With winter fast approaching and the nights darkening, the time is ripe methinks for a wee social gathering of warm-blooded hominids to help stave away the November blues.

For those who aren’t already familiar with this little gem of a place, Novelty Automation is a unique, quirky collection of home-made arcade machines housed just a short walk from Holborn station in central London: https://novelty-automation.com/ (open 11am – 6pm)

Prices, Directions & Accessibility info (machines use a £1 coin per token – 10 tokens is £9): https://novelty-automation.com/07_map.htm

The idea is to all meet at Beck’s Cafe on Saturday, 12 November from 11:30 am for around 1-1.5 hours (depending on people’s preferences and how busy the cafe is) before heading to Novelty Automation between 12.30-1 and 2 pm for some good old fashioned fun and frivolity!

Virtually next door, Beck’s Cafe is a relaxed, low-key cafe known for its reasonable prices (ranging from £3 – £17 according to Trip Advisor) offering hearty full-English breakfasts and a range of lunch options including salads, sandwiches, baguettes and lasagne. Vegetarian friendly and Vegan options are also available. People will of course be expected to pay for any meals and beverages out of their own pocket.

For more information about the cafe, including reviews and a breakfast and lunch menu see the following links below:
https://restaurantguru.com/Beck-Cafe-London
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d816904-Reviews-Beck_s_cafe-London_England.html

Here are some further links providing more background context behind Novelty Automation and how it first came into being, as well as a list of all the machines that are currently on display:

Background: https://novelty-automation.com/02_novelty_automation_writing.htm
Current machines: https://novelty-automation.com/10_current-machines.htma

Timings: If we can all meet from around **11:30am **at Beck’s Cafe, where from here at 12.30-1pm we will head on to Novelty Automation which is a very short walk away. Please feel free to arrive at any time between 11:30-12.30, though be wary that any later than this and we will likely already have moved on.

Numbers: Limited sizes to a maximum of 10 of us due to possible limitations on space in the cafe.

Map: Here is a map below of the area including how to get to Beck’s Cafe from Holborn station: https://bit.ly/3sEGuwV

Again, it will be great to some familiar and not so familiar humanoids on Saturday, 12 and do feel free to bring a friend/facilitator too as +1 though being mindful of number limitations!