BLOCK PARTY 2016: HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING

8/9/2016

Obviously, not all of you will be able to make it to Block Party - the first ever Teletext and Digitiser festival - on October 1st, but here's a brief taste of what guests will be treated to.

Doors will open at about 10am, giving early birds time to explore the museum's many treats, before the first recording of the TeletextR podcast - hosted by Dan Farrimond and Carl Attrill - welcoming you to Block Party. Topics covered will, I'm sure, include the history of teletext... and should doubtless be a laid back and banter-fuelled affair.

At 11am teletext archivist Jason Robertson will be demonstrating how he has managed to recover so many lost Digitiser, Teletext, Ceefax and Oracle pages. Bring your old VHS tapes, and you never know what he might unearth before your very eyes. The second TeletextR panel happens at 12.30pm, and is dubbed "Meet the guests".

We'll be running our teletext designers panel - featuring myself, Dan and Steve Horsley - twice, at 2pm and 4pm, so that everyone with an all-day ticket will be able to sit in on one. If you want to add some spice to proceedings, you can probably ask Steve and I about our school days: we've known each other since we were kids, and were in the same art class together. In addition, there'll be a Make Your Own Teletext Art drop-in workshop running throughout the day,

SOME OF THE SPECIAL GUESTS WHO'LL BE TAKING PART IN QUIZ-ME-DO...

BREAK DANCE
We'll have a break at 5pm while the centre closes to the public, and we get set-up for the evening's Digifest. During this time, as the evening ticket holders arrive, you'll be able to grab a drink from the bar - which will remain open during the evening - or a bite to eat from the food van.

Doors to the main hall will re-open at approximately 6pm, with a short set from the sublime GamerDisco, along with pages from Digitiser on the big screen - followed by a very special video presentation.

7pm will see the kick-off of The Ultimate Digitiser Panel. Hosted by top stand-up and Digi fan Chris Coltrane, you'll be treated to the never-before-heard true story of Digitiser, courtesy of myself, Tim "Mr Hairs" Moore, and Bad Influence icon and Digi panelist Violet Berlin. No doubt, it'll veer off at points into surrealist whimsy. Please bear with us while we get that out of our systems.

Following a short break around 9pm, for further refreshments - again accompanied by the sweet sounds of GamerDisco - we'll be kicking off Quiz-Me-Do. Audience members will be forced at knifepoint to choose a side, as team captains Mr Hairs and Violet Berlin will be leading their squad of surprise(d) guests into a battle of gaming trivia, nonsense, and challenges.

It won't be anything whatsoever like the popular TV comedy quiz Shooting Stars; it'll be far more shambolic and unprofessional. Expect the unexpected.

Suffice to say, by the time all that comes to an end, we'll all be ready to die... BUT... the night doesn't end there. We'll be keeping the bar open, and sticking around for a chat, to more of GamerDisco's retro gaming sounds.

EAT TO THE BEAT
Both bar and food will be arriving during the early evening break, but if you need to get something to eat earlier, the Centre has a small snack bar, or there are other food options just a short walk away, including an Asda, and a Frankie & Benny's. Or just bring a sandwich.

If you're travelling by train, Cambridge station is 1.4 miles away, so roughly a 30 minute walk, or a quick 10 minute cab journey. Car parking is fairly limited on site, but there are other options close by. Further travel details are available here. If you're staying over, there's a Travelodge just 5 minutes walk away, and plenty of other choices around Cambridge. Or you could just sleep under a bridge like we are.

We'll also have a Digitiser merchandise stand, selling our new mugs, 2017 calendars, stickers, and three brand new t-shirt designs. Oh - and hopefully Mr Hairs will have his brand new book, The Cyclist Who Went Out In The Cold, available for sale. We might also have some tatty old copies of my book, Confessions of a Chatroom Freak, which I'll be happy to sign for you. Bring money.

Just a brief request: if you've bought a ticket, but won't be able to make it, please let us know, as we have a handful of people who weren't lucky enough to get a ticket before they sold out, and would be happy to have yours.

We'll be sending more details out by email closer to the day. Suffice to say, it's going to be a rather special and unique day for all of us.

13 Comments

Trevor Cod

8/9/2016 12:28:18 pm

Please don't buy all the mugs! I couldn't make it but really need a digi mug. You know, like really need one. Seriously.
Have fun though everyone.

Mr Biffo

8/9/2016 12:31:51 pm

I'm sure we'll have some left over!

Chris Wyatt

8/9/2016 01:27:34 pm

Please film everything, for those of us that couldn't be bothered to go.

8/9/2016 01:28:44 pm

Huss! Yeah, we'll try and film as much of it as we can - don't worry.

John Veness

8/9/2016 05:09:42 pm

For people who are driving, and assuming the spaces directly outside the venue are fully, where are people planning to park? I've only just started looking - I see a few car parks but they are a way away and quite expensive.

Anyone know Cambridge and can recommend?

Nick

8/9/2016 06:34:28 pm

The museum is on a small industrial estate. It might be possible to park in the car parks of the units that aren't open on Saturday. There is also a big shopping thing nearby (Asda and whatnot) but I can't remember if you have to pay for parking.

Robin

8/9/2016 09:24:48 pm

There are a couple of massive car parks for the shops nearby, one for Asda/ Toys R Us on the one side of the road and then Homebase/Argos/Currys on the other. They are free but stated to be "customers only" and something like a 3 hour limit; I can't speak to how strictly this is enforced.

However if you go southeast of the railway line to the residential streets like Cromwell Road, Brampton Road, Ross St, so far as I know parking on the street in most stretches there is free. That would not be much of a walk if you could find a space somewhere around there. I live nearby so will try to wander over there in the next week or two and confirm this :-) (some bits might be residents only but I'm pretty sure not everywhere).

9/9/2016 10:35:14 am

Yep - just to echo that... I don't know the area well, but other than the big supermarket/retail park, it's mostly residential, so there should be parking nearby.

9/9/2016 01:52:58 pm

Thanks all. I've been stalking the residential roads to the south, using Google Streetview, and I don't see any signs saying parking is for residents only, so I think we're good.

Jareth Smith

9/9/2016 04:08:42 pm

All the tickets had sold out when I tried to book. I'll go next year. Innit.

HAVE FUN, YO!

Dan - Digifest helper monkey link

9/9/2016 08:41:22 pm

Expect the unexpected for the day activities too... mostly because we dunno what's going to happen yet either. :P

Those podcast recordings... may have special guests...

Oh, I've said far too much! I'm sure WLW will scold me below his Horizontal Line of Fortitude.

Al__S

23/9/2016 09:02:52 am

Can confirm that all the streets east of the railway have no parking restrictions.

For those coming by train, the late services back to London Kings Cross are affected by the dreaded bus. Last direct train to London goes to Liverpool Street at 2251, last (with bus between Letchworth and Stevenage) to Kings Cross at 2315.

If coming by train and not planning on using that rail replacement bus, I can recommend bringing a bike as it is a pleasant ride from the station to the museum. If coming by train and staying the night, the branch of Rutland Cycles in the station cycle park does bike hire, ideal for having an explore of Cambridge the following day. I can recommend the Museum of Technology, which is open on Sundays (and only Sundays) from 2pm to 5pm. Except that on the 2nd there's a model railway and Meccano day from 11-2 as well. The museum is an old steam powered sewage pumping station and has all sorts of old tech in it.

23/9/2016 10:19:28 pm

And don't forget the Sedgwick Museum! ;-)
http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/

BLOCK PARTY 2016: HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING

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