diff --git a/lbry/event.py b/lbry/event.py
index a3adc3789..d584eed5e 100644
--- a/lbry/event.py
+++ b/lbry/event.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
+import time
 import asyncio
 import threading
-import multiprocessing
 import logging
+from queue import Empty
+from multiprocessing import Queue
 
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -86,6 +88,10 @@ class EventController:
         for subscription in self._iterate_subscriptions:
             await self._notify(subscription._add, event)
 
+    async def add_all(self, events):
+        for event in events:
+            await self.add(event)
+
     async def add_error(self, exception):
         for subscription in self._iterate_subscriptions:
             await self._notify(subscription._add_error, exception)
@@ -183,7 +189,7 @@ class EventQueuePublisher(threading.Thread):
 
     STOP = 'STOP'
 
-    def __init__(self, queue: multiprocessing.Queue, event_controller: EventController):
+    def __init__(self, queue: Queue, event_controller: EventController):
         super().__init__()
         self.queue = queue
         self.event_controller = event_controller
@@ -197,13 +203,37 @@ class EventQueuePublisher(threading.Thread):
         super().start()
 
     def run(self):
+        queue_get_timeout = 0.2
+        buffer_drain_size = 100
+        buffer_drain_timeout = 0.1
+
+        buffer = []
+        last_drained_ms_ago = time.perf_counter()
         while True:
-            msg = self.queue.get()
+
+            try:
+                msg = self.queue.get(timeout=queue_get_timeout)
+                if msg != self.STOP:
+                    buffer.append(msg)
+            except Empty:
+                msg = None
+
+            drain = any((
+                len(buffer) >= buffer_drain_size,
+                (time.perf_counter() - last_drained_ms_ago) >= buffer_drain_timeout,
+                msg == self.STOP
+            ))
+            if drain and buffer:
+                asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
+                    self.event_controller.add_all([
+                        self.message_to_event(msg) for msg in buffer
+                    ]), self.loop
+                )
+                buffer.clear()
+                last_drained_ms_ago = time.perf_counter()
+
             if msg == self.STOP:
                 return
-            asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
-                self.event_controller.add(self.message_to_event(msg)), self.loop
-            )
 
     def stop(self):
         self.queue.put(self.STOP)
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_event_controller.py b/tests/unit/test_event_controller.py
index eb23d5a31..160ad2ee8 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_event_controller.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_event_controller.py
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
+import asyncio
+import logging
+import multiprocessing as mp
+from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
+
 from lbry.testcase import AsyncioTestCase
-from lbry.event import EventController
+from lbry.event import EventController, EventQueuePublisher
 from lbry.tasks import TaskGroup
 
 
@@ -22,7 +27,7 @@ class StreamControllerTestCase(AsyncioTestCase):
         self.assertListEqual(events, ["yo"])
 
     async def test_sync_listener_errors(self):
-        def bad_listener(e):
+        def bad_listener(_):
             raise ValueError('bad')
         controller = EventController()
         controller.stream.listen(bad_listener)
@@ -30,7 +35,7 @@ class StreamControllerTestCase(AsyncioTestCase):
             await controller.add("yo")
 
     async def test_async_listener_errors(self):
-        async def bad_listener(e):
+        async def bad_listener(_):
             raise ValueError('bad')
         controller = EventController()
         controller.stream.listen(bad_listener)
@@ -55,6 +60,43 @@ class StreamControllerTestCase(AsyncioTestCase):
         self.assertEqual("two", await last)
 
 
+class TestEventQueuePublisher(AsyncioTestCase):
+
+    async def test_event_buffering_avoids_overloading_asyncio(self):
+        threads = 3
+        generate_events = 3000
+        expected_event_count = (threads * generate_events)-1
+
+        queue = mp.Queue()
+        executor = ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=threads)
+        controller = EventController()
+        events = []
+
+        async def event_logger(e):
+            await asyncio.sleep(0)
+            events.append(e)
+
+        controller.stream.listen(event_logger)
+        until_all_consumed = controller.stream.where(lambda _: len(events) == expected_event_count)
+
+        def event_producer(q, j):
+            for i in range(generate_events):
+                q.put(f'foo-{i}-{j}')
+
+        with EventQueuePublisher(queue, controller), self.assertLogs() as logs:
+            # assertLogs() requires that at least one message is logged
+            # this is that one message:
+            logging.getLogger().info("placeholder")
+            await asyncio.wait([
+                self.loop.run_in_executor(executor, event_producer, queue, j)
+                for j in range(threads)
+            ])
+            await until_all_consumed
+            # assert that there were no WARNINGs from asyncio about slow tasks
+            # (should have exactly 1 log which is the placeholder above)
+            self.assertEqual(['INFO:root:placeholder'], logs.output)
+
+
 class TaskGroupTestCase(AsyncioTestCase):
 
     async def test_cancel_sets_it_done(self):