LI Retro Gaming Expo draws classic game fans, marks 30 years of Nintendo 64
Eli Rosenberg, of Albany, plays Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game with his daughter Gavi, 11, at the LI Retro Gaming Expo at the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Vintage arcade games, old-school consoles and thousands of video game enthusiasts filled the sprawling Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale Saturday for the 2026 Retro Gaming Expo.
The annual event transforms the museum into a gaming utopia, where attendees can play systems dating back decades on bulky televisions and revisit iconic titles that defined their childhoods. This year's expo celebrated the 30th anniversary of Nintendo 64, the cartridge-based system that revolutionized 3D gaming and introduced legendary games like Super Mario 64.
"We don't just want to put things out for play, we want to have people experience and learn," said Joel Albino, an organizer of the event. "We have 50 years of history, so there's just so much out there."
The expo began on Friday and runs through Sunday. It has games for casual players and competitions for those seeking a tougher test, with tournaments for games like NHL 94 and Tekken 8. Around 7,000 people were expected to attend the expo over the entire weekend, Albino said.
Joseph Catanzaro, left, of Franklin Square, and Tristan Villanueva, of New Hyde Park, battled on Dance Dance Revolution In the Groove. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Eli Rosenberg, of Albany, was playing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade games with his children, Gavi, 11, and Meir, 15. He said he remembers going to birthday parties at United Skates of America in Massapequa when he was growing up and rushing towards the game to play it.
He said he came to the expo "to share the games of my childhood with my kids."
Meir said the games are different from what he normally plays but that they're entertaining at their core.
"The simplicity is nice, it's not overcomplicated," he said. "But it's still fun."
With his 9-year-old daughter, Julie, by his side, Timothy Martinez, from Queens, said video games became something during the pandemic that they used to connect.
"During COVID, I ran out of stuff to do with her, so now we're doing video games," Martinez said.
The mechanical clacking sounds of pinball machines and the flashing lights of arcade game Blast City whirled through the expo, which also featured panels throughout the morning and afternoon and dozens of vendors.
Jen Zhu, the creator of honeydewbun, a craft business where she transforms acrylic Poké balls and the hulls of broken consoles to make colorful terrariums, said events like the expo bring together a community of like-minded video game fans.
"We talk about games we played growing up, our first systems, our favorite Pokémon," said Zhu, 34, of Mineola. "It's a lot of nostalgia."
While playing Nintendo 64 with his son in an area dedicated to the console, Andrew Pollard, 40, of Allentown, said he remembered playing the system with his roommates in college.
"Lots of great late nights playing Smash Bros.," he said.
Nearby, Shawn Roller, 22, of Long Beach, said he was playing Nintendo 64 for the first time.
"It's interesting to see the history and also feel it in your hands," said Roller, who is studying game design and development. "It has a very unique feel, and you can tell it's from a different time."
