PLAY Expo Blackpool Returns This October
- Lee Murray
- Jul 18, 2026
- 2 min read
PLAY Expo Blackpool is back over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of October later in the year, and I would defo recommend it.
The PLAY Expos are top notch Retro Gaming events, and the main focus, as the name suggests, is playing: sitting down or standing up to play the rows of arcade cabinets, pinball machines, retro consoles and home computers, all set up and ready to go, with no coins needed.
In the 80s, Blackpool was the top destination for me and my school mates. We'd get the train down and the mayhem would begin, spending loads of time in the Fun House at the Pleasure Beach and getting a chippy at the end of the day if we hadn't run out of money.
What's on offer
Beyond the free-play arcades and pinball, there is a next-gen zone for the more modern stuff, an indie area with new games to try, gaming tournaments, LAN gaming, tabletop gaming, cosplay and a run of special guests.
And if you do want to take something home, or just browse for the fun of it, there is a big shopping hall packed with retro traders as well.
It is run by Replay Events, the same team behind the Liverpool Gaming Market, and they bill it as the UK's favourite and longest-running arcade, indie and retro gaming expo. This is its 16th year, so they are not doing too bad!
Times, tickets and getting there
It is on at the Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Queens Promenade, Blackpool, FY2 9AA, right on the seafront with the tram running past the door, so it is an easy trip from most of the North West.
Both days run from 10am to 5pm, and pre-booking online gets you in from 10, a full hour before the on-the-door crowd. There are single-day tickets, weekend passes and family tickets, with earlybird discounts if you book ahead. You can purchase them on the Eventbrite page, and there is more on the official site.
A whole day of playing games you might never own, in a massive hall, five minutes from the Blackpool seafront. There are worse ways to spend an autumn weekend. You could even get some hot donuts!
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