Quarters Will Be Dropping As Weekend East Bay Pinball Festival Opens

CONCORD, CA — If “Stranger Things” opened a side quest set in a real-life arcade and handed everyone a fistful of quarters, it might look a lot like downtown Concord this weekend, as the Concord Open Pinball Tournament takes over at The Flipper Room.

The Flipper Room framing gallery-pinball hall is hosting an IFPA-sanctioned showdown that blends competition pulling in players, artists, and crowds for a hybrid arcade-and-art-market experience.

The annual celebration (April 17–19) is a hub of competitive pinball, live music, art vendors, and an outdoor festival tent filled with machines, tie-dye, and extended play beyond the arcade floor.

Since opening in 2017, The Flipper Room has built its identity as a quarter-play pinball arcade and art gallery featuring more than 30 machines.

Instead of paying by the hour, players drop quarters or use an on-site change machine to play machines priced from 25 cents to $1 per credit, preserving old-school arcade culture.

A 60-foot outdoor tent will expand the playfield, hosting additional pinball machines, live music, craft vendors, and tie-dye stations, while tournament competitors battle inside under International Flipper Pinball Association rules and rankings.

Owner Mike Moretti will oversee the IFPA-sanctioned event as players grind through Friday and Saturday qualifiers from 10 a.m. to midnight, submitting scores on rotating game cards before Sunday finals narrow the field to the top 24 competitors.