Today, we’re announcing DreamHack is returning to Atlanta in May 2026, bringing along major esports IPs such as CDL and IEM. For those of you who are familiar with our calendar from the last few years, you’ll notice it’s within the same time frame we usually bring DreamHack to Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. 

Texas was the first state we expanded DreamHack to when we came to the US, and DreamHack Dallas has consistently broken records as the largest DreamHack festival in the world. Over the next few years, however, the convention center is seeing some exciting developments of its own.

It’s currently being upgraded to serve as the International Broadcast Center for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After that, and until 2029, it will undergo a major expansion to renovate the venue and surrounding areas. We couldn’t be happier to see our partners at the KBHCC getting a well-deserved upgrade. At the same time, that means we needed to explore alternative locations for our May festival.

Atlanta and the Georgia World Congress Center is our longest-running active home of DreamHack. As a city with a long history and legacy of gaming communities, it was a natural choice to bring the spirit of all of our past US festivals into one place and one festival in Atlanta in May next year.

Our commitment stays the same. DreamHack is a place for everyone and everything gaming and esports to gather under one roof. In a time when we’re seeing more social disconnect than ever, and especially for a culture that largely takes place at home in front of a screen, we need more places to meet, celebrate, and compete in person. Wherever we go, from China to Sweden, from the UK to the US, we’re going to create that space.

For those of you who make DreamHack Dallas your yearly trip, I strongly recommend you come out to Atlanta next year and check it out. It’s going to be bigger and better than ever, just like every time before.

Shahin Zarrabi

Vice President, Festivals / DreamHack

ESL FACEIT Group