HISTORY AND CONTACT

The origins of the Fallout Fan Celebration date back to when a Las Vegas musician and businessman, who calls himself "Old Man Liver" (or "OML"), acquired the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada in the Fall of 2021. Whether it was acquired through a debaucherous night of drinking and a lucky game of poker or via millions of dollars is up for debate since Old Man Liver is very guarded about the details of the transaction. Soon after taking ownership of the Saloon, he and his 'ole lady (and business partner), known as "Mama Dukes", noticed a lot of fans of Fallout: New Vegas coming by the Saloon to visit because of its inclusion in the still popular video game. Growing up an avid gamer, OML could relate to their interest and felt like he was letting down the gamers by not offering a more immersive tribute. They immediately declared an entire wall in the historic dining room to be dedicated to the game. Other walls were already dedicated to other aspects of the Saloon's identity such as the early 20th century history of the business and town as well as movies, TV shows, and music videos filmed at the location. The Pioneer Saloon is known for many things to many different people. But OML felt the connection to the game, although a newer aspect of the Saloon's storied past, was just as important as the rest of the history of the Pioneer, a Nevada Historical Landmark.  

In 2022, Old Man Liver chose National Video Game Day on July 8th to see if Fallout fans would be interested in meeting up at the Saloon. Expecting 20-50 people... "maybe 100 in a crazy world", the first endeavor attracted 1000+ fans from all over the country and elsewhere after influential podcasters, like TKs-Mantis, picked up on event and told their fan base about it. The success of the first year locked in the event becoming an annual endeavor. Luckily, OML already had a live events company, Buttered Popcorn Entertainment, named after his love for buttered popcorn at movie theaters, that could handle organizing the event as it grows.

Realizing the second year might be double the amount of people in attendance, organizers determined to make the event two days long and stay open 24 hours (it is Nevada after all). The goal was to keep the spontaneity of the first year, but add new and more exciting things for folks who had previously attended so it wasn't exactly the same experience. In 2023, the event more than doubled in attendance to over three thousand people and the tradition of a post-event interview on The Fallout Roundtable podcast began.

With the release of Fallout, the Amazon live action show based on the game, 2024 saw the event grow to 6420 individual attendees. Folks were bussed in from the Goodsprings Bypass road, just outside of town, as to not inundate the town of Goodsprings, pop. 200, with thousands of vehicles. A VIP option and games like Fallout Family Feud, Caravan, and Bottlecap Poker were added to the event. Since the main event was all ages, Old Man Liver also added a wrap party, he called "Mojave Mayhem", in nearby Sandy Valley, for folks 21 and over who were looking for some adult fun to top off the weekend. A VIP option was added and an official "Fallout Committee" of dedicated event volunteers, was formed to help organize future events. 

With strong word of mouth about the annual Celebration, Amazon approving another season of Fallout (the first one had multiple Emmy nominations), and the 15th anniversary of the original release of Fallout: New Vegas, organizers are expecting even more attendees in 2025. The event has now been expanded to 3 days, November 14-16th, and plans are to include other venues that fans may be familiar with such as Buffalo Bills, known as "Bison Steves" in Fallout: New Vegas. The cost has gone from zero to $30 (until May 31) to help offset escalating costs and the price includes being bussed to the various locations as well as additional activities, including an expanded Mojave Mayhem party that previously cost an additional $25-$30 to attend just by itself. Fans from all over the world continue to learn about the event and make plans to attend. As with a lot of the largest events organized at the Pioneer Saloon, there is a charity fundraising aspect to the party. In this case, it's Fallout For Hope that benefits St Jude Children's Research Hospital. They are a great organization and we encourage everyone to visit the Fallout For Hope web site.  

If you are interested in attending, please visit the online site to purchase tickets. For questions or feedback, feel free to email us. We hope to see you in November for what is sure to be a magical experience. The game was rigged from the start.