The World’s First New Year’s Eve Party in the Metaverse

OZ joins Snapchat and Directive Games to bring the Northern Lights and Sigur Ros to a global party of 3D avatars and everyone is invited

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Dec. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Iceland has announced it will be hosting the world’s largest live, fully virtual New Year’s Eve concert experience – with Northern Lights guaranteed. Tech innovator OZ will be powering the event with its brand new interactive technology which fuses Directive Games‘ immersive virtual scenes with the fun and accessible 3D Bitmoji from Snapchat.

The free virtual event, which starts at 23:35 GMT and will count down to the new year, will see popular music artists Sigur Ros and Kaleo, among other Icelandic celebrities, transformed into avatars for the night. Festival goers will also take part as avatars by registering on www.newyear.is. The sign-up process is simple and free; register with a Snapchat account and enter a Bitmoji avatar to participate.

OZ is dedicated to bringing interactivity to a diverse set of live events and virtual spaces by spearheading this new frontier of self-expression. OZ uses various leading avatar platforms, such as the new Snap 3D Bitmoji, to create a universal stage that allows creators to engage with a worldwide audience. Directive Games, a leading AR game innovator, have brought its experience to help build this event’s virtual world.

“Our goal with this New Year’s festival is to premiere the ultimate stage for the world by uniting everyone in a shared experience—full of energy and life—where they are free to interact and express themselves,” says Gudjon Gudjonsson, CEO of OZ. “With OZ technology, we remove physical barriers for audiences, taking them inside live events, creating a new future for music, sports, gaming, and fashion.”

This one-of-a-kind event is the opportunity to visit Iceland this year. The destination has long been popular with New Year’s travelers wanting to experience the legendary firework celebrations, nature, and culture. During the virtual festival, the audience will experience the Northern Lights and the best of Icelandic music for free. Attendees should stay beyond midnight, when the pollution-free digital fireworks will be lit to mark the start of a great 2021.

The New Year’s Eve celebration begins at 23:35 GMT on 31 December. Head to www.newyear.is and register an avatar now for Thursday’s festivities.

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