If you've never heard of LoBsterCon, now is a good time to fix that. This May, it celebrates its 30th edition.
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Find events near youRun by London On Board, the UK's largest board games club with over 15,000 members on Meetup, LoBsterCon is a residential gaming weekend held twice a year at the Cumberland Hotel in Eastbourne. The 30th edition runs from Friday 1 May to Monday 4 May 2026, and if previous editions are anything to go by, expect around 100 board game enthusiasts settling in for a long weekend of everything from light trick-taking games to multi-hour heavy euros.
The "full board" in the event's name is a deliberate pun. It's a residential affair with accommodation and breakfast included, meaning you can roll straight from the dining table to the gaming table without missing a beat. Games fill the hotel's ballroom, and the atmosphere is welcoming, with organisers going out of their way to make sure nobody spends the weekend without a seat at a table.
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Start organising for freeWhat makes LoBsterCon worth highlighting isn't just the milestone. It's the model. A club running a residential convention twice a year for over a decade proves you don't need thousands of attendees or a convention centre to create something brilliant. If your local gaming group has ever floated the idea of a weekend away, LoBsterCon is the blueprint: pick a hotel with function space, keep numbers manageable, and let the games do the talking.
Details are on the LoBsterCon website. Thinking of organising your own? Find your community on Backseat Gamer.
Sources: LoBsterCon | London On Board | Meeple Mountain Convention Guide
