PINBALL NEWS DIARY

This is the fourth year of the central California show from the Northern California Pinball Association (although only the third show as the 2020 show was cancelled), being held in Lodi near Sacramento.

Along with all the games, the Pinball University (Pin-U) will hold talks designed to improve your pinball skills, from repairing to playing to learning how games are designed and the state of the pinball market today.

There is also a Pin-Golf tournament designed for all skill levels to enjoy.

See our comprehensive report from the 2018 show here.

This is our 13th year and it’s one of the biggest and smoothest running shows in the world!
-Featuring over 400 pinball and arcade games from the 1950s to the newest games!
-5 pinball tournaments!
-Over a dozen satellite pinball tournaments leading up to the show where you can win prizes, weekend passes, and tournament entries!
-The Northwest Show draws over 4,000 collectors, players and fans of classic coin-op games!
-Top national and local vendors and sponsors!
-One of the best seminar and speaker lineups of any show, run by our top notch video and audio team!
-World record high score attempts!
-Tons of raffle items, prizes and merch! Win a pinball or arcade game each day the show!
-Dozens of one of a kind homebrew games, whitewoods, prototypes, rare games and the debut of newest games from pinball and arcade manufacturers!
-Nice modern air conditioned convention center with 2 hotels within a block of the venue, situated near bars, restaurants and in a town with a dozen microbreweries, many within walking distance!

Note: Rescheduled to November 2021. Check the Diary entry here for new dates and location.

Are you looking for a little relief from the hot summer sun? Look no further than Pintastic New England, which is the first of its kind, centrally located in Boxborough, Massachusetts. This expo is 30,000 square feet of fun for the whole family. The kids can have never-ending excitement with a caricature artist, face painting, friendly clowns & balloon animals. The adults can bring out their inner child with over 200 pinball machines set on free play, all while enjoying an ice-cold craft beer.

Our headlining tournament, the Silverball Rumble, run by the SANCTUM takes place in the back of the vendor hall. It’s an IFPA-endorsed event with unlimited PAPA-style qualifying. Entries are $10 each and qualifying begins at Noon on Friday. The top 24 get into elimination rounds to qualify for cash prizes (top 8) and trophies (top 3).

The 2021 Amusement Expo International is the annual event for the coin-op and revenue-generating amusement, music and family entertainment industry.

The format will begin with a full day of education sessions beginning on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. These compelling educational sessions will address timely topics and provide useful information for all who attend. Two full days of exhibit time will follow on Wednesday, June 30, and Thursday, July 1, 2021.

The Replay Foundation has decided to cancel this and future Replay FX shows for the foreseeable future, wind down its operations and sell its huge collection of pinball, video and other games.

Ticket-holders for Replay FX 2020/21 should go to the website below for more information and refund options.

2020 Announcement

Note: New dates 20th-22nd August 2021

The Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (SFGE) is a 3-day fan convention focused exclusively on gaming.

The Expo is held June 11th-13th at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria Convention Center in Atlanta, GA, and boasts over 300 full-sized arcade games, pinball machines and console systems, along with tabletop gaming, vendors, special guest speakers, a film fest, wrestling, tournaments and more!

SFGE is a family-friendly event that will be fun for all ages.

Hotel rooms available through the website. Book early as these usually sell out.

After the cancellation of the 2020 event, the UK’s national pinball show returns for a third year to the familiar surroundings of the Mercure Daventry Court Hotel.

Around 100 machines are expected, with more details on special events announced nearer the time.

VIP-only sessions are held on Friday and Saturday evenings, and the UKPinfest Battle tournament is also expected to return.

We are showcasing Pinball Machines, Arcade games, coin-ops and all the cool things you need to complete your gameroom including neon signs, gas pumps, and more.

2:00 PM Thursday – 10:00 PM Thursday.
1:00 PM Friday – 10:00 PM Friday.
9:00 AM Saturday – 6:00 PM Saturday.

Adults $15.00 per day
Kids 5-13 $8.00 per day
Kids 4 and under Free

Come out and join us for our 21st year!

NOTE: Only date and location for 2021 have been announced so far.  More details will follow on the show website.

The Cleveland Pinball and Arcade Show will be four fun-filled days of pinball machines, arcade games, toys, and all things classic gaming! All of the games present will be set on FREE PLAY for the weekend. There will be 100 pinball machines and 30+ classic arcade games for you to enjoy with your paid admission.

Some game may be available for purchase at the show.

The show will also be hosting an IFPA-backed pinball tournament, which is a great, friendly competition that is open to novice and advanced players alike.

As if that weren’t enough, we will be having guest speakers from your favorite pinball manufacturers, games located in the hallway outside of the general game room will be available 24 hours for hotels guests, a flea market, and much much more!

NOTE: New location

After last year’s Virtual Pinball Expo, for 2021 the longest-running pinball show moves to a new home at the Renaissance Convention Center & Hotel in the city of Schaumburg.

Schaumburg is much nearer Chicago O’Hare airport than the previous location at the Westin in Wheeling, while the main show hall has expanded to 70,000 sq ft, almost three times the size of the main vendor hall at the Westin.  There are also dedicated seminar rooms and multiple meeting spaces in hotel and attached Convention Center.

Booking for the show and the hotel rooms opens at the end of October 2020.

Welcome to the GRAND OLE GAMEROOM EXPO, Nashville’s annual Arcade, Pinball, and Video Game Expo. We are back for year four at a new 50,000 sq ft venue in Lebanon on October 29th – 31st, 2021. The Wilson County Exposition Center opened in December 2019 and hosted Brick Universe (Lego) in January 2020.

The Grand Ole Gameroom Expo is a public event for gamers of all ages. Join us for a weekend packed with over 200 arcade and pinball games all set to free play. Play classic arcade games like Donkey Kong, Centipede, Ms Pac-Man, Double Dragon, Street Fighter II, and many others. Also play many classic pinball games like Black Knight, The Addams Family, and even some of the latest pinball games from Stern like Aerosmith, Star Wars, Deadpool, and Black Knight Sword of Rage. We also have air hockey, skeeball, and other family friendly games.

The Expo also has over 80 game consoles spanning the Atari 2600 to the latest Xbox One, PS4, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, and Playstation VR. There are multiple tournaments for casual players and competitive players on games like Super Smash Bros and Mortal Kombat 11, and we host the largest IFPA pinball tournament in Tennessee.

Show hotels and room blocks have not yet been worked out, but details will be announced on the show website as soon as they are known.

NOTE: New November dates for 2021 only.  Expected to be back in March/April in 2022.

The Midwest Gaming Classic is a trade show featuring 100,000+ square feet of retro and modern home video game consoles, pinball machines, arcade video games, computers, table top gaming, crane games, collectible card games and air hockey, and that’s just the start!

The Midwest Gaming Classic is about celebrating gaming, trying new things, learning about the gaming hobby, about meeting others who share the love of gaming, and having fun doing it!

No matter if you have one console and a handful of games or thousands of games in every room of your house, you’ll find something to celebrate with us!

There will be over 300 classic and current coin-op pinball machines, video arcade games, penny arcades, and console video games ready for attendees to play on free play or buy them for their home.

There will be tournaments, events, music and workshops to keep the young and young-at-heart entertained.

Note: These are the rescheduled dates for 2021 which also see a return to the previous location at the Sturbridge Host Hotel & Cenference Center in Sturbridge.

For details of the postponement, visit https://pintasticnewengland.com/postponement/

Pintastic is the family-friendly pinball and game room show that’s centrally located in the six New England states. It has hundreds of games set on free play, tournaments, seminars, an exhibition hall full of vendors offering fun stuff for your game room, and entertainment for kids. While pinball is the most prominent type of game, there will be arcade and console video games, and always some surprises.

Greater Cincinnati’s first annual pinball show featuring over 120 machines from local collections. All machines will be set for free play, so leave your quarters at home.

Machines from the ’70s through the present will be well represented. Several machines will be available for purchase with contact and pricing listed on these machines.

Tickets will be limited to avoid overcrowding. Buy early to guarantee your spot. If the show does not sell out in advance, tickets will be sold at the door. If tickets do sell out prior to the show, the website will be updated to reflect such. Free entry for children 12 and under (1 per paying adult). IFPA registered tournaments will be held Friday and Saturday, with a gauntlet style tournament Sunday. There will also be an IFPA registered Women’s tournament on Sunday.

After the cancellation of the 2020 & 2021 Texas Pinball Festivals, the show will return on the weekend of March 25 – 27, 2022.

More details will be posted soon.