New Year's Eve 2026

Thursday, December 31 · 8 PM to 1 AM · Grades 6 to 8

NYE Midnight Takeover A Next Level New Year's Eve Lock-In

New year. Same you. Bigger possibilities. Games, friends, competition and a countdown to midnight, with Event Managers running the night.

📍 SoFive Columbia 🎓 Grades 6 to 8 only 🏆 Tournaments all night 🎊 Midnight countdown

Join the Priority List See the night ↓

What it is

They Take Over.
You Get the Night Off.

On Thursday, December 31, 2026, grades 6 to 8 take over SoFive Columbia from 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM. It is a lock-in: the group arrives, stays in, and counts down to midnight together.

Two things are true at once. Their night is their friends, the games, the competition and midnight. Yours is a real night off, with Event Managers on the floor the whole time.

Gaming tournaments running all night

Tactical laser tag

VR and RC racing

Lounge space to drop into between games

A countdown to midnight

Players gaming on big screens at a Next Level Gaming event

Five hours, no downtime

The Night

Gaming Tournaments

Super Smash Bros, FC, NBA 2K, Call of Duty, Mario Kart 8, Street Fighter, Madden and College Football, Rocket League.

Tactical Laser Tag

Teams, cover, and a reason to argue about the score afterwards.

VR Worlds

Beat Saber, Arizona Sunshine, Rec Room, Population: One, Assassin's Creed. Headset on, and the room disappears for a while.

RC Racing

Radio controlled cars, a track, and lap times people will absolutely be arguing about.

Lounge Spaces

Five hours is a long night. Somewhere to drop into between games and find your group again.

Midnight

The whole room counts the year down together. That is the part they will describe to everyone in January.

Compete all night

Tournaments & Prizes

Eight titles on the board, and the laser tag arena running alongside them. Come with your squad or come on your own and find one.

🎮 The Game Bracket

Super Smash Bros, FC, NBA 2K, Call of Duty, Mario Kart 8, Street Fighter, Madden and College Football, Rocket League. Pick your title and tell us who you are beating.

⚡ Laser Tag

Team battles in the tactical arena, running through the night alongside the game brackets.

There are prizes and giveaways through the night. What they are gets announced closer to the date, and the Priority List hears first.

For the parents

The Part You
Ask About First.

Next Level Gaming has run supervised youth gaming events across Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia since 2021. Here is how this one works.

👤 Event Managers on the floor

Event Managers are on the floor for the whole night. The night is run, not just hosted.

🎓 Grades 6 to 8 only

One age band, not a mixed crowd. That single decision shapes the whole room.

🔒 It is a lock-in

Drop-off at 8:00 PM, pickup at 1:00 AM. In between, the group stays in the building.

📍 The venue

SoFive Columbia, 7125 Columbia Gateway Dr, Columbia, MD.

Check-in, authorised pickup and emergency-contact details are being finalised now. Priority List members get the full parent briefing before registration opens, so nobody is reading it for the first time at checkout.

Before registration opens

Join the Priority List

Registration is not open yet. The Priority List is how you hear the moment it is.

It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Add your family

Thursday, December 31, 2026 · 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM · SoFive Columbia · Grades 6 to 8 only.

Parent or guardian name

Student grade in December 2026

Student first name (optional)

Mobile number (optional)

We email you about this event. Unsubscribe in one click, any time. We do not sell or share your details. Your mobile number is only used if you tick the box above.

What the Priority List gets you

The registration date, first. You hear when registration opens before it is announced anywhere else.
The parent briefing, first. Check-in, authorised pickup, what to bring and what is included, sent before registration rather than at checkout.
The prize and giveaway announcement, first. Those are being finalised now.
One email at a time. Not a drip of reminders. Each one is about a different part of the night.

Joining the list is not a registration and does not hold a place. When registration opens, you register like everyone else, just with more notice.

Quick answers

FAQs

When and where is it?

Thursday, December 31, 2026, 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM, at SoFive Columbia, 7125 Columbia Gateway Dr, Columbia, MD.

Who is it for?

Grades 6 to 8 only. One age band rather than a mixed crowd, which is what keeps the room right for everyone in it.

Can I register now?

Not yet. Registration is not open. Joining the Priority List is how you hear the moment it is, and it costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

How much is it?

Pricing has not been announced. Priority List members hear it first, along with the registration date.

Drop-off and pickup?

Drop-off at 8:00 PM, pickup at 1:00 AM. It is a lock-in, so the group stays in the building in between. The full check-in and authorised-pickup process goes to Priority List members before registration opens.

What if they do not know anyone going?

Most of the night is team based, so groups mix fast. It is also a night that is better with friends, so tell the families you would want there. The tournaments and laser tag both run in teams.

Is it supervised?

Yes. Event Managers are on the floor for the whole night. Next Level Gaming has run supervised youth gaming events across Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia since 2021.

I have a question that is not here.

Email team@mail.nextlevelgamingmd.com or call or text 443-718-9598. A person answers.

NYE Midnight Takeover A Next Level New Year's Eve Lock-In

They Take Over.
You Get the Night Off.