BAYC’s First Annual Ape Fest Kicks Off With a Bang!

The Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has kicked off its first annual Ape Fest with a bang! The fest began yesterday, October 31, in New York City and saw Bored Ape holders from across the world pouring in. The first event of the BAYC Ape first, APED NYC, at Bright Moments Gallery alone saw around 700 participants lined up outside the gallery.

“There’s about 700 apes lined up wrapping the block surrounding the gallery on three sides,” BAYC tweeted last night. To avoid police shutting down the event, BAYC handed out timed wristbands to all in line. 

The bands came with an hour-long timeslot and those who received it had to return at the allotted time to claim their yacht wristband. This way, BAYC could not only “break up the crowd” but also prevent anyone from waiting in line for hours.

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Yesterday’s “immersive gallery experience” was followed by a costume contest and “Ape Fest Mutant Halloween Party”. Then came the “Ape Fest Yacht Party” aboard a 1,000 person yacht! 

The tickets for the yacht party were free for Bored Ape and Mutant Ape holders on a first come first serve basis. The party also had celebrities joining in including DJ and producer, Kygo, and musician and OneRepublic’s lead singer, Ryan Tedder.

“Thank you for such an incredible night, apes,” BAYC wrote. “Wednesday is going to be even better. See you at the merch pop up and the warehouse party.”

BAYC and MAYC holders also flooded Twitter with snippets from the events. While some described the Yacht party as “fun” and “lit”, producer and DJ, Matt Steffanina called it “history in the making”.

Many also expressed their joy in meeting the Bored Ape family in real. “I had an amazing night with the @BoredApeYC fam,” blockchain gamer Dylan Mayoral tweeted.

What’s next in store?

The BAYC Ape Fest is not over yet! On November 1st and 2nd, BAYC will host a merch pop-up event complete with merch, music, food truck, and arcade machines. This event is open to the public. According to BAYC, this is akin to “the living room couch of Ape Fest.” 

The merch pop-up event will be followed by a Warehouse Party At Brooklyn Steel on November 3rd. “If you’re only going to make it to one event at APE FEST, we suggest you make this it,” BAYC announced. “We’re bringing the swamp to Brooklyn Steel and turning the warehouse into the BAYC for one night only.”

While Yacht Party wristbands provide access to the Warehouse party, BAYC/MAYC members without a band can pick up theirs from the merch pop up store. Additionally, if any space is left, the public can buy tickets and attend the party.

The last leg of the BAYC Ape Fest is a VIP Charity Dinner on November 6 at Carbone. As the capacity is “extremely limited”, tickets will go on auction from October 29. All proceeds from the sales will go to charity.