Trenton Computer Festival
The Trenton Computer Festival, founded in 1976 was, up until 3/10/2020, the oldest continuously-running personal computer show in the world. It is considered to be the first major fair for personal computer hobbyists.
It was founded 1976 at Trenton State College by Sol Libes and Allen Katz with the assistance of the Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey. The initial event drew a crowd of approximately 1,500, and featured lectures, vendor tables, and an outdoor computer market, all aimed at the amateur computer hobbyist.
By 1992, it had moved to the Mercer County Community College, and by 1999 it had moved to the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, New Jersey. Attendance peaked at approximately 30,000 attendees per weekend around 1988, but by 2003, was down to approximately 10,000 attendees across the entire weekend. In 2005, TCF returned to The College of New Jersey, formerly Trenton State College, to celebrate its 30th anniversary. In 2015, the event marked its 40th anniversary.
With the 2020 cancellation as the COVID-19 pandemic was to blame, the 45th was deferred to 2021.
