It’s been a busy month in October for retro comptuing events, with our own end-of-year Kickstart meetup having just taken place on 11th October, Crash Live taking place this weekend and SWAG on November 7th. But inbetween all this is something brand new.
YouTube content creator Chris Thomas, better known as Retronaut, is hosting his first multi-format retro computing meetup in Surbiton, Surrey on Halloween.
The day will be similar in format to our own Kickstart events – you can book either a table place so that you can bring your computers down for the day to set up and use, or a non-table ticket so you can some and explore what other attendees have brought with them.
We will be attending, alongside our friends from UKAG, with some of the combined team bringing along a range of machines to show and let people play for the day. There will also be a wide range of other machines from all sorts of platforms, not just the most common ones or those enjoying a 2026 renaissance but from across the great history of early computing and video gaming.
More information and tickets are available on the Retronaut web site. We hope we will see you there.
We are nearly there, doors open tomorrow (Saturday 18th July 2026) at 9am.
A Reminder About Ticketing
All attendees must have their own ticket, regardless of age, no exceptions. Although your ticket might include a table that is big enough for two people, any additional guests coming with you to share the table will need their own non-table ticket per person. If attendees do arrive without their own ticket, if we have space they will be asked to pay for a non-table ticket. Please buy tickets in advance to avoid awkward situations on the day. Thanks. The couple of non-table spaces we have left will remain on sale until 5pm today. Then we need to close it off to get ready for tomorrow.
Please Read Your Email
All ticket holders have received the “Big Pre-Meet Email” Please make sure you read this as it includes a lot of important information to make sure you have the best day possible. Top of the list is an update on the parking situation for tomorrow in light of the on-going roadworks that have closed off our usual free car park directly opposite the hall.
Traders
Retro Lemon: Retro Lemon sells a wide range of Amiga and other 8 & 16-bit system expansions, upgrades and accessories. They are exclusive UK distributor for Lotharek.pl. Stop by their table in the Runnymede Room, or get in touch ahead of the meet if there’s anything specific you would like them to have in stock on the day.
Digital Retro Bay: Digital Retro Bay sells high quality retro computing items for the Amiga such as the extremely popular GoDrive floppy drive emulator and switcher, keyboard membranes, accelerators, USB controller adapters, custom joypads and 3D printed add-ons. They will be in the Runnymede Room. Get in touch with them ahead of the meet if there’s anything specific you would like them to have in stock on the day
Amiga Addict: The team from Amiga Addict will be joining us and will have issues of Amiga Addict, Pixel Addict and their special editions, as well as merch available for sale. Stop by their table in the Runnymede Room and say Hi.
Monster Joysticks: Our friends at Monster Joysticks will be joining us. Expect to see a wide range of their fantastic joysticks on display, available in a variety of formats and for a very wide array of systems (including a multi-button stick for the CD32, a huge upgrade over the original joypad it shipped with).
Come Hungry
Kickstart meets are always fully catered, so you don’t have to worry about having to find lunch, a drink or a snack. It ensures you can make the very most of the day. We will supply the following on Saturday:
Tea, Coffee, Milk, Sugar, Artificial Sweetener (there’s a hot water urn in the kitchen for instant boiling water for self-service drinks all day)
I’m really excited to announce we will have a selection of Kickstart merch available, the essential accessories for any Amiga enthusiast:
Mugs
Mouse Mats
Keyrings
Stickers
The Kickstart Merch Table will be set up near the main entrance. Everything is priced as low as possible and 100% of all funds go back into Kickstart to fund future events. We can take cash and cards.
Any Questions or Problems
If you have any questions, please ping us using the contact form above, or message us on our WhatsApp group or Facebook Group.
We’ve just wrapped up Kickstart 8 – thank you to everyone that came along and produced another fantastic Amiga meetup. It also means it’s time to open up sales for the summer BBQ meet, combining good times, good friends, great food, lots of Amigas and plenty of fun!
A Kickstart tradition that dates back to 1997, we’ve had a BBQ at our home base in Ottershaw every year we’ve been doing in-person meetups. Unlike our regular meets that take place on a Sunday, we move this meet to a Saturday to make it easier for people to stay over for the night, have a drink etc. and we have some top-notch food lined up for the grill.
We’ll be doing good quality burgers, sausages, chicken and more, as well as coleslaw, salads and other stuff. You are more than welcome to bring your own beer and/or wine, but please drink responsibly.
Kickstart 9 will still be a regular Kickstart meet-up, with all the usual fun and games (we might finally get one of those gaming competitions going on the big projector screen, you never know). We will also have the new TheA1200 on display, the full-size sequel to TheA500 Mini, but with a full working keyboard and AmigaOS, as well as pre-installed games.
As well as the usual top-quality fun, expect some special guests, some very special competitions and a few more surprises.
Table Tickets: Ticket includes all-day access to the meet, BBQ lunch, snacks and soft drinks/water/tea and coffee, a reserved chair and a table for you and your Amiga or Amigas.
Table Tickets (Stage): Same as a regular table ticket, except these tables are situated on our stage area looking out over the main hall.
No Table Tickets: Same as a regular table ticket, except you don’t have a table, so you won’t be able to set up your Amiga. Everything else is the same.
Spaces are limited, so please don’t delay securing your spot at the hottest Amiga event of the summer!
Are you ready? The car is mostly packed, the Amigas are boxed up and tomorrow morning we head to Ottershaw Village Hall in Surrey for our eighth Kickstart meet of the new era. It’s a sold-out meet once again, and we are set for a great day of Amiga fun.
Keep an eye on the site tomorrow, if you were not lucky enough to get a place for Kickstart 8, we will be making tickets live for Kickstart 9: the summer BBQ meet!
Kickstart 8 is this Sunday (1st February 2026) and is completely sold out. However, all is not lost, as we are excited to announce the details for K9 – our annual summer BBQ meet and the hottest Amiga event of the year!
The annual barbecue is a Kickstart tradition. We’ve moved this meet to a Saturday to make it easier for people to stay over for the night, have a drink etc. and we have some top-notch food lined up for the grill.
It’s official, we are a full house on Sunday for Kickstart 8 – the last non-table ticket went earlier today. Thank you to everyone that is coming, we look forward to welcoming you on Sunday.
Don’t forget, tickets for Kickstart 9: The Summer BBQ will be on sale from 1st February. It’s the hottest Amiga event of the year so make sure you don’t miss out!
A huge thank you to everyone who attended Sunday’s Kickstart meet. I hope everyone had a fantastic day. Please do post any pics you have from the meet over in our Facebook group.
Congrats to our three trophy winners and thanks to David Pleasance for attending and for sharing his insights about the new Commodore buisness.
A few pics at the end of this post are from the awards and cake cutting.
All tables are long gone, but we have three non-table spaces left, which will be taken off sale on Thursday 25th September so we can finalise numbers for catering etc.
But that’s not it, as we have confirmed dates for both our Christmas meal and our first meet of 2026! See below!
Kickstart Christmas 2025
When: Saturday, 6th December 2025
Where: Miller and Carter Ottershaw (the pub and restaurant opposite the hall), Guildford Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0PQ
We are continuing another Kickstart tradition, the Christmas dinner. There will be a £5 deposit to secure your place, which will come off your final bill on the evening. There’s plenty of free parking at the Miller and Carter too!
Tickets: Tickets go on sale on Sunday 28th September
Kickstart 8 takes place on the first Sunday of February in 2026. Doors open at 9am, and close at 9pm (or sooner if everyone decides to wind down a bit early and go to the pub, as can happen). We are looking forward to yet another brilliant day of Amiga fun. We will be kicking off the 41st year of the Amiga in style!
It’s just three weeks until we all return (and some join us for the first time) to Ottershaw Village Hall in leafy Ottershaw, Surrey for another Kickstart Amiga Group meet. Kickstart 7 is, as the number suggests, our seventh all day meet since we restarted in-person meetings in 2023 – concludes our celebration of 40 years of the Amiga in 2025. Everything is in place for a fantastic day of good fun, good friends and a whole day of Amiga fun.
We are sold out for the Kickstart 6 meet and BBQ on June 21st. Thank you everyone for your support and making this our biggest meet yet since we restarted in-person events.
If you were unable to get a ticket, we are pleased to announce that we have confirmed the date for our next meet:
