D – The Essen Exhibition Centre hosted Spiel Essen, which claims to be the world’s largest board game fair, from October 22 to 25, 2026. With 230,000 visitors from all over the globe, the event was sold out every single day. An expansion of the exhibition space allowed new exhibitors to take part and existing participants to increase the size of their stands. In total, the fair boasted 997 exhibitors from 53 countries.
“Exhibitors are practically knocking our doors down,” joked Carol Rapp, Managing Director of the organisers, Merz Verlag. “Last year, I hadn’t planned to open an additional hall, but the demand for space forced us to open Hall 7. The same thing happened this year – exhibitors kept asking for more space, so we had no choice but to make the final remaining hall available as well.”
Using Hall 8 for both exhibitions and gaming areas meant the fair was able to accommodate even more visitors in 2026. “We take great care to ensure that the experience at SPIEL doesn’t becoming overwhelming, in spite of the large crowds. Which is why we limit the number of attendees each day. Thanks to the eighth hall, we were able to increase that limit slightly without compromising the quality of the visitor experience.” With a total attendance of 230,000, this year’s edition of SPIEL surpassed the 2025 record by 10,000 people. Despite the continued high demand, Rapp confirms that moving the event to a different location is not an option.
The “Essen plays” (“Essen spielt”) project, which is jointly organised by the city, the trade fair venue and Merz Verlag, was additional staged for the first time. Thanks to a variety of events and benefits – such as discounts at participating partner venues, a signature cocktail served at various local establishments and special game nights held in the town hall, the Zollverein complex, or aboard a boat on Lake Baldeney – the fair extended well beyond the exhibition halls.
Alongside the opportunity of discovering, testing and purchasing new games, the “Spiel.talks” held on the open stage in Hall 4 attracted numerous visitors with their diverse range of topics. The event also hosted several award ceremonies, including the “Golden Demon”, an internationally renowned miniature painting competition organised by Games Workshop, and Germany’s largest community-voted board game awards. Furthermore, the “TCG Awards” were presented for the first time, recognising excellence in the field of trading card games. Winners across 13 categories were selected jointly by the community and a panel of experts. The winners were celebrated during the fair.
The next edition of Spiel Essen will be held at the Essen Exhibition Centre from October 21 to 24, 2027.
Photo source: Spiel Essen