MAGWest, the west-coast music-and-gaming festival, runs through Sunday, Aug. 16 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in North San Jose. Three-day badges are still $99, single-day badges are sold at the door, and a 24-hour free-play arcade is the reason to go.

If you saw a flyer for MAGWest and wondered whether it's worth it, here's the short version: it's happening right now, through Sunday, Aug. 16, at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Gateway Place (2050 Gateway Pl.) in North San Jose. As of this weekend the official site (external source, opens in a new tab) says full-weekend badges are still available — so a first-timer who hasn't committed can still walk in.

The name is an acronym: music and gaming festival, west-coast edition. It's the California spinoff of the long-running East Coast MAGFest, run by the same 501(c)(3) nonprofit (external source, opens in a new tab). It's not a booth-and-banner trade show. The pitch, per the Visit San Jose listing (external source, opens in a new tab), is a 24-hour free-play arcade — consoles, retro PC, indie games, tabletop, and a wall of Japanese rhythm games including Maimai — plus live video-game and anime music all weekend on the main "POW Stage," with cosplay, karaoke, impromptu jams and pool parties folded in. Bands on the 2026 lineup (external source, opens in a new tab) include Lotus Juice and Johnny Gioeli. The arcade is the real draw: everything's set to free play, so once you're in, you're not feeding quarters into anything.

What it costs. A three-day single badge is $99, confirmed on the registration page (external source, opens in a new tab); kids 6–12 are half off, 5 and under free. If you're rolling with a crew, the group rate drops to $79 a badge when you buy five or more at once — the cheapest legit way in, and it beats hunting for the promo codes the org scatters across its socials. Single-day badges exist but are sold same-day online or at the door only; the FanCons listing (external source, opens in a new tab) puts the door rate for a Sunday-only badge at $30, which — if it holds — is the low-commitment move for anyone who just wants a taste before dropping a hundred bucks. Confirm the day rate at the box office before you count on it.

Getting there. This is North San Jose, near the airport off Highway 101 — not a downtown-walkable spot. Drive (the hotel has its own lot) or take a rideshare; it's a quick drop from SJC. If you're coming from farther out, this is a park-once weekend, not a hop-between-venues one.

If you've got the badge and a first-timer's nerves: don't try to "see everything." Start in the free-play arcade — it's the lowest-pressure room in the building, and a co-op cabinet is an easy way to end up talking to a stranger, which is half of what a weekend pass is for. Check the event schedule (external source, opens in a new tab) for the POW Stage set times and build your night around one show.

If you've only got two hours: go Sunday afternoon, grab a day badge at the door, and split your time between the arcade and whatever's on the main stage — that's the whole festival in miniature, minus the 2 a.m. chiptune sets. First MagWest or not, that's the version that's hard to regret.