The biggest board game event on the planet is about to get bigger again. Spiel Essen, the colossal German fair where hundreds of thousands of gamers descend to play and buy the year's new releases, has sold out every last stand and will spread across all eight of its exhibition halls for the first time when it returns from 22 to 25 October 2026.
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Set up your group for freeFor anyone who hasn't been, Spiel Essen is where much of the hobby's calendar pivots. Publishers time their big launches for it, and "an Essen release" is shorthand for a game's debut. Organiser Merz Verlag says exhibitor space is completely booked with a waiting list, and opening that final hall pushes the show to around 81,200 square metres, its fourth size record in a row. American artist Peter Mohrbacher, a name well known for his work in modern board game and fantasy illustration, is this year's official ambassador, and the fair is launching its first global trading card game awards alongside the return of the Golden Demon painting competition.
Last year's Essen drew a record 220,000-plus visitors across four sold-out days, so "biggest ever" is becoming an annual headline. October is still months off, but Essen fills hotels fast and plenty of UK groups make the trip together. If yours fancies it, now is the time to start planning. Rally your group and get the dates in the diary before the good travel deals disappear.
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Find events near youSources: Spiel Essen | BoardGameWire
