UKPinfest 2026 - August 28th, 29th & 30th

[myPinballs]

Yeah bizarre that some places are still lacking on the uber front, but at least it sounds like it's better than a few years ago. Who wants to phone up a crackly line with all sorts of ****e in the background, like coming out of a nightclub at 4am in the 90s lol no idea who's coming or when hahaha

 

[Tucks]

Saturday nights drinking finished at 4.20am so not sure any cab is an option at that time. It's hotel or nothing for me.

 

[AlanJ]

At 4:20 you dont need a room, just stay up a little longer and head for breakfast.

 

[AndyB]

At 4:20 you dont need a room, just stay up a little longer and head for breakfast.

Alan, I think you have found the solution my friend. Keep drinking until breakfast, and with all the extra donators for next year, we could maybe have some of the extra pins in the dining room to keep the party going, 24/7 pinball. Maybe just a few sleeping bags to throw under a pin, everybody wins

 

[Kaijuball]

With the rooms going that fast, what about having two hotels? With one for the machines, and sleeping. The other just for sleeping. If they were close enough, you could walk between the two.
Or, find a local coach company, and see if they would run a shuttle service, if they were a distence apart. I know it can't be done for next year, but maybe after that. It might mean going to a different town too.

 

[AlanJ]

I think it's so easy to say, lets pick a new town/city & venue, but the reality is a whole lot more complicated.
I'm personally grateful we even have an annual pinfest.
There is also NERG, UK open and next year, EAPO which I hope becomes an annual event. These 3 are all in places where there are multiple hotels available. Albeit two are comps and one is not exclusively pinball.

I'd love to see a future pinfest in a major town or city, but it's up to @Big Phil to decide if he wants to do that. Or for someone else to organize a new event - any volunteers?

 

[AndyB]

I think it's so easy to say, lets pick a new town/city & venue, but the reality is a whole lot more complicated.
I'm personally grateful we even have an annual pinfest.
There is also NERG, UK open and next year, EAPO which I hope becomes an annual event. These 3 are all in places where there are multiple hotels available. Albeit two are comps and one is not exclusively pinball.

I'd love to see a future pinfest in a major town or city, but it's up to @Big Phil to decide if he wants to do that. Or for someone else to organize a new event - any volunteers?

I think @Big Phil has looked into this before due to issues with supply and demand at the hotel, and the cost of going elsewhere was pretty prohibitive. It would mean a large increase in ticket prices etc. I suppose a lot of it comes down to whether people would be willing to pay x amount more, and would it cover costs. It was only a few years ago that the event wasn't even covering costs, and I think Phil was out of pocket.

 

[Fantazia2]

I believe a larger venue was looked at when the Bank Holiday was booked last year and it would have ended up at double the cost for everything, venue hire, room prices etc.

People keeping asking for it to be at a bigger venue but would everyone be happy paying twice the current price, thats also a huge financal risk for the organiser having to take on and it possibly not working as people arent willing to pay a lot more for the same event.