By Kristen Nozell, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Considered one of Brazil’s largest Internet culture events, the youPIX Festival has arrived in Rio de Janeiro this weekend, with events set for yesterday, October 18th and today, October 19th at the Centro Cultural da Ação da Cidadania in the central neighborhood of Saúde. Billed as the place “where the Internet meets outside the Internet,” the digital media event is taking place in Rio for the second time ever.
The festival, which expects to see over seven thousand attendees in Rio, boasts four stages with approximately one hundred hours of content along with a gaming space.
Over forty different events are taking place over the two-day festival, with speakers including Jef Monteiro, mastermind behind the parody Twitter account for President Dilma Rousseff, Dilma Bolada and members of the alternative citizen journalism outlet, Ninja.
One of the major highlights of Internet-themed event is Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed, a U.S.-based news and entertainment website that collects and publishes viral content. Smith spoke on Friday evening about how content has turned social, mobile and global, addressing plans for Buzzfeed Brazil.
The second international headlining speaker is YouTube sensation Jack Vale, an American comedian whose recorded pranks have earned him 800,000 subscribers to his channel on the video platform. Vale will share insights about his creative process and how to use social media to become a professional entertainer.
In addition to the numerous speakers and panels, participants can gather at one of the many spaces designated for games, food and dialogue about the landscape of digital media in Brazil. Entrance is free, but participants must register here in advance.
What: youPIX Festival
Where: Centro Cultural Ação da Cidadania, Avenida Barão de Tefé, 75, Saúde.
When: Friday, October 18th 1PM-11PM and Saturday, October 19th 10AM-8PM
Entrance: FREE
Read more (in Portuguese).
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