Historicon, Lancaster PA

Historicon is run by the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, a volunteer-run educational non-profit that exists to promote the study of military history through tabletop miniature wargaming. HMGS calls Historicon its flagship convention. Its sister shows are Cold Wars in winter and Fall In! in November, but Historicon is the long one: five days in July rather than a weekend.

The 2027 theme is Small Battles with Big Impacts. Expect a run of games, talks and terrain built around it, alongside everything else on the schedule. Games from plenty of other periods run alongside the themed ones, so the theme is a flavour rather than a rule.

Four decades of history

The first Historicon was held in 1984, and the organiser's archive lists every edition since. It began in New Carrollton, Maryland, moved to Camp Hill, Pennsylvania in the late 1980s, and then spent almost two decades at the Lancaster Host Hotel. Valley Forge and then Fredericksburg, Virginia hosted it in the 2010s before it returned to Lancaster. Only two years have been lost: 1985, and 2020 during COVID. In 2021 it ran in November at King of Prussia instead of July.

The busiest years were 2008 and 1998, each with more than 3,600 people. Numbers have climbed steadily since the show moved into the Lancaster County Convention Center: just over 2,000 in 2022, then 2,334, then 2,557 in 2024. HMGS says 2025 was the best attended Historicon since 2013: the organiser counted 693 participation games, 21 tournaments, 52 Hobby University classes, 30 War College lectures and 62 exhibitors in 2025.

Recent themes give the flavour: Italy at war in 2022, American expansion and the Civil War in 2023, war films ("From Hollywood to Historicon") in 2024, 250 years of the US Army in 2025, and the 250th anniversary of the American War of Independence in 2026.

Historicon 2027 runs 21 to 25 July 2027 at the Lancaster Convention Center, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It opens on Wednesday 21 July, from mid-afternoon, when onsite registration starts and the first evening games get going. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are full days, with gaming from 9am until 1am, and Sunday is a half day that wraps up in the early afternoon.

HMGS hasn't published the 2027 timetable yet, so the hours below are from the most recent show. The pattern was much the same in 2025 and 2026, so it's a sound guide for planning. The exhibit hall stays shut on the Wednesday, and Hobby University and War College start on Thursday.

The booking calendar

Historicon is booked in stages, and the dates matter more than at a one-day show. Hotel room blocks open first, early in the year, and in 2026 they sold out. Game hosts submit their events in spring. Badges go on sale in May, and game tickets follow about ten days later, on an evening announced in advance. HMGS expects the full 2027 listing on its ticketing site early in the year, so put a reminder in your diary for the first quarter.

Future dates

HMGS plans well ahead. After 2027, Historicon is listed for 19 to 23 July 2028, and 18 to 22 July 2029, both at the same convention center. Themes for later years are announced nearer the time.

There's no paper ticket on the door at Historicon. You buy a badge, which is your entry to the convention and the exhibit hall, and then add tickets for individual games, classes and lectures to it. HMGS sells badges through TableTop.Events, an online convention system, and the 2027 listing will appear on the Historicon badge page when it's ready. HMGS doesn't publish badge prices on its own site, so check the badge page for the current price; booking and card fees are added at checkout.

Membership, youth and partner badges

Join HMGS? Membership is $35 a year and gives cheaper badges at Historicon, Cold Wars and Fall In!, a vote in the society, and access to Wally's Basement, the members' tables you book by session. If you're crossing the Atlantic for a five-day convention, it may well pay for itself.

Youth and Non-playing Partner badges are added after you've bought your own badge, using a link in your confirmation email. A partner badge is for someone who comes along but won't play, so it can't take game tickets.

Free badge for game hosts. Run games for at least 20 gamer hours (players times game length) as an HMGS member and HMGS gives you a complimentary badge. Volunteers, exhibitors, War College speakers and Hobby University instructors also get badges, which is a good reason to offer a game or a talk once you've been once.

Participation games

Most of Historicon is participation gaming: a host lays out the terrain and painted armies, teaches the rules, and you take a command. In 2025 there were 693 of them, up from 613 the year before, running from Wednesday evening to Sunday lunchtime. You book a seat with a ticket on your badge, so popular games can fill on the first evening of sales.

Tournaments

Around twenty tournaments run each year (21 in 2025), with a dedicated tournaments coordinator on the convention staff. Systems change from year to year, so check the schedule for what's being played, army size and the entry rules. Tournament players bring their own painted armies, and the participation games need nothing but you.

Painting competition

Historicon has its own painting competition, held on the Saturday. In 2025 it had ten categories: single miniatures and units for historical, fantasy and sci-fi; separate historical unit classes for 25mm and up and for smaller figures; a diorama class; an open class; and a youth class for painters aged 16 and under. Entries are judged first, second and third in each category, with a Best in Show trophy on top.

The 2025 rules are a good guide to what to expect: one entry per category, handed in in person by the painter, all your own work, figures up to 54mm unless a category says otherwise, units of up to about 15 to 20 models, and a display base no more than half as big again as the model's footprint. Conversions are welcome. On the Saturday: entries 9am to noon, collection 4pm to 5pm (2025). HMGS posts each year's rules on the painting competition page, so check it before you pack. Our guides to entering a painting competition and what judges look for will help you choose and prepare an entry.

Hobby University

Hobby University started life at Historicon in 2005 as the Painting University, and it's now the HMGS hobby school, with 52 classes in 2025. Classes cover painting, sculpting, terrain and 3D modelling, for every level from young beginners to seasoned painters. Most are booked as tickets, but the free walk-up Paint and Take lets you sit down and paint a free miniature, and you can bring your own figures for friendly advice.

War College

War College is the lecture strand: 30 talks on military history in 2025, often tied to the theme. It's a fine way to rest your feet in the afternoon and find the idea for your next project.

Awards for the best games

HMGS also judges the games. Tables that stand out earn a PELA award, from the French "Pour Encourager Les Autres", and the winners go forward for Best of Show, Best of Theme and Best Terrain. The Michael Fijalka Young Guard Award goes to the best children's games. Hunting for the award-winning tables is one of the pleasures of a quieter afternoon.

Vendors, board games and members

The exhibit hall had 62 exhibitors in both 2024 and 2025: figures, terrain, rules, books, paints and tools, the sort of range you rarely see under one roof. It opens on Thursday and closes at noon on Sunday. HMGS publishes a hall map on its ticketing site before the show. For a break from miniatures, the board game library is open into the late evening, and HMGS members can book tables in Wally's Basement. The society's members' meeting is usually on the Friday evening.

Historical wargamers. This is the biggest show of a society that exists for historical gaming. With hundreds of games on the schedule, there's a good chance someone is running one in your period.

Painters. The painting competition welcomes fantasy and sci-fi as well as historical entries, Hobby University runs classes from Thursday to Saturday, and nearly 700 painted tables give you endless ideas. If you're building a historical army, our guides to batch painting an army and basing your miniatures will get it table-ready, and our look at historical and rank-and-file miniatures explains what sets them apart.

Beginners. It's a friendly place to start. Participation games come with the figures and a host who explains the rules, so all you need to bring is yourself and some spending money. Pick a game marked as suitable for newcomers and you'll be rolling dice within minutes.

Families and young players. Youth badges are available as an add-on to an adult badge, the painting competition has a youth class for painters aged 16 and under, Hobby University runs classes for young painters, and HMGS awards a prize for the best children's games, so there are tables built for younger players.

The venue

Historicon is held at the Lancaster County Convention Center (25 South Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603, phone (717) 239-1600). HMGS's home page calls it the Lancaster Convention Center, and 2027 is the show's seventh year there. Cold Wars and Fall In! are held at the Wyndham Resort, but Historicon uses the convention center in Lancaster itself, with hotels right alongside.

Hotel room blocks

HMGS books discounted room blocks at nearby hotels. Most recently these were the Lancaster Marriott ($158 a night plus taxes in 2026) and the Holiday Inn Lancaster ($199); the Marriott shares the convention center's address, and the Holiday Inn is on East Chestnut Street. Blocks open in mid-February (16 February in 2026) and the 2026 blocks sold out, so if you're going, book on the day they open. Rates and codes for 2027 will appear on the official site.

Parking, trains and flights

HMGS doesn't publish parking, public transport or airport details for Historicon, and we won't guess. Ring the convention center on the number above about parking, and check the official site nearer the time. If you're flying in from the UK, plan your connection to Lancaster before you book, and allow a day either side for travel.

House rules

HMGS conventions are smoke-free, vaping included, except in marked outdoor areas. Outside alcohol isn't allowed, and nor are real or replica weapons without official permission, which matters if you're planning a costume. Keep your things with you: lost property goes to the registration desk, and HMGS isn't responsible for anything left behind.

Details checked against the organiser's website in October 2026. Always check the official site before you travel. Badge prices, the full schedule, class and lecture lists, hotel codes and staff contacts are all published by HMGS, so that's the place for anything this page doesn't cover. If the badge page isn't live yet, it opens when the organiser is ready.

Planning more than one show? HMGS also runs Cold Wars and Fall In! in Lancaster, and our miniature events around the world page lists the big shows by region.