To my surprise, there were well over 500 people in and out of the virtual reality worlds that were all patiently set up by @roelandp for HiveFest this year. Amid the Covid-19 dilemma, it was a wise decision to ensure enough people could attend and minimize the risk to us all. Sure, there were some hiccups, but I don't think I've ever been to any live event that went 100% exactly as planned. It was a great learning activity and there were some supersweet announcements and presentations!

My personal experience with it all (in 2d) will probably be different than yours, so please, take a little walk with me through the annuls of my HiveFest gallery. You may have seen a few shots as I was practicing in my Gingerbread House post, and if not, feel free to visit it after this. The first couple I want to share, come from the night before the 18th. I was testing my audio at a fairly late hour and it just so happened that @leiatalon showed up to help!

We had a few problems we couldn't quite troubleshoot, namely the audio wasn't even working on her end. We weren't sure whether to contribute it to the application itself, or the fact that I was on a pc and she was on a mac. The fan was very clear - LOL! About the time our frustrations reached a high, @jackmiller showed up! The sound was good on my side, but for some reason, it kept muting him. We Had fun cutting up though and ultimately were satisfied with the volume levels and clarity of the audio.

The Maze!

Upon getting my badge at the check-in station, I decided to do my thing before any of the presentations started and explore! The scenery was great, and there were some fun little bits set up to enjoy. The NFT showroom was on display with some sweet art, which reminds me, @lesmann, have you put any of yours up for sale? Just a thought, I enjoy seeing your work and think others would too if they seen more of it. Anyway, they also had a maze! How frig'n cool is that??

What was even cooler, is my old friend, @elizacheng showed up in a boisterous flowered dress and joined me in it! I was in awe of the temple beyond the labyrinth and had to see it. My determination set in and urged me to meander the many halls and revel at the many walls in the puzzle before me. Eliza said, "Let's do it!" and after a few selfies, in we went! As it was traversed, I learned I could climb the ladders and get a scope of where I should head to the next green arrows. We pressed on and I'm not entirely sure where we got separated, but she mentioned a skeleton I didn't see.

I made an attempt to reunite with her and found the skeleton she had mentioned, but at that point, she feared there would not be enough time to finish and she magically teleported back to the lobby. She has some mad sorceress skills! They might even rival @gtg's levitation or @martibis' building jumping! HA! I did end up bumping into her friend @joebabana before finding the altar and getting me some much deserved cake! It even had a candle lit for me so I could make a wish 😜

Time For Selfies!

I seen a lot of familiar faces and even made a few new friends! Maybe you know some of these awesome people! There were several that I know were there that I did not have the chance to pose with, but I still love all of you! Here are some of the ones that turned out better than others 😝

@soyrosa with the cute Hive red outfit	@solominer goin full-on mountain-man

showing my appreciation for @bluemist	@definethedollar caught taking a catnap

@c0ff33a was mad and punched through his own head	he was mad because I was way taller than him

@yabapmatt meanmuggin cuz my sweater is more P.I.M.P.	@ura-soul glued to the stage in awe of @roelanp's hair

@arcange sayin the wuddups to me	@traciyork had her hand on my butt

@priyanarc looking all cozy and fly	my boy @chris-uk mixin n minglin

@blocktrades wishin he had my sweet fedora	@roelandp breakdancin with @qwoyn

@gandalf patting me on the back cuz I'm P.I.M.P.	@jackmiller sportin the biker jacket

The HiveTips Presentation

I was told by multiple people that @crimsonclad and I had the most energetic and entertaining presentations. Which, in all reality, makes complete sense. Both of us are entertainers and presenters and like @roelandp, have a lot of experience in that category. The main thing I wanted to convey for people about HiveTips is this:

We have bridged a gigantic, mammoth-sized gap between the centralized world and our decentralized love. We're not just dropping links on Reddit. We're not just sharing articles in Facebook groups or Tweeting out our latest or the greatest trending article, no. We're making them, those giants of the industry, part of us. We have given Hive, on top of a massively interwoven gamification of other social networks - REACH.

I truly hope people can see, that what we have done, is not just for @fullalt, no - it is for the benefit of all the hiveminds that participate on our chain on a regular basis be they gamers, bloggers, vloggers, developers, artists, musicians, investors or what have you. We hope everyone at HiveFest and on Hive realizes this. It was a great event and hope to see more things similar in the future as we battle this coronavirus. I also desire that everyone continues to have a memorable, healthy and safe holiday season! In the process, REMEMBER TO BE YOU! I always am, even while knee-deep in wrapping paper, toys and cookie dough.

Sweet Recent Articles You Should Check Out:

Survival Tactics (Not What You Think) by @bellelynn	Christmas Comes Early! by @snook	Spreading some Christmas Cheer by @c0ff33a

FullAlt: 2020 Checks & Balances by @fullalt	Hivefest Tips delivered to 96 attendees by @themarkymark	The Artist Behind It All by @slowsundaygames

Intro Post and 3 Things About Me by @leiatalon	HiveFest V - 2020 by @thekittygirl	2021 - Let's make HIVE & HBD household names! by @hiro-hive