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The Texas Pinball Festival (TPF) is set to be held in Frisco, Texas, from March 24th to the 26th, 2023.
First appearing in 2003, the Texas Pinball Festival has been held nearly every year since then and has become one of the biggest pinball events in the world, with nearly 5,000 attendees. This year will be particularly eventful, with most pinball manufacturers bringing a freshly released game.
There’s a lot to see and do there - so we’ve broken it down with a short guide.
Heading to Frisco for the weekend? Check out our guide to 10 Awesome Places to Play Pinball in Dallas!
There will be many events, presentations, and appearances from pinball legends (like Steve Ritchie), a swap meet, autograph sessions, and even pinball-centric movie screenings.
The films on exhibition are the short film “Skill Shot, BABY! Pinball Epiphany” from Wizard's World arcade, James E. Moriarty, Imoto Harney, and Jen Ruper among others. Plus, a screening of the Roger Sharpe biopic, “Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game.”
You can test your knowledge in a game show called “So You Think You Know Pinball?” for a chance at winning some prizes.
There’s even a planned trip to the nearby world-famous “National Video Game Museum.”
Hundreds of other pinball machines and games will be displayed for sale, trade, or just to play in the free play areas. Some of them haven’t been seen or released anywhere else yet. There will also be a sampling of homebrew tables designed by some hardcore pinball hobbyists.
A few of the more notable new pinball titles include Stern’s latest release, Foo Fighters, Spooky Pinball’s Scooby-Doo, American Pinball’s Galactic Tank Force, Jersey Jack's The Godfather 50th Anniversary, and Multimorphic's newest game module, Final Resistance. There are even whispers that Chicago Gaming’s rumored Pulp Fiction game could also make an appearance.
You can find a list of confirmed games on the TPF website.
There will be vendor booths and exhibits from almost every big name in the pinball community, like American Pinball, Jersey Jack, Chicago Gaming Company, ColorDMD, FAST Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and many more.
Besides all the manufacturers with an official presence, we recommend checking out some of the following folks:
The tournaments are a big deal at TPF! Four tournaments will occur - The Kid’s Bump n’ Run Tournament, The Texas Wizard Tournament, The Texas Takedown Women’s Pinball Championship, and The Classics Side Tournament.
The Texas Wizard Tournament is also an official Stern Pro Circuit tournament, so you know the best tournament pinball players will all be there.
Note that separate passes will be needed for tournament participation. Players will compete for cash prizes and IFPA points (or gift cards for the kids).
Besides the aforementioned TWIPY awards, TPF will also be awarding prizes to a variety of Best in Show pinball machines in a few different categories.
For TPF 2023, those categories include:
And a “Grand Champion” award for the best overall.
Hop on a plane, bus, train, car, or any other form of transportation and get yourself to Frisco, Texas (just outside of Dallas).
For more info, visit the Texas Pinball Festival website, or follow them on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Jose Irizarry is our newest writer. A lifelong gamer and content creator from New Jersey. Has an encyclopedic knowledge of Godzilla. Currently exploring the arcade scene in Austin, Texas.
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