About Spielwarenmesse
Nuremberg's Spielwarenmesse is the toy industry's largest B2B platform and its main international meeting point. Organised by Spielwarenmesse eG at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre, it is held every year in the early part of the year and is strictly for trade visitors; tickets are sold only to industry professionals.
The fair is organised into product groups that cover dolls and soft toys, baby and infant articles, wooden toys, games, books and learning, technical and educational toys, electronic toys, model construction and model railways, sports, leisure and outdoor, school articles, stationery and creative design, festive articles and lifestyle products, along with manufacturing and services. Exhibitors range from well-known brands to start-ups.
Visitors include buyers for major chains, independent retailers, wholesalers and online sellers, together with licensing professionals and large numbers of media representatives. The audience is highly international.
For toy companies, this is where many of the year's launches are unveiled and where buyers start to set ranges. Focus areas such as Toys for Kidults, aimed at the adult market, the StartupArea, the Sustainable Collection and the ToyAward competition give visitors reasons to explore beyond their usual suppliers, which creates openings for newer brands. Conference programmes including the Toy Business Forum add depth. Toys are made to be played with, so stands that let buyers experience products, with demo tables, interactive areas and clear shelving by age group or category, tend to work best.
Next edition
Spielwarenmesse 2027: what to expect
Spielwarenmesse 2027 runs from 2 to 6 February at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. The organiser reported that the 2026 fair, its 75th edition, brought 2,313 exhibitors from 68 countries and 58,941 trade visitors from 123 countries, across 175,000 square metres of gross exhibition space.
The fair is not open to under-16s, apart from babies up to six months accompanying approved participants, which is worth knowing for team planning. Many exhibitors restrict photography of new products, so a lockable or screened area for confidential samples is common. Over five days, comfortable flooring and a staff area make a noticeable difference, and Nuremberg hotels are heavily booked during the fair.