The REVA Halle Eissport in Vöcklabruck, Austria, transformed from an ice skating arena into a vibrant hub for pinball enthusiasts from May 13th to 17th, 2026, hosting the inaugural Austrian Pinball Festival (APF). Building on the resounding success of the 2025 European Pinball Championship, held at the same venue and spearheaded by Stefan Riedler of RS-Pinball, the APF emerged as a highly anticipated annual event. The transition from its winter role, supporting public ice skating, curling, and ice hockey, to a 1,800m² exhibition and entertainment space, underscores the venue’s versatility and its commitment to fostering diverse community events.

The Genesis of an Annual Tradition

The overwhelming positive response and enthusiastic participation at the 2025 European Pinball Championship fueled the desire to create a recurring event. Recognizing the strong community support, organizers conceptualized the Austrian Pinball Festival as a slightly scaled-down, yet equally engaging, annual celebration of pinball. This vision materialized into a five-day festival commencing with a Warm-Up Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, culminating on Sunday night with the finals of the High Score Tournament. The APF aimed to provide a comprehensive pinball experience, encompassing competitive tournaments, free play opportunities, vendor showcases, and engaging seminars.

Venue and Atmosphere: Setting the Stage

The REVA Halle Eissport proved to be an ideal location, offering ample space and a flexible layout. Even before entering the main hall, attendees were greeted by RS-Pinball’s innovative mobile mini-arcade, a testament to the organization’s forward-thinking approach. This self-contained unit, capable of being driven directly onto show floors, featured a diverse selection of four pinball machines – Pokémon, Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye, Queen, and Halloween – alongside a multi-game video arcade unit and a skill-based game, offering a taste of the entertainment within.

The catering arrangements were thoughtfully managed, with a dedicated team providing food from a gazebo and a rotisserie food truck during peak hours. Offerings included classic burgers, fried chicken, fries, salads, and schnitzel rolls available at the bar, ensuring attendees were well-fueled throughout the event. For those seeking a broader culinary selection, the nearby Maximarkt supermarket offered a convenient alternative. However, a valuable lesson was learned regarding public holidays, with the store being closed on Thursday, impacting some attendees’ plans.

The weather throughout much of the festival was cool and wet, a stark contrast to the previous year’s championship. Nevertheless, the indoor environment of the REVA Halle Eissport provided a comfortable and consistent atmosphere, enhanced by the low temperatures and overcast skies outside.

Navigating the Festival: Layout and Entry

Upon entering the hall, attendees were directed to the registration desk, where pre-registered guests could collect their badges and wristbands, while walk-in visitors could purchase single or multi-day passes. Entry to the free play area was priced at €25 per day, with weekend passes available for €45 and a full five-day pass for €75. Family day tickets were also offered at €60. Integrated packages combining tournament entries with free play access were available, alongside individual tournament entry options for those not fully subscribed.

The registration desk also served as a retail point for a wide array of merchandise, including promotional T-shirts, toppers, translites, playfield components, and various pinball modifications, catering to the diverse needs and desires of the pinball community.

The hall’s layout was strategically organized. The front area housed the registration, bar, and seating, creating a welcoming entry point. The central section was dedicated to the free play area and vendor stands, arranged in four distinct corridors. The rear of the hall was reserved for the tournament areas, clearly demarcated by overhead signage.

The Free Play Experience: A Pinball Paradise

The core of the Austrian Pinball Festival experience for many was the extensive free play area, featuring a remarkable collection of pinball machines. The central section of the hall was organized into four corridors, each lined with machines, vendor displays, and homebrew creations. This comprehensive display showcased a broad spectrum of the pinball industry, from established manufacturers to emerging innovators.

Row Highlights:

• Row 1: This section featured prominent brands like Jersey Jack Pinball, showcasing their latest offerings. It also highlighted the innovative designs from Turner Pinball and Haggis Pinball, alongside a display from Vincent Mods, known for their high-quality toppers and themed modifications.
• Row 2: This corridor continued the impressive lineup with a strong presence of Stern Pinball machines, including multiple Pokémon models, alongside P3-ROC machines, demonstrating the versatility of modern pinball technology.
• Row 3: Continuing the focus on major manufacturers, this row featured a significant number of Stern Pinball machines, including their home models, and showcased the distinctive offerings from Pinball Brothers. It also provided a glimpse into lesser-seen titles from Homepin, Pedretti, Pinball Adventures, and even some rare Stern models.
• Row 4: This area was dedicated to Spooky Pinball, featuring their latest release, Beetlejuice, alongside their popular Halloween and Ultraman models, as well as other lesser-known Spooky titles.
• Row 5: This row shifted focus to the burgeoning homebrew scene, showcasing a variety of innovative projects. Notable examples included a Black Knight 3000 conversion with enhanced display and rules, the biologically themed "Buddy" game, a creative Muppet Show homebrew, and several "Barrels of Fun" titles.
• Row 6: Hexa Pinball presented their new "The Three Musketeers" prototype alongside their previous "Space Hunt" games. This row also featured Karin Kolbe’s stand, offering essential pinball spares and aesthetic enhancements.
• Row 7: This section highlighted conversion projects by Alessandro Cacciola of SteelShot Pinball, including "Lupin The 3rd" (based on Diner), "Hokuto No Ken" (based on Rollergames), and the developing "They Call Me Trinity." The SteelShot Pinball stand itself offered a variety of decorative and functional upgrades for pinball machines. Pinball Parts also had a presence, supplying hard-to-find components.
• Row 8: This final row showcased American Pinball titles and Melvin Brouwer-Williams’ "Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland," demonstrating the diverse range of machines available to play.

Beyond the pinball machines, four amusement machines provided alternative entertainment, including a highly popular table football (foosball) game, a dance machine appealing to younger attendees, and "Lucky Bowl" and "Beer Fest" games, reminiscent of the classic "Ice Cold Beer" skill game.

The Competitive Arena: Tournaments and Triumphs

The Austrian Pinball Festival hosted a comprehensive schedule of eight tournaments, catering to various skill levels and preferences.

Warm-Up Tournament

Kicking off the competitive events on Wednesday, the Warm-Up Tournament attracted 175 participants. The format involved seven rounds of four-player groups, with points awarded based on finishing position (7 for first, 4 for second, 2 for third, 0 for fourth). The top 24 qualifiers advanced to head-to-head, best-of-three play-off matches. Viggo Löwgren emerged as the winner, defeating Lukas Ott in a closely contested final series. Dominique De Cock secured third place.

Main Austrian Pinball Masters Tournament

This flagship tournament featured a unique qualification system. Players could choose one of four blocks (A, B, C, D) for their qualifying matches, with each block further divided into four groups. Each player participated in 15 head-to-head games within their group, with the top four players from each group advancing. The 64 qualifiers then entered best-of-seven play-off matches. Arvid Flygare ultimately triumphed over Theodor Kristensen in a thrilling final, which went the full seven games, decided on NBA Fastbreak. Timber Engelbeen secured third place.

High Score Tournament

Running throughout the festival, the High Score Tournament allowed players to achieve their best scores on 16 designated machines. Qualifying scores were ranked, with the top 32 players advancing to play-offs. The tournament structure aimed to test consistency across multiple machines. Arvid Flygare secured first place in a nail-biting final against Lukas Ott, with Erik Palfi taking third.

Women’s Tournament

A dedicated Women’s Tournament was held on Friday evening, preceded by a social quiz designed to foster camaraderie among participants. Shirin Doppler emerged as the dominant force, winning the tournament with a commanding performance. Sabine Ramsner finished second, followed by Elli Paschalis in third and Irene Mayrhofer in fourth.

Classic Tournament

The Classic Tournament focused on older, iconic pinball machines, employing a rotational group format to ensure varied gameplay. Viggo Löwgren demonstrated his mastery of classic titles, winning the tournament by defeating Thomas Mösterman in the final. Michael Trepp claimed third place.

Children’s Tournament

Aimed at the younger generation of pinball players, the Children’s Tournament provided a fun and accessible competition. Simon secured the top spot, with Paul and Marlon rounding out the podium. All participants received Lego prizes, emphasizing the inclusive nature of the event.

Lego Tournament

Adding a unique twist, the Lego Tournament was played on the remarkable Schoko 42 Lego pinball machine, built by Rolf Brisberger using Lego Mindstorm. Simon Wodok achieved the highest score, with Arvid Flygare taking second and Martin Wodok in third.

Team Tournament

A Team Tournament was also held, showcasing collaborative pinball skill. While full details of the participating teams were still being compiled at the time of reporting, the top three teams were recognized with trophies, highlighting the event’s commitment to various competitive formats.

Seminars and Industry Insights

The festival featured a series of insightful seminars presented by prominent figures in the pinball industry. These sessions provided attendees with valuable behind-the-scenes perspectives and technical knowledge.

• Alice Lemoine (Hexa Pinball): Lemoine discussed the unique manufacturing processes at Hexa Pinball’s Bordeaux factory, including their playfield production methods, and offered insights into their latest release, "The Three Musketeers."
• Aaron Davis (FAST Pinball) & Brian Madden (Mission Pinball Framework): This dynamic duo presented on the process of building custom pinball machines, encouraging aspiring creators and detailing the resources available within the homebrew community.
• Eric Meunier (Jersey Jack Pinball): As the lead designer of the Harry Potter pinball, Meunier shared his passion for the theme, the design inspirations behind the game’s mechanics, and the challenges of manufacturing complex components at scale.

All seminars were streamed live and subsequently uploaded to Pinball News’s Twitch and YouTube channels, ensuring wider accessibility for those unable to attend in person.

Best Homebrew Award

A highlight of the festival was the "Best Homebrew Game" award, decided by attendee votes and a panel of judges. Stefan Mader’s "Deep Blue Rage" was honored for its ingenuity and exceptional craftsmanship, earning him a new pinball cabinet and backbox set for his next project.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

The inaugural Austrian Pinball Festival was a resounding success, demonstrating the vibrant and growing pinball community in Austria and beyond. The meticulous organization, diverse range of activities, and high-quality competition set a strong precedent for future events. While there will be a hiatus in 2027 due to the expanded German Pinball Association (GPA) Expo, plans are already in motion for the APF’s return in 2028 with even greater ambitions. The success of the 2026 APF underscores its importance as a landmark event for pinball enthusiasts, promising continued growth and innovation in the years to come.