MAGWest 2026

MAGWest is a dedicated gaming and music festival geared towards video game enthusiasts and industry insiders on the West Coast, spotlighting retro gaming culture and developer panels.

MAGWest 2026

MAGWest ran August 14–16, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in San Jose, California, next to San Jose International Airport. The organizer says MAGWest will be back in 2027 and will announce details when it can.

What it was

MAGWest, short for "Music And Gaming Festival – West," is a three-day fan event for video game music, gaming of all kinds and the gaming community. It is the West Coast offshoot of MAGFest, the East Coast festival that began in 2002. MAGWest's first event was in 2017.

It is run by MAGFest, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and staffed by volunteers. The organizer describes it as an event "run by fans for fans," with no crowded showfloors or big sponsor presentations. MAGFest, Inc. also runs Super MAGFest, MAGStock, MAGLabs and BitGen Gamer Fest.

What was on

The organizer says the event runs 24 hours a day. The gaming hall stays open all day and all night, with these areas:

• Free-play arcade and pinball, including rhythm games
• Consoles from NES and Genesis through Switch and current systems
• Indie games from regional developers
• A retro LAN of Windows 7-era PCs
• Tabletop gaming
• Tournaments in fighting games, rhythm games and more

Music is the other half of the program: live video game cover bands, chiptune acts, and a main stage that was renamed the POW STAGE for 2026. There were also guest speakers, panels, a marketplace, and a cosplay and craft area.

Getting there

Badges were three-day or single-day. Single-day badges were sold only on the day, online or at the door. The organizer warned that the hotel lot fills up on Friday and Saturday and pointed attendees to reserved overflow parking across the street, airport garages, and transit: Caltrain to Santa Clara or BART to Milpitas, then the VTA 60 bus to Brokaw and 1st. The hotel is a 10–15 minute walk from the SJC terminal.