Channel 3 Expo 2025 celebrates 25 years and becomes the largest retro gamer festival in Brazil

September 13th and 14th - Vila Leopoldina (SP)

Today the 25th edition of Canal 3 Expo 2025 begins celebrating collecting, connection, and passion, and establishing itself as the largest retro gaming, retro computing, and collecting festival in Brazil.

The event was born in 1999 from a simple email list among fans of classic video games and microcomputers. Today, it has turned into a huge festival with free play arenas, exhibitions, lectures, international guests, shows, championships, and hundreds of exhibitors. All of this to keep alive the emotional memory of games and pop culture from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

"At Canal 3, nostalgia is alive, playable, and shared. We celebrate the stories that brought us here — and we create new memories at each edition." — Canal 3 Expo Organization

From the email list to the national festival (1999 → 2025)
 

Canal 3 was born when enthusiasts started sharing memories and discoveries about consoles and accessories. From there, in-person meetings emerged: testing devices, playing together, and making friends. What started in home gatherings evolved into regular meetings and, over time, into a festival.

In 2019, around 500 collectors participated in the event. After the pandemic hiatus, the return in 2022 consolidated Canal 3 as the main meeting in the segment in Brazil. Today, thousands of people gather annually to play, watch shows, lectures, rare exhibitions, and experience classic gamer culture in community.

Highlights 2025
 

International guests
 

• Larry Ahern — Director and co-creator of LucasArts classics (Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, The Curse of Monkey Island), with stints at Microsoft and Disney Imagineering.
   

Shows & Main Stage
 

• Megadriver — Pioneering game music band in Brazil.
• Bruno Henrique - "From 8 to 128 bits" — Keyboard presentation, with surprises for all ages.
• Wood - Geek Guitarist — Game classics and anime music.
• Raijin Band — High-energy Anime music.
• André Santi — MC, quizzes, and giveaways during the program.
• Cosplay — Panels, performances, and contests on Sunday.
   

DEV Stage - Game Creation in focus
 

The space brings together presentations, panels, and exhibitions from independent studios and collectives. The topics range from the history of video games applied to creation to artificial intelligence in development and open hardware. In the end, there is a vote for the best indie game, with awards in three categories.

Free Play Arenas & Experiences
 

• Over 50 consoles available, from Tele-Jogo to Xbox 360.
• Classic pinball and arcade games with free access.
• RetroPC with CRT and “ball mouse”.
• Championships and experiences like Speed Run Phygital, ShmupBR, Game Festival (FPS), and the traditional Rambo Kart Cup.
   

Thematic exhibitions such as:

• Time Tunnel 80s
• Portable Museum - Zanata (largest collection in the country)
• MSXSP - the platform's history
• Rare Video Games (Alexandre Bastos)
• 80s/90s Video Rental and Newsstand
• My First Video Game - over 200 playable consoles and micros
• 2000s LAN House
• Guitar Hero - exhibition and playable area
   

Classic Competitions and e-sports
 

• CTWC - Classic Tetris World Championship (Latin America) - Brazilian official stage.
• Herculano Game Show - championships of Bomba Patch, Donkey Kong, UMvC3, Mortal Kombat 11, Space Invaders, and KOF 98.
• Game Festival - FPS tournaments on Xbox 360/One.
• ShmupBR - shoot'em up marathon and high score.
• Open tournaments of High Score and Speed Run.
• Tony Hawk 2 - Retro Street - 90's experience with original setup.
• Guitar Hero - pro player performances and dedicated tournament.
   

Exhibitors and community
 

The festival brings together hundreds of exhibitors, including stores, collectors, publishers, artists, indie studios, educational institutions, and content creators.

Some highlights:

• Experiences & Arenas: Old School Pinball, Big Games, Herculano Game Show, Game Festival, RetroPC, ShmupBR, Guitar Hero Customs, Rambo Kart Cup, CTWC.
• Indies & Studios: Gixer, Grumpy Fox Games, Red Frog Games, Lazy Cat Games, Mikan Studios, among many others.
• Communities & Content: VGDB, RetroSC, RetroRio, MSX Club, Chaves Village Channel, Beyond Videogames.
• Education & Training: SENAI, PUC-SP, SENAC, FATEC, Méliès, HUG - Games University Hub.
• Stores & Collectibles: Retroland, GamesCare, Arsenal Retro, Retro Games, Old Game, Gotham Games, Pharaoh's Shop, among dozens of others.
• Arts & Authors Alley: Fancy BS - Pixel Art, Crás Studio, Beyond The Wall, Viral Geek, Final Frame Frames, among many independent artists.
   

The festival's lively curation ensures a variety of games, hardware, modding, books, collectibles, and experiences for the whole family.

Service
 

Event: Canal 3 Expo 2025 — The Biggest Retro Gamer Festival in Brazil
When: September 13th and 14th, 2025
Where: Vila Leopoldina – São Paulo (State Innovation Center)
Schedule: Main Stage, DEV Stage, free play arenas, exhibitions, shows, cosplay, CTWC, championships, and indie area.
Accessibility: spacious areas, rest areas, activities for all ages.
Age rating: All ages (minors accompanied by parents).
Tickets: available on the Canal 3 Expo website and official channels.
Social media: Instagram and Facebook @canal3classicgaming | canal3expo.com.br

Press inquiries:
Press releases, high-resolution images, and interviews with organizers and guests:
WhatsApp: +55 11 98132-8574 — Bruno Maimoni