Venues are of vital importance for the Melee scene. They're the cramped quarters where we go to play, the warm and welcoming rooms full of CRTs, setups, and friends who are always down to squeeze in a few games. Smash tournament venues can set up shop just about anywhere: bars, basements, laundromats, card shops, restaurants, even churches. To weekly regulars, local venues can attain almost mythical status; Smash players often know every inch of their venue, and knowledge of its location and hours is a point of pride for members of a local scene. For these reasons, longtime Nebulous organizer Emily Sun’s announcement that the Nebulous venue in New York City’s Lower East Side will be closing is a particularly somber one.
For years, Nebulous has been New York City’s premier weekly event, and the organization's two weeklies (one on Tuesday, the other on Saturday) remain mainstays of the Tri-State competitive scene. While the organization is perhaps best known for its Melee tournaments nowadays, Nebulous also hosts successful Smash 4, Smash 64, and Project M events on a regular basis.
Aside from the aforementioned weeklies, the Nebulous venue is also the location of a number of other New York events, including Apollo monthlies, Lift Off arcadians, and Super Nebulous regional/national events. If you’re an active Smash player in New York, you’ve probably graced the halls of Nebulous at least once, and the current venue has been the location of such historic moments as Hax and Westballz’s infamous set at Super Nebulous 4 and this double rest.
This isn’t the first time Nebulous has changed locations—the beloved local is currently in its third iteration, with its former venues located in Chinatown. While it’s unclear where the next Nebulous venue will be located, the reliable team of organizers at Nebulous are sure to decide on a good location.
The last event at the current Nebulous location will be Apollo XIII on April 28. If you want to be part of history and you live on the east coast, consider coming out to help make this venue’s last event the best one yet!
