We just under three weeks until ZapCon 5.0 kicks off in Mesa. If you’re not familiar with  ZapCon, it is a weekend celebration of classic arcades and pinball. This is the fifth year and you won’t want to miss this chance to relive the glory days of arcades.


When and Where: ZapCon will be held at the Mesa Convention Center (263 N. Center Street) on April 29 & 30!

Admission: A weekend adult badge will run you $40, if you’re looking to attend for a single day, Saturday is $30 and Sunday is $20. Kids weekend will run you $20 while a Saturday badge is $15 and Sunday is $10. If you preregister, meaning you buy before the convention, you can access to the con an hour early! You can buy your badges right here.

What To Do: The main room of the Mesa Convention Center houses a TON of classic and modern arcades along side the best pinball selection you’ll find in Arizona. The room also features a few vendors who sell various arcade and pinball parts, video games, and other related merchandise. Also in years past, their is a separate room that features classic video game consoles that you can play various games on. 

Tournaments: If competition is your thing, ZapCon plays hosts to several tournaments and high score competitions. Pinball, fighting games, and even Virtual-On for the diehard Sega fans. 

Hotel: While the discounted room rate for ZapCon attendees has expired, normal rate rooms are still available at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa which is right next door are still available. 

Games: The list of games available for attendees to play is spectacular. Pinball machines include Super Mario Bros, Black Knight 2000, Addams Family, and so much more. If arcade games are your thing, you can enjoy games such as Gauntlet, Metal Slug X, and X-Men Children of the Atom. For the entire list, click here.

Parking: The Mesa Convention Center offers plenty of free parking as well as well as free overflow parking. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of driving, the Metro Valley Lightrail has a stop within walking distance of the convention center. 

If you’re still curious on what ZapCon has to offer, make sure to check out my recap from last year. 

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