And a round-up of other show dates, whether known or likely!
The time is almost here to say goodbye to 2023 and welcome in a whole new year, which we should probably call ‘2024’ – and if we’re looking at a new year, we may as well start thinking about the RISC OS shows that we’ll be attending, the first of which is usually the Southwest Show.
Organised by R-Comp‘s Andrew Rawnsley and Orpheus Internet‘s Richard Brown – both also of RISC OS Developments – the show usually takes place in February. Andrew mentioned during a recent talk given to the Wakefield RISC OS Computer Club (WROCC) that it was going ahead, and I’ve now had the exact date confirmed – so I can now reveal it to you!
The show will take place on Saturday, 24th February, at:
The Arnos Manor Hotel,
470 Bath Road,
Arnos Vale,
Bristol,
BS4 3HQ.
Full details of times and prices are yet to be published, but the 2023 event saw the doors open to the public from 10:30am until 4:00pm, with an on-the-door ticket price of £6.00.
Similarly, it is too early to say exactly who will be exhibiting, save for stating the obvious – R-Comp, Orpheus, and RISC OS Developments, given who the organisers are, and I can confirm that Soft Rock Software/RISCOSitory will be there because, well, that’ll be me, and it’s hard to stay away from a show that’s just about on my doorstep!
Beyond that, speculation is the only option at this early stage, but I’d expect to see a couple of other local exhibitors – Chris Hall and AMCS – as well as other well known/big names in the RISC OS world, such as RISC OS Open Ltd, RISCOSbits, and so on.
Before February – the MUG Xmas Market
There is still one more show to go this year, with the Midlands User Group (MUG) organising a small, late event to make up for the lack of a 2023 London Show – the MUG Xmas Market, sponsored by Soft Rock Software and RISCOSitory, which will take place in just four week’s time on Saturday, 9th December.
The destination for the discerning RISC OS user is:
Dodderhill Parish Community Hall,
School Road,
Wychbold,
WR9 7PU.
The doors will be open from 11:30am until 4:00pm, and there is no entry fee – just walk right on in!
We have a good range of exhibitors booked in, including R-Comp, RISCOSbits, RISC OS Open Ltd, Wi-Fi Sheep, Soft Rock Software, AMCOG Games, Elesar, and more, so it’ll be nice to see a good range of visitors as well!
Beyond February – other shows
The second show of 2024 will be Wakefield, organised by WROCC. The date of the show has already been announced as Saturday, 27th April – and, like the last two years, it will actually take place in Bradford due to the usual venue being unavailable.
Moving away from the UK, the third event usually takes place in Koog ann de Zaan in The Netherlands – the RISC OS eXperience, organised by the Big Ben Club. I usually don’t see the date of this until very close to the event, but Saturday, 18th May has been whispered in my general direction, though whether the location will be the same is yet to be confirmed.
For the last couple of years, there has also been a summer event held online – both one-offs so far, with different names but the same organisers; the Midlands User Group. Although not officially announced, discussions seem to hint that it is likely to go ahead again, and – very speculatively (based on the group’s usual meeting schedule) – the date to note is probably Saturday, 6th July.
Finally, the year normally ends with the London Show, run by the RISC OS User Group of London (ROUGOL). The regular venue has been unavailable for a couple of years, so there was no show in either 2022 or 2023, and it will also be unavailable for 2024, but all is not lost because I’m told that an alternative has been found. Arrangements were still to be finalised before it can be confirmed and announced, but I’d pencil in Saturday, 26th October for now, because the show traditionally takes place on the same weekend each year in which the the entire UK time travels one hour into the past. You can always rub it out if that’s wrong.
