Largest free Local Area Network party

The largest free LAN party is QuakeCon which takes place every year in Dallas, Texas. The first was held in August 1996, attended by around 100 people, including a surprise appearance by the id Software development team. It wasn’t until the following year, however, that id Software took an active role in the organization of the event. The most recent event, QuakeCon 2007, was attended by over 7,000 gamers, took up 6,500 m² (70,000 ft²), and featured two tournaments, each with a cash prize of $50,000.