Workbench Guides · Events

Miniature Events Around the World

The miniature wargaming, painting and tabletop events worth knowing about, from club-run shows in the UK to big conventions in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia. Browse by region or by month, then open any event for its dates, tickets and tips.

UK Europe North America Australia
35 events 5 regions January to December
Month by month Every event in its usual month

Shows and conventions are where the hobby comes together: armies on big tables, traders you've only ever bought from online, painting cabinets to lose an hour in, and people who are just as keen as you are.

This page gathers the events we've written guides for, grouped by region and laid out month by month. To keep it right year after year, it lists each event's usual month only. Every card opens the event's own page, which has the next dates, the venue, entry details and a link to the organiser's official site.

At a glance

  • Events35, from one-day club shows to five-day conventions
  • RegionsUK, Europe, USA, Canada and Australia
  • DatesUsual months here, exact dates on each event's page
  • UK only?See the UK hobby calendar

Usual months checked against each organiser's website in October 2026. Exact dates are on each event's page.

A simple world map with pins for the five regions covered: the UK with 14 events, Europe with 8, the USA with 8, Canada with 2 and Australia with 3

Tap the diagram to open it full size.

Where the shows are. Five regions, 35 events: 14 in the UK, 8 elsewhere in Europe, 8 in the USA, 2 in Canada and 3 in Australia.

01

Shows in the UK

Club-run one-day shows, big conventions and Games Workshop events.

The UK has a busy show year, much of it run by wargames clubs and volunteers. Newark Showground alone hosts three shows a year, and there's something on in most months. For the whole UK year in one place, including deadlines, see our UK hobby calendar.

Salute London · April MixedPainting UK Games Expo Birmingham · Late May or early June Board gamesPainting Hammerhead Newark · Late February MixedBring & buy Partizan Newark · May Historical The Other Partizan Newark · October Historical Vapnartak York · Early February Mixed Cavalier Tonbridge · February MixedBring & buy Colours Newbury · September Historical Claymore Edinburgh · Early August Mixed Britcon Leicester · August HistoricalTournaments Warfare Farnborough · November MixedTournaments Battleground Middlesbrough · Late November MixedFree entry Scale ModelWorld Telford · November ModellingCompetition Warhammer World and the Opens Nottingham and beyond · Year-round WarhammerTournaments
02

Shows in Europe

Board game giants, painting shows and a world championship.

Europe's events range from SPIEL in Essen, the world's largest board game fair, to painting and modelling shows in Germany, Italy and Spain, and a world championship in Poland. World Model Expo 2028 and WTC 2027 aren't yearly shows, so their year is part of the name.

SPIEL Essen Essen, Germany · October Golden Demon, Games Workshop's painting competition, was on the 2026 programme. Board gamesPainting Hamburger Tactica Hamburg, Germany · February Mixed Crisis Sint-Niklaas, Belgium · November MixedTraders Euro Model Expo Lingen, Germany · March Modelling Monte San Savino Show Monte San Savino, Italy · November Painting World Model Expo 2028 Madrid, Spain · July 2028, every three years PaintingModelling Fantasy Basel Basel, Switzerland · May Pop cultureTabletop WTC 2027: The Old World Żnin, Poland · September 2027, one-off TournamentsFantasy
03

USA and Canada

Huge tournament conventions, historical weekends and general game fairs.

USA

The big American events are multi-day conventions. Some are built around tournaments and painting, some around historical gaming (three of them run by the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society in Lancaster, Pennsylvania), and some are general game fairs with miniatures among everything else.

AdeptiCon Milwaukee · April Golden Demon, Games Workshop's painting competition, ran its US leg here in 2026. TournamentsPainting NOVA Open Washington DC · Late August or early September TournamentsPainting Las Vegas Open Las Vegas · October TournamentsPainting Gen Con Indianapolis · August Tabletop Origins Game Fair Columbus · June Tabletop Historicon Lancaster PA · July Historical Cold Wars Lancaster PA · February Historical Fall In! Lancaster PA · November Historical

Canada

Two Ontario events, both in March: a gaming weekend in Stratford and a general tabletop convention in Toronto with miniature painting classes.

Hot Lead Stratford, Ontario · March MixedBring & buy Breakout Con Toronto · March TabletopPainting classes
04

Shows in Australia

Three big gaming weekends, each tied to a holiday.

Australia's big events line up with long weekends: Cancon over the Australia Day weekend, Conquest at Easter and MOAB on the October long weekend. Each mixes miniature wargames with other games.

Cancon Canberra · Late January MixedPainting MOAB Sydney · October long weekend TournamentsBring & buy Conquest Melbourne · Easter weekend WargamesRPGs
05

Month by month

Every event in its usual month, so you can plan the year.

The show year at a glance: one dot per event in its usual month, coloured by region. February and November are the busiest months, December has none, and Warhammer World runs events all year round

Tap the diagram to open it full size.

The show year. One dot per event in its usual month, coloured by region. February and November are the busiest months, and December is quiet.

UKEuropeUSACanadaAustralia

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

None of the events here are usually held in December. A good month to paint.

Usual months, not dates. Events move from year to year, and some have moved month for good. Always check the event's own page and the organiser's site before you book travel. Warhammer World in Nottingham runs events all year round, so it isn't in a single month.

06

Choosing your show

Start with what you want from the day, then pick the event.

How to choose a show, with Bob: to play in a tournament, look for pre-booked tournaments; to enter a painting competition, a show with a competition; for historical games, a mainly historical show; for your first show, a one-day show near you; for bargains, a bring and buy; and to bring the whole group, a big mixed convention

Tap the diagram to open it full size.

Which show for me? Start with what you want from the day, whether that is tournaments, painting, history, bargains or a group day out, and Bob points you at the kind of event to look for.

For tournaments

Britcon, NOVA Open, Las Vegas Open, AdeptiCon and the Warhammer Opens are built around them. Book early and read the pack.

For painting competitions

Salute, Monte San Savino, Cancon and NOVA Open all have one. Start with how to enter and what judges look for.

For historical gaming

Partizan, The Other Partizan, Colours, Historicon, Cold Wars and Fall In! are mainly historical.

On a budget

Battleground is free to enter, and under-16s get in free at Cavalier and Britcon's trade show.

For bargains

Look for a bring and buy, as at Hammerhead, Warfare, Hot Lead and MOAB. Bring cash and arrive early.

For a mixed group

UK Games Expo, Gen Con, SPIEL and Conquest mix miniatures with board games, RPGs and more.

Workbench guide Pack for a show Whether it's your army for a tournament or a haul from the trade hall, here's how to pack painted miniatures so they arrive in one piece. Read the guide

Before you book

  • Checked the dates on the event's page and the organiser's site?
  • Know whether tickets are on the door or booked ahead?
  • Booked any tournament place well in advance?
  • Read the painting competition rules, if you're entering?
  • Travel and somewhere to stay sorted for multi-day events?
  • A carry case ready for your army and your shopping?

Never do this

Trust last year's date

Shows move. Turning up to an empty showground is a long way to travel for a sandwich in the car park.

Touch their army

Someone's army took them all winter to paint. Admire with your eyes, and ask before you touch a single figure.

Spin in a backpack

Every spin with a backpack on is a rulebook avalanche waiting to happen. Carry it in front in busy aisles.

Book every show

Thirty-five events in a year is a lot of travel and a very tall pile of shame. Pick a few and enjoy them.

Nose the cabinets

Get close, by all means, but nose prints on the glass don't help anyone admire the winners.

Forget the way home

That box of terrain looked small on the stand. Plan how you'll carry it before the third one.

Quick answers

QuestionAnswer
Where are the exact dates?On each event's own page, checked against the organiser's website. This page lists usual months so it stays right
Which months are busiest?February and November, going by usual months
Is anything on in December?None of the events here are usually held in December
Where is Golden Demon held?Golden Demon, Games Workshop's painting competition, ran at AdeptiCon and SPIEL Essen in 2026. Check Games Workshop for the next legs
Do you cover New Zealand?Not yet. We only list events we could check on the organiser's own website
What is a bring and buy?A stall where visitors sell their unwanted miniatures, books and terrain to other visitors
Do I need to book ahead?It depends on the event. Tournaments are usually pre-booked, and each event page says what the organiser publishes
Is there a UK-only list?Yes, the UK hobby calendar covers the UK year month by month

The short version

Pick your shows

Thirty-five miniature events across the UK, Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia, from free one-day club shows to five-day conventions. February and November are the busiest months, and every event has its own page with dates, tickets and tips.

Start with what you want from the day, check the dates on the organiser's site, and pack a carry case. Then go and enjoy the hobby in person.

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