If your group fancies a weekend buried in cardboard, the Manchester Board Game Festival is back from 12 to 14 June 2026 at the Manchester Conference Centre at the Pendulum Hotel. The pitch is simple: a 600-plus game library, hundreds of fellow players, and staff on hand to teach you anything you fancy trying.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeThe library is the heart of it. "Library Bees" roam the floor to recommend games, explain rules, and slot newcomers into sessions, so you do not need to arrive with a plan or a full group. Beyond open play there are bookable sessions for RPGs and a big game of Blood on the Clocktower, plus tournaments, seminars and live shows across the weekend. The doors stay open late, too: Friday from 3pm until midnight, Saturday 10am to midnight, and Sunday 10am to 8pm.
It is one of Manchester's regular tabletop weekends, and on the Saturday and Sunday the Geek Fayre opens up, gathering indie traders, artists and tabletop creators from around the UK, so it doubles as a chance to pick up something new for the shelf.
Run game nights? Backseat Gamer handles RSVPs, waitlists, date polling, and game voting so you can focus on playing.
Start organising for freeIf you cannot make it to Manchester, it is easy enough to start something nearer home: list your own game night for free on Backseat Gamer or find a local group to play with. And if you are going, it is the perfect excuse to round up a few people first.
Sources: Manchester Board Game Festival | The Manc
