ejagfest

ejagfest is a non-commercial retro gaming festival with a focus on Atari systems, held regularly since 2000. Behind the organiser stands Björn Baranski, who has helped shape the event for more than two decades as a meeting point for players, collectors, homebrew developers, traders and Atari enthusiasts from Germany, Europe and beyond.

At its centre are the Atari Jaguar, Atari Lynx, VCS 2600, 5200, 7800 and classic home computers, though ejagfest has never been narrowly limited to a single system. Its self-image is deliberately open: anyone who wants to bring their favourite retro console or computer, play in good company, talk shop or simply relive old memories should feel right at home here. It is precisely this mix of Atari passion, rarities, homebrew and personal exchange that defines the character of the festival.

Over the years, a distinct profile has grown up around the actual meeting. New homebrew releases, prototypes, demos and new hardware solutions are regularly presented at ejagfest; developers from across Europe use the festival to showcase projects and sometimes sell them directly on site. A particularly notable moment came in 2007 with the European premiere of the only known working prototype of the Hi-Res Jaguar Virtual Reality Headset. There are also tournaments such as the European Checkered Flag Championship on a six-player Lynx network, further fun tournaments, and an environment in which collectors, hobbyists and visitors can discover unusual hardware and software.

The documented editions of recent years also show how broad the format has become: international guests from the Atari and homebrew scene, traders, book publishers, magazines, podcasts and exhibitors shape the picture just as much as private gaming stations and technical rarities. After the pandemic-related break from 2020 to 2022, the festival returned in 2023. In 2024 the meeting took place for the twenty-first time, and for the seventh time at the venue in Kleinenbroich and Korschenbroich respectively.

The organiser's profile also includes the affiliated ejagfest blog, which covers retro games, video games, books, merchandise, accessories and scene topics. This means ejagfest stands not just for a single weekend on the calendar, but for a platform that has grown over many years, making Atari and retro gaming culture visible, tangible and documented.