LCS Championship to take place in front of live audience in Newark

League of Legends in front of a live audience is finally returning to North America! Today, the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) announced that the LCS Championship delivered by Grubhub will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Aug. 28 and 29. For the first time since the 2019 LCS Summer Finals in Detroit, fans will have the opportunity to purchase tickets and attend the event in-person, complete with a Fan Fest experience outside the venue.

With the COVID-19 pandemic putting a pause on events, numerous sports competitions were halted due to safety concerns while esports competitions pivoted toward online production. The LCS continued to operate online in 2020 and 2021 before hosting the Mid-Season Showdown in April at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California, with no live audience. The LCS returned to live production at the LCS Arena this summer, but doors continue to remain closed to spectators.

The Mid-Season Showdown replaced the LCS Spring Finals following the LCS’s format change, and the LCS Championship will follow suit by replacing the LCS Summer Finals as North America’s summer postseason tournament. North America’s top eight teams will compete for the LCS trophy and a chance to be one of North America’s three representatives at the 2021 League of Legends World Championship.

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The Prudential Center will feature the tournament’s final two best-of-five matches: the lower bracket final on Saturday, Aug. 28, and the grand finals on Sunday, Aug. 29.

The 19,500-seat Prudential Center is most notably home to the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils, but is no stranger to esports competitions, having played host to the Rocket League Championship Series Season 7 Finals in 2019. The Prudential Center also is owned and operated by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the owner of LCS organization Dignitas.

Fan fest will take place before each match in Championship Plaza and along Mulberry Street. Ticket-holding fans can enjoy activities hosted by LCS teams and sponsors, including food, games and merchandise.

Ahead of the event, Riot Games also shared a statement for fans looking to attend the event in-person at the Prudential Center.

“We strongly encourage all ticket-holders to make plans for vaccination against COVID-19 before attending the LCS Championship. By purchasing a ticket at www.visitlcs.com, fans agree to comply with all Federal, State and Local health and safety protocols when attending the event. We’ll post more detailed information regarding health and safety protocols at the Prudential Center as we get closer to the event. For a broad overview, you can consult the current Prudential Health and Safety Guidelines.”

Lead image credit: Riot Games