Just before Christmas, I was talking to my long time Retro Friend George Bachaelor who you may know for the RetroGroups and Retro Publications (https://blastannual.com) he’s built over the years and his long time dedication and commitment to all things Retro…

George asked the question… Why isn’t there an Amstrad CPC Themed calendar? There seems to be one for the Spectrum, BBC, Commodore 64 etc…

Given we were just about to get into Christmas Week, I cheekily knocked up a proof of concept in Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher software. Sadly there isn’t an inbuilt calendar feature, so… I created it by hand 🙈 As time was tight, I chose a selection of Amstrad CPC Loading Screens that I felt really showcased some of the best 8-Bit Artists created back in the 80’s, and of course it helps the Speccy boys see what real computer art is without the colour clash 😜

There’s no theme with this calendar, just a proof of concept to see if there’s interest in the community.  If there is, we may well produce a hardcopy calendar for 2025 for sale later in the year.

Yeah, a real ball ache creating and offsetting each month, and just when you think you’ve cracked it, another error pops up!

That said, after a few iterations, I have, what I believe to be the only Amstrad CPC Themed Calendar for 2024 and it’s available to you to print at home and keep. It’s available for download here, and within a few of the Retro Facebook Groups Files section. I’ve included key dates for England, Scotland, and Ireland, along with dates for various celebrations for different faiths. It’s impossible to cover all scenarios though. I did think about including Europe, though you always run the risk of missing something, so I kept it relatively simple. Click the link to Download this awesome PDF.

Of course, I had to print a copy for myself, though I used PrinterPix.co.uk to upload the images. Their solution offers a pre-built calendar with key dates. I thought selecting A3 meant to the total size of Calendar… How wrong was I? The final printed calendar is size A2 🙈 A few sample pictures below of what I received from the printers.

If you plan on printing this calendar, I would recommend double sided Photographic Paper if your printer supports full Duplex.

What are you waiting for? Download this awesome calendar today and display proudly in your home or office, be the envy of the Commodore and ZX Spectrum owners who stubbornly won’t admit the CPC was the best 8-Bit Home Computer of the era!

If you’ve printed the calendar or downloaded it, why not drop your thoughts in the comments below or add photos to the facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1066160190075999 ?

Happy New Year!