If you have spent the last two days surrounded by old cartridges and arcade cabinets, you are not alone. Classic Game Fest has taken over the Palmer Events Center at 900 Barton Springs Road since Friday, and it wraps up today, Sunday, July 26, with doors open from 11 am to 5 pm. Billed as the biggest retro gaming event in Texas and one of the largest in the country, it is expecting more than 15,000 people over the weekend, with more than 200 vendor booths filling the floor.
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The heart of the thing is the vendor hall, where you can hunt for old games, consoles, collectibles, art and merchandise. Next to it, the Free Play Arcade keeps the machines, pinball and console setups running for anyone to jump on. Tournaments have been going all weekend, and there is an Indie Game Showcase with ten independent developers showing off their work. If you have a dead console or a scratched disc, there are repair and resurfacing stations on site, along with buyback tables for when you have more old games than shelf space. There are also panels, game shows, live entertainment and even video game-themed tattoos, with food trucks and concessions scattered around.
The guest list is a who's who of gaming history. Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario and Waluigi, is the big name today, with a panel at 3 pm. James Rolfe, better known as the Angry Video Game Nerd, has been around all weekend, and Grant Kirkhope, Samantha Kelly, Kenny James, Laura Faye Smith, Tim Kitzrow, AbdallahSmash and Doug Walker and Brad Jones of Channel Awesome are also in the mix. The Atari All-Stars — David Crane, Gary Kitchen and Dan Kitchen — round out the bill. On the music side, the lineup runs from MC Squared and Super Hero Super Villain to 88bit, Descendants of Erdrick, Bit Force, The Returners and DJ Rockman.
If you want to compete, the tournament bracket is deep. Mortal Kombat 9, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Halo 2, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Tennis are all in play. Today's schedule leans into the community side, with the costume contest kicking off at 11 am — signups open then, entry is free, spots are limited and costumes need to be primarily video game related — and a panel on the 1983 video game crash at 11:45 am.
Getting in is straightforward. Kids under 10 get in free as long as an adult stays with them. Wristbands come in a few flavors: VIP for three days with early entry and some extra perks, a standard three-day pass, and single-day tickets for Friday, Saturday or Sunday. You can pick them up at the Palmer Events Center's south lobby at the wristband table or at Game Over Videogames stores, and buying at the door costs more than buying early or online. One thing to know upfront: there is a strict no-refunds policy.
Parking is the one detail worth planning. The Palmer Events Center garage charges $12 a day by card only — no cash — and sits right next to the venue, with entrances on Riverside Drive near South 1st Street and on Barton Springs Road between Bouldin and Dawson. One Texas Center is about a block away on Barton Springs Road if the garage is full. Local buses stop nearby, there are bike racks outside the garage, and Uber and Lyft both serve the area. The venue itself sits overlooking Lady Bird Lake and the downtown skyline, so it is an easy place to drop in and out of.
Published Date
26 July 2026
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