Pinball Expo is bouncing back to Chicago area for the 38th year

Submitted by Marcy Manning

The world's first, biggest and longest running pinball show is bouncing back for the 38th year.

The Pinball Expo will be Wednesday to Saturday, Oct. 19-22, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel. It will include tournaments, exhibits, tours, seminars, autograph sessions, an opportunity to buy your own pinball machine, and so much more. A variety of ticket packages are on sale now at pinballexpo.com.

"We are so happy to be growing year after year, and to be able to keep the event in the greater Chicagoland area where pinball was born," said Robert Berk, founder of Pinball Expo. "We attract pinball fans of all ages."

A ticket to Pinball Expo is a ticket to nonstop fun during this four-day event. The World Cup, along with men's, women's, and kids tournaments are returning this year, with prizes for the best of the best totaling more than $15,000. This year's Expo will also feature a retro game tournament. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from key speakers and industry personnel at several seminars throughout the course of the Expo.

This year's Pinball Expo will feature a very special guest, Roger Sharpe, "The Man Who Saved Pinball." Sharpe will be in attendance all four days and is best known for overturning New York's 35-year ban on pinball machines. In anticipation of his new movie coming out, "Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game," pinball fanatics can meet Sharpe and get his autograph. Other famous faces of pinball including Facebook phenomenon Kim Oswald, YouTube sensation Todd Tuckey, as well as Jack Danger, Gary Stern, Steve Ritchie, Jack Guarnieri, along with other current well-known pinball artists and designers, are looking forward to participating in Pinball Expo 2022.

Back by popular demand this year is the Retro game area that will feature some of the very first video game systems like Atari and PlayStation. Both of these pioneer game systems will have tournaments throughout the show. These systems, along with more than 400 pinball games, will be available to every attendee for free play.

Among the hundreds and hundreds of machines, there will be a Magic Girl Pinball Machine, one of only 19 ever made.

Seven years in the making and one of the rarest pinball machines in the world, you won't want to miss Magic Girl.

For rock n' roll lovers, there is a machine themed after one of the world's biggest bands, Queen, displayed at the show. This pinball machine plays Queen's biggest hits while you flip the ball around. Sci-fi enthusiasts will also get their fix by playing machines like "Alien," based on the hit movie starring Sigourney Weaver.

Chicago is home to the world's number one pinball manufacturer, Stern Pinball. Pinball Expo showgoers will be offered the special privilege of attending a virtual tour of Stern Pinball and witness the production of the latest Stern pinball game from conception to completion.

"There's no better show on the planet to showcase all things Stern Pinball than Pinball Expo," said Zachary Sharpe, director of Marketing for Stern Pinball.

The team at Pinball Expo is excited to continue its partnership with the nonprofit, Project Pinball, which is a charity organization that places pinball machines in children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses to bring therapeutic benefits to kids of all ages.

For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.pinballexpo.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.