You won't need any quarters when the Pincinnati pinball expo returns to Eastgate this December.
Held at the Holiday Inn Eastgate from Dec. 3-5, this event will showcase new and vintage machines and include a tournament and vendor area, with pinball games and merch for sale.
According to a release from Pincinnati, "The convention center floor will be filled with more than 120 pinball machines from the 1930s through to today, including ultra-rare and one-of-a-kind machines, and even machines that have yet to be released to the public." And all machines will be free to play.
The tournaments will be livestreamed on Twitch and feature competitors from "Maine to Texas."
Launched in 2019, Pincinnati aims to not only highlight America's re-emerging fascination with pinball, but also claim Cincinnati's title as the birthplace of the game.
"English inventor Montague Redgrave was living in Cincinnati when he, in 1871, took the popular common French table game Bagatelle and added a tilted playfield, a spring-loaded plunger, 'pins' and gates to act as barriers and obstacles to guide the ball towards the scoring holes, and a bell system to indicate scoring," says Pincinnati. "It is from this core platform that all classic and modern pinball machines are derived, cementing Cincinnati’s place in history as the birthplace of pinball."
Pincinnati is slated to take place 2 p.m.-midnight Dec. 3, 10 a.m.-midnight Dec. 4 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 5. While it won't cost anything to play, it will cost something to gain admission. Advance tickets are $20 per day or $50 for the weekend. Prices increase to $25 per day or $60 for the weekend at the door.
Purchase early bird ticket a pincinnati.com.
Tournament entry is limited. Get full details, including payout, at pincinnati.com/tournaments.html.
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