August in the UK means it’s time for our national pinball show held in the familiar surroundings of the Mercure Daventry Court hotel, and Pinball News is here to report live on events across the three days.
The Mercure Daventry Court hotel, in…. err…. Daventry
‘Familiar’ because we’ve been here before, first in 2010 and 2011 (as the Barcelo Daventry), then again in 2012, 2013 and 2014 (Daventry Court Hotel), and more-recently last year (Mercure Daventry Court). The first five visits were for the UK Pinball Party, but last year a new event called UKPinfest took over the reins of the national UK pinball show.
The entrance to the Mercure Daventry Court
The hotel’s lobby and reception area
The area which is almost as important as the show hall – the bar
UKPinfest is run by Phillip Murphy who also runs a wider-scoped show in the north-east of England called the North East Retro Gaming show (or NERG for short).
This way to the fun
Tickets for UKPinfest cost £20 ($24.50/€22.10) a day for Saturday and Sunday (plus booking fee) or £35 for both days. Kids tickets were £5 less per day. In addition a VIP pass was available for £50 ($61.30/€55.30) covering both days as well as exclusive Friday and Saturday evening sessions. For everyone else the show closed at 6pm on Saturday and 4:30pm on Sunday.
UKPinfest is held at a hotel, so naturally accommodation was available. Rooms were priced at £60 (single) or £70 (double/twin) per night, including breakfast.
The Mecure Daventry Court is a mid-level 4-star hotel featuring a pool, jacuzzi, sauna and fitness equipment, as well as a bar and restaurant. It is in a somewhat remote location on the outskirts of Daventry, which meant a decent walk to get to alternative eateries but plenty of free on-site car/van parking.
With pinball folk having a reputation for being somewhat thirsty, the beer selection was an important part of the show mix, as is somewhere nice to enjoy it.
There is a patio and courtyard area encompassed by the accommodation buildings
There are seating and games areas as part of the courtyard
The show is held in the Danetree
