{"id":39056,"date":"2026-02-06T18:57:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pinballnews.com\/site\/?p=39056"},"modified":"2026-02-15T11:26:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T11:26:34","slug":"pinball-at-the-beach-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pinballnews.com\/site\/2026\/02\/06\/pinball-at-the-beach-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"PINBALL AT THE BEACH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to our live coverage of the second Pinball at the Beach<\/a> which is being held, as it was last year, at the TradeWinds Island Grand resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/a>
The entrance to the TradeWinds Island Grand resort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Pinball at the Beach is a very different style of show, designed to be much more relaxed and enjoyable for everyone attending. Although there are many special guests from across the pinball world, there are no seminars and very few vendors. The emphasis is on socialising, playing the machines and hanging out in the resort with friends old and new. With that in mind, there are no single day tickets sold, only tickets for all three days which cost $199.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event is organised by Little Shop of Games’ Marshall Dickson and Edward VanderVeen, formerly of the Texas Pinball Festival. They met at the FreePlay Florida show and conceived this unique type of pinball show, with the inaugural PatB taking place in February 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll be updating this report across all three days of the show to bring you a feel for the machines, the atmosphere and the many attractions of a Floridian beach location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let’s start with the resort. The Island Grand is a large complex of hotel rooms, conference facilities and leisure spots. Within the grounds are numerous pools, miniature golf, tennis courts, a boating lake along several bars and catering outlets, all located on the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Two<\/a>
Two of the accommodation blocks facing the Gulf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"St<\/a>
St Pete Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"St<\/a>
St Pete Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"One<\/a>
One of several pools at Island Grand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"The<\/a>
The boating lake compete with an island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Plenty<\/a>
Plenty of places to relax<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

You may notice the scarcity of people in the pictures above. While the sun is shining and the skies are blue, the heatwave experienced at last year’s event hasn’t yet come to Florida. So temperatures up until Friday have generally peaking at around 60F\/16C. However, things are warming up as we head into the weekend, with 68F\/20C expected on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Island Grand resort is large, it has a sister property next door called RumFish Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"RumFish<\/a>
RumFish Beach on the far left of the two Island Grand blocks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\"The
The RumFish Beach resort next door<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Island Grand and RumFish Beach together form the TradeWinds resort. Pinball at the Beach guests can stay at either resort hotel and use all the facilities of both. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/a>
A map of the TradeWinds resort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Hotel rooms for Island Grand sold out soon after becoming available at the show rate, but RumFish Beach still had availability at the time of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let’s move on to Pinball at the Beach itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show opens to guests at 5pm on Friday, but we arrived at midday on Thursday to get a preview of the machines available and see how the show was being set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinball at the Beach’s machines are housed in a large tent in the Island Grand complex, called The Pavilion.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/a>
The Pavilion – home to Pinball at the Beach’s machines and vendors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"The<\/a>
The entrance to The Pavilion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

By Thursday lunchtime there were quite a few machines already inside, but many more would be arriving later in the day and on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Inside<\/a>
Inside The Pavilion at midday Thursday<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The first manufacturer to set up was Spooky Pinball. Their recent Beetlejuice <\/em>machine was quickly sold out, but they also made a batch of games for shows such as this. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Spooky<\/a>
Spooky Pinball are here and set up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For Pinball at the Beach they brought twelve Beetlejuice <\/em>machines, split into a row of eight with the Dante’s Inferno topper, and an island of four fitted with the Beetlesnake animatronic topper.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/a>
The row of eight Beetlejuice machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"An<\/a>
An island of four more<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Some<\/a>
Some pre-show checks and updates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Elsewhere in the hall, the latest games from Jersey Jack Pinball and Barrels of Fun had arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Some<\/a>
Some of Jersey Jack Pinball’s Harry Potter games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Machines<\/a>
Machines from Barrels of Fun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On the other side of The Pavilion, Stern Pinball machines were being set up.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Some<\/a>
Some of the many Stern Pinball titles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

While the machines are prepared, room dividers, drapes and electrical feeds were being installed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Installing<\/a>
Installing the power cables and outlets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As the sun started to set over the water, we left the team for the evening and returned Friday morning to check on their progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there was still plenty to do, the show hall was starting to take shape.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Inside<\/a>
Inside The Pavilion on Friday morning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"More<\/a>
More of the Stern Pinball machines plus a guest Bally Dungeons & Dragons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Although most attention has been on Beetlejuice<\/em>, there is a row of previous Spooky Pinball titles set up as well.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/a>
A line-up of earlier Spooky Pinball titles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Likewise, the full catalogue of Jersey Jack Pinball machines is set up along with multiple editions of Harry Potter<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"All<\/a>
All the Jersey Jack Pinball titles are here too<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Not to be outdone, all three Barrels of Fun titles are available too. Two of their newest Winchester Mystery House<\/em>, two Dune<\/em>s and a Labyrinth<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/a>
The row of Barrels of Fun machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Although the doors don’t open until 5pm today, registration was available for guests in a building opposite the entrance to The Pavilion.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/a>
The Pinball at the Beach registration team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As opening time of 5pm came around, the queue to get in grew. Along them, three rather special vehicles arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"It's<\/a>
It’s the Batmobile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"It's<\/a>
It’s the Jurassic Park jeep<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"We<\/a>
We have no idea why this Tuk-Tuk is here, but it’s super cool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

So, as 5pm approached, the first in line got excited to have the whole hall of games at their disposal.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/a>
The front of the line<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Finally, 5pm came around and the show hall opened. Pinball at the Beach 2026 was officially open.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/a>
The doors are open, so the show begins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Although there were plenty of amazing games, many guests made their way to the back of The Pavillion for some Beetlejuice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lots
Lots of lovely new Stern titles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
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\"More<\/a>
More great new Stern pinballs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Seems<\/a>
Seems like everyone wants to get some Beetlejuice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

However, there was still a strong demand for show merchandise.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/a>
The line for show merch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Some<\/a>
Some of the many T-shirts available to purchase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A little later in the evening, the number of players increased and, while there were still plenty of opportunities to play, many of the more modern machines were occupied.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Players<\/a>
Players on the newer Stern Pinball titles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The 5pm opening time for The Pavilion was also the start time for the Pinball at the Beach tournament, run by Colin MacAlpine and Phil Grimaldi. This was located in the Tarpon Key room which is near the Island Grand’s reception lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/a>
The location of the tournament<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The schedule is far more laid back than a more formal tournament, with qualifying split into four three-hour slots over the first two days of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/a>
The tournament schedule<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Inside<\/a>
Inside the tournament room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Tournament machines were positioned along the back and side walls, providing plenty of space and a limited amount of seating.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Some<\/a>
Some of the tournament machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"More<\/a>
More tournament machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"More<\/a>
More tournament machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Awards<\/a>
Awards for the top four in the tournament<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A little later in the evening there were opportunities to watch a movie or relax in the sands as the sun went down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movie screening took place in the room next door to the tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/a>
The movie screening room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The movie in question was Roger Sharpe’s biopic, Pinball: The Man Who Saved The Game, and Roger was present to give an introduction and also answer some questions from the audience after the showing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Roger<\/a>
Roger Sharpe introduces the movie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Roger also talked about the Sharpshooter game which he co-designed and which bears his likeness on the backglass.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Pinball<\/a>
Pinball at the Beach organiser, Marshall, with Roger and the owner of the Sharpshooter machine, Tucker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On the hotel’s beachfront, drinks were served as the sun set and music was provided as guest sat around the fire pits to enjoy the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Enjoying<\/a>
Enjoying the cool evening sea breeze<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Music<\/a>
Music was provided by Casey Allen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Saturday<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show opened at 10am and it quickly looked and felt as though it would be a warmer day than Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Saturday<\/a>
Saturday morning in one of the hotel’s courtyards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"It<\/a>
It could be a decent beach day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Members<\/a>
Members of the Stern team enjoying the sun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Inside The Pavilion, lines quickly formed for games such as Winchester Mystery House<\/em> where there were only two machines. Where there were multiple copies of a game it didn’t take long for the opportunity to play.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Lines<\/a>
Lines to play at Barrels of Fun’s machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"More<\/a>
More machines means shorter waits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"The<\/a>
The Spooky Pinball area with their twelve Beetlejuices<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Elsewhere<\/a>
Elsewhere in The Pavilion there was no problem finding a machine to play<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Let’s take a look around The Pavilion and the games available at this year’s Pinball at the Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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