The Roundup
Get out of the caverns once in a while, partner
Major Shows & Festivals
Annual events worth planning a trip around.
- KansasFest — Commodore & Apple II, Kansas City
- Vintage Computer Festival (VCF) — multiple locations
- Commodore.ca — community event listings
KansasFest runs every July at Avila University in Kansas City. It's primarily an Apple II event but has deep Commodore roots and a strong C64 presence — talks, workshops, and people who still write machine code for fun. VCF has regional events throughout the year across the US (East, West, Midwest, Southeast) with exhibitors, swap meets, and talks covering everything from mainframes to 8-bit home computers.
Demoparties
Live competitions where groups premiere their latest demos. The C64 is always well represented.
- Revision — major annual party, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Assembly — Helsinki, Finland
- Demoparty.net — global party calendar
- CSDb — C64 party results archive
Revision is the biggest active demoscene party — held each Easter in Saarbrücken, with C64 and other oldschool categories alongside modern PC, console, and mobile. All entries are released publicly and ranked by audience vote. Demoparty.net tracks every party worldwide; filter by "oldschool" to find events where the C64 competes.
User Groups
Local clubs that meet, swap hardware, and keep the flame lit.
- Twin Cities Commodore Computer Club (TCCCC)
- Commodore.ca — community events listing
- Commodore.ca — Canadian community hub
User groups pre-date the internet and many are still running. The Twin Cities Commodore Computer Club in Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of the longest-running — monthly meetings, hardware library, and a genuinely welcoming crowd. If there's no group near you, the Discord and forums are your local scene for now. Starting one is easier than you think.
Online Events & Compos
Competitions, streams, and community events that happen over the wire.
- CSDb — online compo results
- itch.io — game jams (includes C64/retro)
- C64 Discord — event announcements
Online-only compos run throughout the year — SID music competitions, 4K and 1K intro challenges, BASIC programming jams. CSDb tracks releases from these as well as in-person parties. itch.io hosts occasional retro game jams where C64 entries are welcome. The Discord is usually the fastest way to hear about anything coming up.
Swap Meets & Flea Markets
Where hardware, cartridges, and disk boxes find new homes.
- VCF swap meets — attached to most regional events
- Hamfests — surprisingly good for vintage computer finds
- Lemon64 For Sale / Wanted
VCF events always have a swap area — bring what you don't need, find what you do. Hamfests are an underrated tip: amateur radio events often draw the same demographic as vintage computing, and you'll find tape drives, disk boxes, and C64 breadbins for very reasonable prices. Go early, bring cash, bring a test cartridge.
Commodore Caverns Events
A community calendar for shows, meetings, and online compos — coming to the Caverns.
A curated, community-submitted events calendar is planned — filtered to retro computing shows with meaningful Commodore presence. If you run an event or user group and want it listed, get in touch once the Saloon is open.