# Pinfest in Allentown, PA Kicks off Today **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-05-05 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/pinfest-in-allentown-pa-kicks-off-today --- ## Analysis Pinfest, an annual two-day pinball convention at the Allentown Fairgrounds, is kicking off today featuring hundreds of machines, an IFPA-sanctioned Stern Pro Circuit tournament, a flea market, and vendor booths. Notable recently-announced games will be on public display for the first time on the East Coast, including Pulp Fiction, Galactic Tank Force, The Godfather 60th, and Scooby-Doo. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Pinfest is an annual two-day event at Allentown Fairgrounds featuring hundreds of modern and classic machines, IFPA-sanctioned Stern Pro Circuit tournament, flea market, and vendors — _Opening paragraph describes event structure_ - [HIGH] Joe Newhart of Pinballstar Amusements will have recently-announced games at Pinfest including Pulp Fiction, Galactic Tank Force (both versions), The Godfather 60th, and Scooby-Doo — _Joe Newhart shared booth pictures with new games; games announced around TPF (Texas Pinball Festival)_ - [HIGH] These games will be on public display for the first time on the East Coast at Pinfest — _Article states 'public to play for the first time on the East Coast'_ - [HIGH] The author previously purchased a Williams Demo Man at Pinfest two years ago — _Personal anecdote from article author_ ### Notable Quotes > "If I was going to the show, I personally would make a beeline right for the new stuff." > — **Knapp Arcade (article author)** > _Indicates high community interest in recently-announced games as primary draw for convention attendance_ > "Make sure to share lots of pictures so that I can live through you vicariously lol." > — **Knapp Arcade (article author)** > _Demonstrates importance of event coverage for broader community engagement_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Pinfest | event | Annual pinball convention held at Allentown Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania | | Allentown Fairgrounds | event | Venue location for Pinfest in Allentown, PA | | Joe Newhart | person | Owner/operator of Pinballstar Amusements; exhibiting vendor at Pinfest with new game demos | | Pinballstar Amusements | company | Pinball retailer/distributor taking pre-orders and showcasing new games at Pinfest | | Stern Pro Circuit | organization | IFPA-sanctioned tournament circuit; hosting tournament at Pinfest | | Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer/developer of Pulp Fiction pinball (with Play Mechanix) | | Play Mechanix | company | Co-developer of Pulp Fiction pinball with Chicago Gaming Company | | American Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Galactic Tank Force (both versions) | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer of The Godfather 60th | | Spooky Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Scooby-Doo | | Pulp Fiction | game | New pinball game by Chicago Gaming Company/Play Mechanix; debuting publicly at Pinfest | | Galactic Tank Force | game | New American Pinball game (two versions); debuting publicly at Pinfest | | The Godfather 60th | game | New Jersey Jack Pinball game; debuting publicly at Pinfest | | Scooby-Doo | game | New Spooky Pinball game; debuting publicly at Pinfest | | Texas Pinball Festival | event | Event where these new games were recently announced (referenced as 'TPF') | | Williams Demo Man | game | Classic game purchased by article author at Pinfest two years prior | | IFPA | organization | International Federation of Pinball Players; sanctions tournaments | ### Topics - **Primary:** New game debuts and public play opportunities, Pinfest 2024 convention structure and schedule, Newly-announced pinball titles from major manufacturers - **Secondary:** East Coast first-look opportunity for recent announcements, Pinballstar Amusements as major vendor/distributor ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Author expresses enthusiasm for the event and regret at not attending; positive tone toward new game announcements and vendor participation. No criticism or negative sentiment detected. ### Signals - **[event_signal]** Pinfest established as significant East Coast venue for first public access to newly-announced pinball games (confidence: high) — Article emphasizes these are 'public to play for the first time on the East Coast' and author recommends making them primary draw - **[event_signal]** Pinfest convention confirms significant new game announcements from multiple major manufacturers are ready for public play (confidence: high) — Joe Newhart's booth will feature Pulp Fiction, Galactic Tank Force (both versions), The Godfather 60th, and Scooby-Doo for first East Coast public play - **[announcement]** Multiple new titles announced around Texas Pinball Festival are entering public demo phase at Pinfest (confidence: high) — Four new games confirmed for first public East Coast display at Pinfest, announced around TPF --- ## Transcript Today marks the start of the annual Pinfest pinball convention at the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown, PA. This annual two-day event features hundreds of modern and classic pinball machines and arcade games on free play, an IFPA-sanctioned Stern Pro Circuit tournament, a big flea market area featuring people selling games and parts and tons of vendors. Pinfest is only a couple of hours from my house, so I try to go every year. I bought my Williams Demo Man there two years ago. Alas, it's tough for me to get away from work this early in the month on Friday and my son has a lacrosse tournament at the Meadowlands on Saturday, so I'm not going to be able to make it this year. Last night Joe Newhart of Pinballstar Amusements shared pictures of his Pinfest booth. He's going to have a ton of the new games that were just announced around TPF for the public to play for the first time on the East Coast, including Chicago Gaming Company / Play Mechanix's Pulp Fiction, both versions of American Pinball's Galactic Tank Force, Jersey Jack's The Godfather 60th and Spooky Pinball's Scooby-Doo. If I was going to the show, I personally would make a beeline right for the new stuff. I hope that everyone has a great time at the show this year. Make sure to share lots of pictures so that I can live through hou vicariously lol. https://www.pinfestival.com _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 512691bb-334f-4fbe-befc-88342a702ef6*