doesn’t take more
than 5 minutes to get to where you want to. There are also hundreds of TV screens showing
the match so you won’t miss it even if you are queuing for popcorn.
The event has been sold out for a number of years, but you’ll always find the odd seat
spare, even in the most popular parts of the arena. Further away from the stage you’ll
find 2 or 3 spare seats in a row available, and in the upper section, even large groups
will have no problem finding enough seats for everybody. As you will be watching the
screen most of the time, prioritise a spot where the whole screen’s visible, preferably
without having to turn your neck too far. There are extra displays for those sat in
the upper areas, but the main screen is the brightest and highest resolution, and is preferably
the one you want to see. This year there were speakers that would obstruct
the mini-map and kill notifications for certain spots in the arena- even from some of the
VIP booths! I don’t think there’s a perfect place
to sit. It all depends on what you value the most. If you sit around here you’ll be with
the biggest fans for whichever team is playing on that side. It’s here where the action
will be the loudest and most excited. The ground floor is a premium area. You have
unlimited free drinks- alcohol included. And it can get rather messy! Which isn’t necessarily
a bad thing. People down here will be filmed and seen the most. If you don’t want to
be seen then be sure to sit further to the back, or in the middle of the seating areas.
So that’s the arena. During the event you’ll get to know Cologne, too. The river separates
the two halves of the city. On one side is the Lanxess Arena and all sorts of restaurants
and hotels, and on the other is the cathedral, even more hotels, and the highstreet and main
train station. There are all kinds of shops and places to
eat, and this year the McDonalds had the greatest flavour McFlurry that I’ve ever tasted.
Just down the road from the arena is a subway, which is always busy when the event is on.
It’s also worth getting at least one currywurst- which is a German thing that’s pretty much
a sausage covered in curry sauce. My advice to you is to get a place as close
to the arena as you can. You WILL be travelling back and forth at least 6 times- if not more-
so choose a route that you’ll enjoy. I have stayed in numerous hotels and hostels
on the arena-side of the river, which are within 10 minutes of the event. Which is practical!
But I’ve also stayed on the other side. It’s a bit more of a walk but it’s a scenic
one and I get hyped for the event as I’m traversing the bridges. That side of the river
is also closer to Cologne’s nightlife, making the walk back to your hotel at 4 in the morning
a bit shorter. Just know that everything’s further away than it looks on Google maps.
As the event is normally on the same weekend as PRIDE, places get booked up early so try
to find somewhere a few months in advance. You may save some money by getting different
places on different nights, but I’d recommend getting the same place for your whole stay,
as it’s no fun to have to wake up and to carry your stuff to a new place when you could
instead be enjoying the day, the event… or simply getting a bit more sleep. Which
you’ll appreciate by day 3! Being in a shared room in a hostel is by far
the cheapest way of staying in Cologne. But you will be sharing a room- and doing so with
friends will of course be more enjoyable. If you don’t mind bringing your own tent,
ESL also hosts a gamer campsite of sorts for 70 euros.
You may be going for the event, but I can strongly recommend doing something in the
evenings as well. To me, it’s as big a part of the event as the arena itself. This year
there were parties hosted by ESL on both the Friday and Saturday night. I don’t know
much about the one on Friday, but the Saturday camp party has taken place for years. After
the final game, buses stationed just outside the arena will take you there for free and
you’ll be able to hang out and chat with people until the sun comes up. In the city
itself are hundreds of places which will all be busy on the weekend. But I can highly recommend
checking out the Meltdown bar. It’s a 25 minute walk from the river and has all sorts
of consoles and PCs set up. You WILL meet CS:GO fans there every night, and it’s close
to many other busy pubs and bars. They’re open until late… apart from on Sunday.
It’s always been warm when I’ve attended the event. Prioritise packing shorts and T-shirts,
as well as something moderately warm to keep the wind off. This year was the windiest it’s
been and it wasn’t always too warm late at night.
If you’re looking for something to do in the city- as if you’ll be bored!- I can
recommend visiting the Dom Cathedral. It looks like it’s situated right next to the river,
but it’s deceptively far away! It took 500 years to build and was the tallest building
in the world about 150 years ago. Cologne was pretty much completely destroyed in World
War 2, and while it was struck somewhere between 14 and 70 times, the cathedral remained standing.
Now, it is the tallest twin-spired church in the world, and there are only 2 single-spired
cathedrals that are taller, the tallest also being in Germany, and was only made taller
to beat this one. It’s free to visit, but you can climb it for 3 euros. I did this the
other year and gained so much respect for it- it’s not like you’re climbing a modern
skyscraper. It feels more like climbing a cave high up into the sky and made me wonder
they got all that stone so far up. It’s sad it has to be said, but be on the
lookout for scams. It’s something I haven’t seen too much in England, but in Cologne you’ll
want to keep your valuables safe, particularly around Cologne’s cathedral which is where
I think most of the pickpockets operate. Just be wary of strangers who seem interested in
you. At one point this year I was talking to fans
and there was a girl who ran into the middle of the group and started babbling in a foreign
language and jumping up and down. Of course, being a group I assumed she might have been
with them, but it turns out she wasn’t and may have been a distraction while pickpockets
closed in to try stealing stuff out from open pockets. My advice is just to swat up on the
common scams before you go, to only use UBER or registered taxis, and to be sensible when
you’re about the city. The arena itself is safe. You have to pass
through security to get in and out of the event. Unless you have a MEDIA badge you’ll
not be allowed proper cameras in the event, and you will be asked to show them the contents
of any bags that you bring to the arena. I’m yet to get the hang of Cologne’s public
transport. Trams are a quick way of getting around and I think you can get tickets on
them, but I struggle with the machines. And I’m always worried when getting the train
between the airport and the city- the station at the airport is scarily symmetrical! I’ve
not gone the wrong way yet, though it is always a relief when I spot the arena and know that
I’m heading in the right direction. I’d advise using your phone to ensure that you’re
pointing the way you want to be headed. You’ll likely meet players, casters and
youtubers around the event. How should you interact with them? It’s difficult for me
to say, since I can only really speak for myself. I like people coming up and saying
hi to me, and I’m happy to get photos and to do signatures if you want them from me.
It seems a shame for shy fans to miss out on opportunities like this just because they
didn’t want to bother anyone. My advice would be to approach people you
recognise, provided you’re polite and that you quickly ask if a picture can be taken
or an autograph, signed. Just don’t take it personally if they decline. You have to
appreciate that at an event like this, some people will be busy and won’t have the time,
even if they want to. And they’re approached by hundreds of people a day, so don’t think
that they’ll remember and hate you forever for asking or anything like that!
It’s that whole case of whether you’d regret it more if you asked and were declined,
versus not asking and never knowing or having that photo you wanted. I ask people who say
hi to me if they want a photo with me. It sounds kind of big headed of me to ask that
of others but I do so because I know that a lot of people won’t ask because they’re
too polite for their own good. The only thing is to keep an eye on what’s
going on around you. It could be that other people are also waiting to speak with them.
I think you’ll have to accept that your interaction with them may be shorter than
either of you would like it to be. And that’s my guide to Cologne! Check out
my video from 2018 where I show more of the arena experience. It was a shame that there
wasn’t a home-team like BIG that made it to the finals this year, it did make last
year’s matches feel special. And I did particularly love the orchestral opening from 2018. This
year’s opening wasn’t as memorable as that. But at least it didn’t have dubstep.