24 Hour Fort challenge

The 24 Hour Fort challenge,[1] also known as the 24 hour challenge or Overnight challenge, is a challenge which originated in 2016 and reached the peak of its popularity in 2018.[2] During the challenge, participants must reach a location or venue before it closes for the evening and trespass on the property by hiding in a 'fort'. These forts are normally a hastily-constructed hiding place made by moving products on shelves in such a way that the participants can hide behind them, although some participants have carried out the challenge simply by hiding in areas such as public toilets and staff-only areas. Once the location closes, the goal is to remain in the venue for as long as possible before the location reopens in the morning, or until the building's staff or security apprehend the participants. Several store chains and companies have spoken out against the challenge,[3] and participants risk being banned from stores or facing criminal charges for trespassing, criminal damage and breaking and entering.

The challenge can be traced back to August 2016, in which two Belgian teenagers remained inside an IKEA branch after closing time by hiding in wardrobes,[4] although examples of people hiding in stores for extended periods of time precedes the challenge, such as a case in 2014 where a 14 year old runaway teenager from Rice, Texas managed to live inside a Walmart branch in nearby Corsicana for 2 days, consuming shoplifted food and changing clothes to avoid detection while living inside a hiding place constructed out of shelving and boxes in the store's baby care section. The runaway was eventually apprehended and returned to their family after an employee located them and informed law enforcement.[5][6]