That time of year is creeping up again. No, not Halloween. There’s a familiar little tingle in the air when retro gamers start getting restless and collectors begin eyeing their shelves, wondering what treasures they might add next. Soon, it’ll be time for the UK’s longest‑running retro game expo, a proper annual pilgrimage for anyone who ever blew dust out of a cartridge in the ’80s or spent their childhood feeding coins into machines that were determined consume all their pocket money. A whole weekend of gaming, meeting, gaming, talking… and more gaming. It all unfolds at the Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre in Blackpool, 3–4 October, a venue that’s become something of a spiritual home for this glorious celebration of old‑school chaos.

As usual, the place will be buzzing with classic arcade cabinets and pinball tables, all set to freeplay, the way the gaming gods intended. You’ll find rows of retro computers and consoles humming away, ready for you to revisit old favourites or stumble across something you forgot existed. There’s indie gaming too, tucked into a dedicated Indie Zone where small teams and solo devs show off the kind of weird, wonderful experiments that keep the scene alive. There might even be a bit of modern gaming knocking about, but let’s be honest, nobody’s trekking to Blackpool for that. Retro and indie gaming rules!

And that’s just the warm‑up. There’s a full shopping hall where you can pick up memorabilia, artwork, toys, games, and all sorts of bits you absolutely don’t need but will definitely convince yourself are essential. Tournaments and challenges run throughout the weekend, including a mass Kong Off. Score 100,000 points or more playing Donkey Kong and you’ll earn an invite to compete against the best DK players Europe has to offer at Arcade Club Bury. No pressure, obviously.

PLAY Expo is absolutely packed with gaming and gaming‑related goodness to see and do. So much, in fact, that I can’t cram them all into this article. So here’s a link to the official website if you want the full buffet of info. But my favourite part of PLAY Expo, the bit I genuinely look forward to every year, is the guests and their talks. The full guest list hasn’t been released yet (so keep an eye on the site), but one name already confirmed is Eugene Jarvis, creator/desginer of Defender, Robotron, NARC, Smash TV, and a stack of other classics that basically shaped arcade history. That alone is worth the ticket price.

Speaking of which, you can buy tickets here, and I strongly suggest you do the whole weekend. One day isn’t enough unless you’ve mastered time travel or can sprint between halls like Sonic after six espressos. Hopefully, I’ll be there this year, after my train was cancelled, with me on it, thanks to Storm Amy battering Blackpool last year… but I’m not bitter almost a year later. Totally over it. Completely zen, honest.

Get your tickets now and (maybe) I’ll see you there… maybe…