Event Writeup: Nintendo Live 2023
I just got back from Seattle where I was lucky enough to attend the Friday, September 1 Nintendo Live event. The event was amazing – more than I could have ever imagined it would be! I got to play the Mario Wonder demo, tour a massive themed show floor, and see the beautiful Zelda Orchestra and Mario Big Band concerts. I’ll be delving into more details about the event and my thoughts on it below.
Announcement and Ticket Registration
Nintendo Live was announced on May 9, 2023. It was described as a free “all-ages celebration of Nintendo fun, whether you're new to the games, characters, and worlds of Nintendo or are a lifelong fan.” Besides that press release jargon, there wasn’t a whole lot of information about the event itself. Because of this, when registration opened on May 31, I was kind of hesitant to sign up for it. I waited until the very last hours of registration deadline on June 22 to apply for a ticket and woke up to the news that my entry was selected.
I was happy to win a ticket but still kind of conflicted over whether I would end up going or not. It wasn’t until the event lineup was finally revealed in late July that I started to get excited and plan my trip to Seattle. The activities and events at Nintendo Live included the following:
- The Legend of Zelda Orchestra
- Super Mario Super Big Band
- Super Smash Bros amiibo + me Exhibition
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Square Strike Challenge 2023
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Championship 2023 Qualifier at Nintendo Live
I love going to live performances so getting “warp-passes” or tickets to the Legend of Zelda Orchestra and Super Mario Super Big Band were my top priorities. The events would be first come, first served so I made sure to be online at 19:00 on August 3rd to reserve a spot. Everything sold out in less than a minute but as luck would have it…
I won a warp-pass to the Legend of Zelda Orchestra! I was a little bummed at not getting a warp-pass to the Super Mario Super Big Band but I was happy that I was able to win tickets for something, at least.
With tickets for Nintendo Live and The Legend of Zelda Orchestra in hand, I was ready for the event! All that was left was to wait for September 1...
Arrival at Nintendo Live
I had to work the evening prior to Nintendo Live so I flew to Seattle the day of the event. I chose an early arrival time, about four hours prior to the doors opening at 10:00. In hindsight, I’m so glad I did. I got to the Arch at the Seattle Convention Center about three hours early and although I was one of the first people there, the crowd quickly grew to circle the entire building. Guests were let inside the convention center for security screen at approximately 8:00. After going through security, I was led up many escalators to the Nintendo Live registration area.
After confirming my digital ticket, I was given a red fabric wristband. I was then directed to another table where I was given a blue paper wristband after confirming my The Legend of Zelda Orchestra warp-pass. I was then given a goodie bag and the choice to pick a Mario, Luigi, or Peach paper hat. After contemplating for perhaps far too long, they allowed me to pick up one of each hat. I’ll go into the contents of the goodie bag below.
The goodie bag itself was a black tote with Nintendo Live 2023 Seattle written on it. It was a lot larger and higher quality than I expected! Inside of the bag a was Nintendo Live 2023 Collectible Coin, a Super Mario Character Pin Set, and an Activity Booklet and Guide.
At around 9:00 the line was directed into yet another room with a merchandise line. After having my MyNintendo account verified for 100 Platinum Points, I lined up by the show floor doors. The doors opened promptly at 10:00 and inside was…
The Mario Wonder Demo!?
Mario Wonder at Nintendo Live
To my surprise, the show floor doors opened guests were led directly to the Mario Wonder demo stations. I had no idea that Mario Wonder would be playable at Nintendo Live!
Because I was alone, I was put into a group with two others. Co-op was seamless – all it took was picking up a pro-controller, selecting a character, and I was able to jump into the game. We delved into the very first level where I was surprised by how many unique powerups were already available from the get-go. The Elephant Fruit was the first powerup my group encountered, followed by the Drill Mushroom.
After finishing the first level, my group was given free rein to play any level in the first two worlds. We were able to play for about 20 minutes before the demo was over. After playing the demo, I made my way over to the Legend of Zelda Orchestra area.
The Legend of Zelda Orchestra at Nintendo Live
The Legend of Zelda Orchestra concert at Nintendo Live was undoubtfully my favorite part of the event. The concert was beautiful and deeply nostalgic for me. I attended The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony with my late parents and many tears were shed as I got to relive several of the performances we enjoyed together.
The list below isn’t a comprehensive event track list, it’s just the songs I remember from the concert. The order may be wrong and there may be many songs missing but I tried my best to recall what I remember hearing:
- Tears of the Kingdom Trailer
- Ballad of the Goddess
- Zelda’s Lullaby
- Link’s Awakening Medley
- Breath of the Wild World Medley
- Breath of the Wild 2017 Trailer
- Hyrule Castle Medley
- Kakariko Village Medley
- The Legend of Zelda Main Theme
The Nintendo Live Event Show Floor
After seeing the The Legend of Zelda Orchestra, I finally got the chance to explore the event show floor. The show floor was divided into several themed areas. The theming for each area was very well done and I spent a good two to three hours just trying to explore everything. I’ve placed some photos of the floor below:
By the time I got to the merchandise line, the line stretched outside of the building. Most of the merchandise sold at Nintendo Live was also available on the Nintendo Online Store so I debated on waiting in line or not. I waited for about a half an hour before realizing that I wouldn’t make it to the front of the queue in time to see the Super Mario Super Big Band concert, so I just settled on ordering what I wanted online later.
Super Mario Super Big Band at Nintendo Live
I didn’t win tickets to the Super Mario Super Big Band so I thought I wouldn’t be able to see it. Fortunately, that turned out not to be the case. Because the live performances were done out in the open, I was able to find a place to stand near the Lego exhibit and to watch the entire show from there.
I’ve listed the tracks I can remember hearing below. The list isn’t definitive, it’s just what I remember hearing at the event.
- Super Mario Bros Theme
- Super Mario World Ending
- Super Mario 64 Main Theme
- Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine
- Super Mario 3D World Theme
- Jump Up Super Star
- Level Complete from the Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Slider from Super Mario 64
I LOVED the Super Mario Super Big Band and I’m so glad I was able to experience it. The band was amazing, and the track list was so much fun. The performance was more “kid-friendly” than the Zelda Orchestra. There were several interactive segments where children were encouraged to “jump like Mario.” Towards the end of the performance, Mario and Luigi mascot characters even showed up for a photo-op. It was a lot of fun and a perfect way to end my day at Nintendo Live.
Conclusion
I never know how to wrap up these type of article posts correctly but I’ll try to do my best here. I had an incredible time at Nintendo Live! The event was well managed, and the lineup of activities was diverse and engaging. Everything from the Mario Wonder demo to the Legend of Zelda Orchestra and Super Mario Super Big Band performances blew me away. I’m happy that I was lucky enough to win tickets to the event and will certainty apply for tickets for Nintendo Live events in the future.