Save the date: International Tabletop Day falls on Saturday 6 June 2026, and Asmodee has just kicked things off by opening registration for a worldwide round of Splendor in-store events. If you've ever fancied running a game night beyond your kitchen table, this is the perfect excuse.
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Find events near youInternational Tabletop Day started in 2013, dreamed up by Geek & Sundry producer Boyan Radakovich on the back of Wil Wheaton's TableTop web series, and rapidly grew into one of gaming's biggest grassroots holidays. The first one drew 3,000+ events across 60 countries; it now runs in libraries, cafés, schools, and game shops worldwide on the first Saturday of every June. UK shops typically run open-play days, learn-to-play tables, and tournament brackets, often with publisher prize support.
The headline announcement this year is from Asmodee US, who confirmed three flavours of Splendor organised play tied to 6 June: two casual tournaments and a demo activation. Stores had until 30 April to sign up for materials, but most participating shops should be locking in their schedules now. Splendor remains one of the easiest gateway games on the market, a 30-minute gem-collecting engine builder for 2-4 players that actual humans can learn in five minutes, which makes it an inspired pick for an event aimed at pulling new players in.
Run game nights? Backseat Gamer handles RSVPs, waitlists, date polling, and game voting so you can focus on playing.
Start organising for freeThe bigger opportunity is for anyone who runs a community group, café, or hobby club. Tabletop Day lives or dies on local organisers running events, and the formula is simple: pick a venue, pick a few games to teach, advertise it, and turn up. UK board game cafés and clubs have run hundreds of these in recent years, and the day reliably brings out players who never think to come on a normal Saturday.
If you fancy running one, list your event for free on Backseat Gamer and let local players find it. Even a small library or pub-room session counts. The platform's whole point is that game nights happen where someone actually organises them, and 6 June is one of the easiest wins on the calendar.
Sources: National Today | ICv2 | TabletopDay
