Derby Museums hosts largest Retro Arcade event in the East Midlands

Following on from the success of last year’s event, Derby Museums looks set to draw in even bigger audiences this September with its second and the largest Retro Arcade event ever to be held in the East Midlands in the former Derby Central Library Building.

Celebrating everything 1980s and 90s, the event will feature over 50 classic retro arcade games such as Space Invaders, Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Paperboy, as well as eight classic consoles including Atari and SNES. Visitors will be able to re-live what it was like to play arcade games in the 80s and 90s, see where the games came from and enjoy the fantastic playability of these amazing classics.

There will be an opportunity to watch classic movies such as Back to the Future, Star Wars, Ghostbusters and The Goonies, as well as a chance to buy merchandise with a small selection of retro stalls. Eighties and 90s music will be played throughout the four-day event with a live DJ mixing classic tunes from Madonna, Oasis and Take That on the evenings of Friday 20th and Saturday 21st.

There will also be an opportunity to play some retro board games, with a large selection including Scrabble, Snakes and Ladders, Operation, Cluedo, Trivial Pursuit and Qbits.

Derby Museums’ Director of Resources, Mo Suleman, said: “To host the largest Retro Arcade event in the East Midlands is something really special. There’s something for everyone at this unique and unmissable event. I am very passionate about the 80s and 90s, and I love arcades, so what better than to combine the two? Last year was such a success that we had to make it bigger and better, which is why we have twice as many arcades plus a number of two-player units and a stunning virtual pinball machine that has over 575 tables from 1960s to today, pre-loaded. This is also a great opportunity to showcase this amazing space on The Wardwick, which Derby Museums is using as a hireable venue for cultural and commercial events.”

Luke Earle, 27, who is co-organising the event added: “Back in the 80s, playing games was a social event. Friends would hang out in the cinema or local arcade to play Space Invaders, Pacman, Donkey Kong. What we are bringing to Derby are the classics. These games are playable art!'”

The event will take place over four days between Friday 20th and Monday 23rd September 2019 in Derby’s former Central Library Building, which has now been incorporated into Derby Museums as Derby Museum and Art Gallery on The Wardwick. There are six sessions to book from and once inside, all the games are free with unlimited credits. An onsite bar and café will also be available. All games are suitable for children.

There are six sessions available to book from. For prices and tickets, visit: www.bit.ly/DMRetroArcade19 or go to: https://derbymuseums.org/topic/retro-arcade for more information.

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