California Extreme Updates

07/15/2025

07/11/2025

Here is the Speaker schedule and some reminders as we get ready for California Extreme on July 19-20th!

Speakers

We have a great line-up of speakers and live bands again this year (all times are on Saturday)! Please note that this schedule is subject to change. More information and descriptions of the talks is found at https://caextreme.org/guest-speakers/

Located in Magnolia

11:00 AM – How to Play Pinball
Andrei Massenkoff

12:30 PM – Behind the Scenes with the Guitar Hero Franchise
Mark Johnson, Lennon Lange

1:45 PM – Sinistar
Sam Dicker, Noah Falstein, RJ Mical (remote), Mike Metz (remote), Jack Haeger (remote), SynaMax (moderator)

3:15 PM – Early Atari Adventures, Wide Body Madness, and Modern Times at Jersey Jack Pinball
Steve Ritchie

4:45 PM – Killer Queen: a 10 Year Retrospective
Mike McFarran and Josh DeBonis (BumbleBear), Ken & TJ (grumpy old operators)

5:45 PM - WPC Games are Getting Old and So Are We
Chris K***z, TJ Beyer

6:45 PM – Indie Games: Everything Old is New Again
Josh DeBonis (BumbleBear), Grayson and Emily Wendell (Sleepy Bits Games, Mark Willson (Lost Generation Games)

Located in the Lobby Hallway

8:00 PM – How to Play Pinball
Rick Stetta

Live Music

Located upstairs in the Santa Clara Ballroom

7:00 PM – Raised on Video (radical 80’s tribute)

8:30 PM – Surfle Jerks (video game surf tunes)

9:50 PM – The Megas (video game inspired rock)

11:00 PM – Desmond Crisis DJ Set (electronic/synthwave)

Parking

This year there is no Levi’s event scheduled on the same days as our show, so getting to the show will be way easier!

There is another event scheduled inside the convention center, so parking in the garage behind the hotel may be busy, but there is other nearby free parking.

Parking - Free parking is available in the Santa Clara Convention Center garage on the second and third floors. Enter from Great America Pwky at Bunker Hill Ln. Follow the signage when you arrive. The ground floor of the garage and the parking spaces in the hotel lots outside are reserved for hotel guests for a fee. Another option is the Yellow Lot 1 garage on Tasman Dr across from Levi’s Stadium. There also is free street parking across Great America Parkway in the business park.

Rideshare / Drop-Off - The closest location to our ticket booths and main show hall is in front of the Convention Center entrance on Tasman Drive. Separately, another good alternative is at the Hyatt lobby entrance.

VTA Light Rail - The Great America Light Rail Station is right in front of the Santa Clara Convention Center and is an easy walk across the street.

See the website at https://caextreme.org/transportation-parking/ for more information.

Food and Beverages

Please be aware of a new, stricter policy regarding food and beverages that has been implemented by the Convention Center: No outside food or beverages are allowed into any area of the Convention Center, which includes food or beverages either purchased in the hotel or brought with you. This means that no outside food or beverages can be brought past the double doors where the hotel leads into the Convention Center. More information can be found at https://caextreme.org/food-drink-policy/ .

Tournaments

There are several great tournaments this year:

Pinball – 3 different tournaments (Main, Women’s, and Classics). Qualifying Friday and Saturday with Finals on Saturday and Sunday – see website at https://caextreme.org/tournaments/ for times. These are located in the pinball tournament areas in the hotel.

Street Fighter – Street Fighter II (sign-ups 11:00 AM – starting time 2:00 PM). Located in the Grand Ballroom in the Street Fighter Tournament area.

Missile Command Recharged Tournament – All Day Saturday and Sunday until 2:30 PM. You can win a brand-new Missile Command Recharged Arcade Cabinet which will be given away at the same time as the Grand Prize for the raffle. Located in the Mission Ballroom in the Alan-1
booth.

See rules and details at https://caextreme.org/tournaments/ .

Hotel Rooms

We may have a limited number rooms at the Hyatt at the show rate we may be able to release to someone who was not able to book a room on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you are interested, please contact us at [email protected].

Tickets

Pre-registration has ended for this year, but tickets are still available at the door the day of the show. Come to the registration area and you can purchase your tickets there. For more information, go to https://caextreme.org/tickets/ .

T-Shirts

We have two designs this year. Details are posted on the t-shirts page at https://caextreme.org/t-shirts/ . We will also have a limited number for sale at the show. They will also be available on-line soon for mail delivery after the show.

More updates as they happen at https://caextreme.org/ – see you at the show!

07/06/2025

T-shirt pre-orders will close promptly at 5 pm PDT on Monday, July 7. If you want to pick up your order at the show, order before the deadline at https://caextreme.org/t-shirts/ .

2025 shirts to be announced at a later date closer to the show. Prior year shirts are still available for purchase.

07/06/2025

The speaker talk descriptions and the band information have been posted on the website at https://caextreme.org/guest-speakers/ . (The speaker times will be posted a bit later). Check them out!

07/03/2025

T-Shirts

We will have two designs this year. For a limited time, you can pre-order t-shirts and pick them up at the show to ensure you get the one that you want. The deadline for pre-ordering is July 7th at 5 PM PDT. Details are posted on the t-shirts page at https://caextreme.org/t-shirts/ .

We will also have a limited number for sale at the show. They will also be available on-line soon for mail delivery after the show.

Parking

This year there is no Levi’s event scheduled on the same days as our show, so getting to the show will be way easier!

There is another event scheduled inside the convention center, so parking in the garage behind the hotel may be busy, but there is other nearby free parking.

Parking - Free parking is available in the Santa Clara Convention Center garage on the second and third floors. Enter from Great America Pwky at Bunker Hill Ln. Follow the signage when you arrive. The ground floor of the garage and the parking spaces in the hotel lots outside are reserved for hotel guests for a fee. Another option is the Yellow Lot 1 garage on Tasman Dr across from Levi’s Stadium. There also is free street parking across Great America Parkway in the business park.

Rideshare / Drop-Off - The closest location to our ticket booths and main show hall is in front of the Convention Center entrance on Tasman Drive. Separately, another good alternative is at the Hyatt lobby entrance.

VTA Light Rail - The Great America Light Rail Station is right in front of the Santa Clara Convention Center and is an easy walk across the street.

See the website at https://caextreme.org/transportation-parking/ for more information and maps.

Games

There's still time to register to bring games! We can always use more, and of course you will still be entitled to discounts and/or free passes for doing so (depending on how many you can bring). Details are on the exhibitor webpage at https://caextreme.org/exhibitors/ .

Vendors

We have a great lineup of vendors this year at the show. Go to https://caextreme.org/vendor-list/ to see the list!

Raffle

There will be a raffle again this year. The grand prize is planned to be a Stern King Kong Pro pinball machine! There will be various other fun prizes you can win. Tickets will be available at the show. More information at https://caextreme.org/raffle/ .

More updates as they happen on our website at https://caextreme.org/ – see you at the show!

06/30/2025

California Extreme is run by volunteers, even our staff members volunteer their time to make it happen every year.

We still have some opportunities available!
Simply exchange two hours of “work” for a full day admission. (By “work” we mean fairly easy tasks)

Checkout the time-slots that are still open and help us make this show even more amazing!

We always need volunteers! We have openings for several jobs throughout the show for people to help load in and load out, set up games, help at the front desk, watch the door, be a security person inside the show, and help with admin set up before the show. We ask for two hours of

06/28/2025

Pre-registration is now closed. Tickets will be available at the door the day of the show!

06/27/2025

Today is the last day to pre-register for the show. Save $5 per ticket, get a badge and lanyard, an get in one hour earlier. Go to www.caextreme.org/tickets to register.

2024 Ticket Information Pre-registration has ended. At-the-Door Prices the Day of the Show General entry is at 11 AM Saturday and SundayPre-registered guests can enter at 10 AM General Admission: Weekend - $70 Saturday Only - $50 Sunday Only - $40 Kids 2-6 (must be accompanied by an adult): Weekend....

06/26/2025

Updates:

Tickets

The pre-registration deadline is June 27th, 2025, (tomorrow!) and will not be extended (pre-register and get in one full hour early, get $5 off each ticket, and a cool laminated badge with a lanyard!). Visit the tickets page at https://caextreme.org/tickets/ to register by mail or online with PayPal. If you are mailing in your registration, we would appreciate doing so as soon as possible so you can be sure to get your badge (must be postmarked by June 27th).

Tickets will also be available at the door the day of the show, but without the perks above.

Parking

This year there is no Levi’s event scheduled on the same days as our show. There is another event scheduled inside the convention center, so parking may fill up sooner. We suggest getting here early.

Parking - Free parking is available in the Santa Clara Convention Center garage on the second and third floors. Enter from Great America Pwky at Bunker Hill Ln. Follow the signage when you arrive. The ground floor of the garage and the parking spaces in the hotel lots outside are reserved for hotel guests for a fee. Another option is the Yellow Lot 1 garage on Tasman Dr across from Levi’s Stadium. There also is free street parking across Great America Parkway in the business park.

Rideshare / Drop-Off - The closest location to our ticket booths and main show hall is in front of the Convention Center entrance on Tasman Drive. Separately, another good alternative is at the Hyatt lobby entrance.

VTA Light Rail - The Great America Light Rail Station is right in front of the Santa Clara Convention Center and is an easy walk across the street.

See the website at https://caextreme.org/transportation-parking/ for more information and maps.

Games

We always need more games! Bring your games (either to sell or just to show off) and get discounts and/or free admission! E-mail us at [email protected] for more information.

More updates as they happen on our website – see you at the show!

The Extreme Team

2025 Ticket Information Pre-registration Pre-registration is now open! Pre-register and get in one hour early, save $5 on each ticket and get an official show badge and lanyard! General entry for pre-registered entry is at 10 AM Saturday and Sunday. Please come early to pick up your all your stuff.....

06/25/2025

Just a reminder - pre-registration ticket sales end in 3 days (6/27). Register online and save $5, get a cool badge and lanyard, and get in one hour sooner!!

06/23/2025

Reminder, pre-registration closes at the end of the day Friday (6/27). Register now!