MAGFest 2016

24 hour pinball, arcade, video games, board games and music for 4 days straight

The MAGFest PAPA Circuit Event will take place Feb 18-21, 2016 see the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1635202443415596/

The Washington DC Metro area's PAPA circuit event will be held at the Gaylord National Harbor at 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745, from February 18th - 21st, 2016.
MAGfest (http://magfest.org) is a huge music and gaming festival with an expected 20,000 attendees over 4 days. And the show is a **24/7 show** that doesn't stop. Pictures and additional information on other tournaments, e.g. arcade game tournaments, pinball side and speed tournaments, and even claw machine tournament, will be posted soon.

Hotel and event tickets are on sale now. The Gaylord may already be fully booked (2000 rooms). The same site will provide other hotels within walking distance that are overflow hotels and they will all sell out as well before the show, so book soon.

Event tickets are limited to ~20,000 overall, so if you plan on attending, get your event tickets as soon as possible. The cost for 4-day pass is only $50 until 9/30. It continues to go up until the show starts, maxing at $70 (unconfirmed but believe that was last year's max). But they **may sell out this year**, so buy ahead of time and do not count on passes being available at the door.
Attendees that volunteer or bring machines receive a ***free pass*** to the show. Details can be found (or will become available) on the web-site. If you want to bring a pinball machine(s) or volunteer, please contact Kevin Stone for information (IM alwysmooth on tiltforums, or IM on Facebook).
----------
Tournament details thus far: **NO ENTRY FEES**
- **Main playoffs** will be held **Saturday**, allowing everyone to enjoy the show and travel on Sunday without worry about delays and travel times
- **Qualifying** will be **24/7** Friday into Saturday. We may extend to include Thursday as well, and may provide a cut-off time in the early morning hours of Saturday to prepare for playoffs and allow late qualifiers some sleep time.
- Format will likely be the common pump-and-dump format, best scores, unlimited qualifying similar to Louisville Arcade Expo.
**HOWEVER - there are NO entry fees for the tournament**
- Therefore, this may be the best *pump-and-no-dump* format tournament ever.
- Prizes will be in the form of MAGdollars which are redeemable in the massive marketplace, full of vendors of every type.
----------
**DISCLAIMER on Tournament Conditions**
- This tournament will be like no other you've experienced.
- The lighting will be off in the main arcade room and it will be dark.
- Spot lights will be everywhere providing indirect light.
- DJs will be blasting music 24/7, but not overly loud.
- Laser light shows and crazy characters will be roaming the entire show.
- Machine selections will be based on tournament quality, machine lighting and visibility due to conditions.
----------
**WHY NO PRIZE MONEY ??!!??**
MAGfest is a huge show with a modest 4-day entry fee, of between $50-70. The show organizers' intent is to provide a low cost, everything is included experience. There are no corporate sponsors. A true fandom experience for all.
In addition, we believe that by providing a chance for all pinball competitors a high-quality experience and PAPA circuit event without spending hundreds of dollars qualifying, gives back to the majority of tournament attendees that normally spend a lot of money without expecting any return. Well, this is your return. A great show and tournaments of all kinds without blowing your budget.

------------

Short for "Music And Gaming Festival," MAGFest is a four day long party dedicated to the appreciation of video game music, gaming of all types, and the gaming community. The festival runs 24 hours a day, and offers consoles, arcades, tabletop, LAN, live video game cover bands, chiptunes, vendors, guest speakers, and much much more.

It's not a convention, it's a festival!

What makes MAGFest unique is that it's a non-profit event run by fans for fans. There are no corporate sponsors, no over-crowded showfloors, and no top-secret-behind-closed-doors showings. MAGFest is built from the ground up to be a party-like atmosphere with focus on community and fan creations, which creates an environment that no other expo or convention can ever recreate.

How did MAGFest start?

MAGFest started in 2002, originally under the name "Mid-Atlantic Gaming Festival." Its volunteer force has worked tirelessly for over a decade to help it grow and mature to the point its at today. It has exploded in size from its original 300, to 17,000 in 2015, with an expected 20,000 or more for MAGFest 2016.

Who runs MAGFest?

MAGFest is run by MAGFest, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the appreciation of games and video game music. MAGFest Inc.'s main method of achieving this goal is to create events which provide a means for people to enjoy games, as well as musical concerts. We hold several different events throughout the year, including Bit Gen Gamer Fest, MAGStock, and our touring concert series Game Over.

Event media