VCF West 2025 Hotel Still Available!

Posted on by Zachary Hardesty Category: Vintage Computer Festival, West

The hotel is sold out, see you at the show!

The reservation link has expired, but rooms are still available!

Send an e-mail to vcfwest@vcfed.org with SUBJECT: “VCF WEST 2025 HOTEL BLOCK”

We’re a couple rooms short and we need your help. If you had issues reserving a room, would like to reserve a room, or have any questions, please reach out ASAP to vcfwest@vcfed.org. As a reminder, we have novelty souvenir badges for all who stay in a hotel room this year (see below).

Also, if you reserved a room outside of the block at the same hotel, please email us at the address above so we can get you on the badge list.

Get this cool badge for reserving the room!

BADGE FRONT BADGE BACK

Lee Felsenstein at VCF West 2025

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: Events, Vintage Computer Festival, West

Lee Felsenstein will be at VCF West Friday, August 1 at 4:30PM.
He will talk about the 50th Anniversary of The Homebrew Computer Club at the Computer History Museum.

Will there be additional Homebrew Computer Club members? Time will tell.

Get tickets here: https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-west/vcf-west-tickets/
Info here: https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-west/

VCF West 2025 official hotel available now!

Posted on by Zachary Hardesty Category: Vintage Computer Festival, West

We have negotiated special rates on both single King and double Queen rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn Sunnyvale just down 101 at 767 N Mathilda Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085. Both rooms are $179 a night.

All reservations come with free breakfast, overnight parking, and WiFi.

The link to reserve a room is here: Vintage Computer Festival West

You can also call Hilton Central Reservations at (877) 782-9444 and mention our group name “Vintage Computer Festival West” or use the group code VNTGCF for the Hilton Garden Inn Sunnyvale.

The link expires at 11:59 PM PST, Friday, 18 July 2025, so please reserve ASAP!

As a bonus, all reservations include a surprise souvenir badge, picked up at the show with proof of stay. Even though the discount has expired, you can still reserve a room a the hotel and get a badge.

SWAP MEET IS ON! JUNE 7 IN WALL, NJ

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: Events, Fundraiser, Swap Meet

The VCF SWAP Meet is On! in Wall, NJ June 7, 2025.

So the negotiations with the weather gods have been successful!
The latest weather forecast shows a 57% chance of rain around 8AM and thunderstorms 5PM or later.

So with this, I’m going ahead with the swap meet as planned.
Everyone is encouraged to use their best judgment as to their safety in coming to the event.

My highest recommendation is to bring a tent that can be anchored with sandbags. Generally a good idea regardless of rain.

Also bring waterproof clothing (i.e. raincoats, etc.)

If any vendor should feel uncomfortable and needs to cancel, we will refund you, but once you show up, there is no refund.

Vendor setup is 7AM
General Admission is 8AM

More info here: https://vcfed.org/vcf-swap-meet/

VCF East 2026 mark your calendars!

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: east, Events, Vintage Computer Festival

🎉Dawn of the PC: VCF East 2026

📅 April 17-19, 2026
📍 Wall, New Jersey | InfoAge Science and History Museums

We’re thrilled to announce the theme for next year’s Vintage Computer Festival East 2026!

Dawn of the PC

In 2026, we’ll explore the pivotal era when computing took a bold step out of labs and into homes, classrooms, and small businesses. This theme celebrates the early days of personal computing—the period when powerful machines became accessible, affordable, and, most importantly, personal.

💡 What does “Dawn of the PC” mean?

It’s the story of how we got from the blinking lights of hobbyist kits to the sleek machines that reshaped everyday life. We’ll shine a spotlight on the computers, people, ideas, and companies that ignited a digital revolution .

From the Altair 8800, Apple I, and Commodore PET to the TRS-80, IBM PC, and Macintosh, this theme gives us room to showcase the innovation and competition that defined the era.

🖥️ Planning an exhibit? Here’s how to tie in:

We invite exhibitors, presenters, and tinkerers to interpret the theme broadly. Some ideas to spark your creativity:

  • Early Personal Computers: Show off systems like the Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Osborne 1, or Amiga.
  • Clones and Compatibles: Explore the world of IBM PC clones and the DOS era.
  • Software Milestones: VisiCalc, dBASE, GEOS, early word processors, games, and operating systems.
  • User Experience: Recreate how people first encountered computers at home, in school, or at work.
  • Cultural Impact: Ads, packaging, magazines, and educational content from the PC’s formative years.
  • Builds and Restorations: Custom-built 70s/80s computers or working reproductions of classic systems.

Whether your passion is hardware, software, design, or storytelling—there’s a place for your vision under this theme.

🎤 Want to Present or Host a Workshop?

We’re looking for talks and sessions that explore:

  • The transition from minicomputers to personal computing
  • The business and marketing of early PCs
  • Key people and forgotten pioneers
  • Preservation challenges and techniques
  • Fun retrospectives on favorite platforms or programs

Join us as we celebrate the origins of the digital age and the brilliant machines that brought computing power into the hands of individuals.

🧠 Because before we were online… we were booting from floppy disks.

See you there!

Jeff Brace

VCF East Showrunner