The concert world has changed in the past few years, moving from a touring  model to the idea of a destination festival.  Instead of bringing a traveling road show of acts to major venues, the destination festival operates on a different principle – create the greatest event and let the consumer travel to take part.  Paintball has also made a similar transformation.  While several national scenario and tournament producers create a mobile roadshow that crisscrosses the country, players recently are opting to attend several large-scale events, held on the same fields each year, that build up over time to create a unique paintball travel experience.  If you love the sport, attending one of these events is something you start saving your dollars for well in advance.
Oklahoma D-Day.  Perhaps the most well-known destination event, OK D-Day takes place each year at the D-Day Adventure Park in Wyandotte, Oklahoma.  Over the past ten years this recreation of the historic military battle has grown in scope from a few hundred players over a weekend to thousands of attendees over the course of a week.  The full D-Day experience includes different paintball games each day, a week of family camping, the notorious obstacle course, and the culminating D-Day game itself with landing craft, dozens of tanks, and thousands of players.  In any given second of action, cases of paint will be flying through the air.  The vendor village alone rivals those on the major tournament circuits, and recruiting for the battle begins a year in advance.
Elite Weekend.  On a completely different scale, Elite Weekend offers a much more personal experience with far fewer participants.  Even though Elite Weekend has only run for two years straight, the precedent it set in 2007 put it high on many scenario players’ must-attend lists.  Elite Weekend in Utah starts with a tour of the Special Ops factory followed by a complete equipment outfitting session.  Participants pay a steep fee to attend, but they walk away with a complete marker, tricked out to their specifications, a custom tactical vest, a full camo suit in a unique pattern, a mask, and all the paint they can shoot for the entire weekend.  And what a weekend it is, with training sessions with some of the top players in the game, team challenges, an SPPL-style game, and a full-blown scenario game to cap it all off.
Castle Conquest.  EMR Paintball in Pennsylvania is one of the premier paintball fields in the country.  While many fields have built castles, few rival the infamous Castle AAARRGH with its 30,000 square feet of playing area.  Twice a year EMR hosts Castle Conquest, the biggest game of attack and defend in the world.  They stack the odds against the defenders then start the clock and let the hordes do their best to invade the castle.  While it has happened that the defenders hold out for the entire time limit, the point of this incredibly intense game is to have as much fun as possible, and teams travel thousands of miles for their chance to take part.  Even if you don’t have a regular scenario team to play with, you can still have a blast at Castle Conquest.
Hell Survivors.  This famous field in Michigan, Hell Survivors, is not only one of the longest operating and largest fields in the country, but it’s also the site of three of the biggest events on the calendar.  The Tippmann World Challenge pits Tippmann armed players against all others in a massive big game over the gigantic Hell Survivors field.  The Michigan Monster Game typically draws 1500 or more players to participate in a truly monstrous event where teams push to capture the forts and towns of the Hell Survivors field.  Global Conquest is a seven team game of paintball risk, and it also has a loyal following.  Pick your own or play all three.
There are other events worth mentioning, each of them a major game worthy of long drives or plane rides.  Wayne Dollack caps off each year with a two day Grand Finale game that is the highlight of many players’ scenario season.  The legendary field, Skirmish, runs their world record-breaking Invasion of Normandy game each year, and companies have started producing large-scale events in such desirable locations as Hawaii, Australia, and England.  With so many choices, why not make paintball a reason to travel this year?  I’ll see you at the airport.