Toy Industry Events Calendar 2027: Trade Fairs, Dates and Who Should Go

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“Four of the year's biggest toy fairs fall within six weeks. The travel plan is part of the sourcing plan.”

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This guide gives you the confirmed 2027 dates for the main toy industry events, what each show is for, who should attend and how to register. Need everything at once? Jump to the full table at the end of this article.

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Key Takeaways

• January and February carry the main order-writing shows: Hong Kong (11 to 14 January), London (19 to 21 January), Nuremberg (2 to 6 February) and New York (20 to 23 February).

• Lunar New Year falls on 6 February 2027, the last day of Spielwarenmesse. Chinese and Vietnamese suppliers may leave early, and factories close around the same week.

• ABRIN now has confirmed dates: 4 to 7 April 2027, a month later than usual. The spring Canton Fair, Kind + Jugend, the HKTDC Gifts & Premium Fair and Tokyo Toy Show have not published official 2027 dates yet, so they are listed separately, with expected dates where available.

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Planning Notes for 2027

• Lunar New Year (6 February 2027). Spielwarenmesse runs 2 to 6 February. Book supplier meetings for the first days of the fair, and plan production around the factory shutdown that follows. Our notes on managing Chinese New Year in Southeast Asian toy sourcing cover what to lock in before the break.

• Spielwarenmesse adds a manufacturing category. From 2027 the fair includes a 14th product group, Manufacturing Services, in Halls 11.0 and 11.1. Useful if part of your trip is about production partners, not only product.

• Book Melbourne early. The Australian Toy Association notes that its fair dates overlap with the Australian Grand Prix, which pushes up hotel prices.

• ABRIN moves to April. Latin America's largest toy fair runs 4 to 7 April 2027 in São Paulo, a month later than its usual early-March dates, which leaves a clear gap after Toy Fair New York and Melbourne.

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January to April 2027: The Order-Writing Season

HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair

Asia's flagship toys fair, as HKTDC describes it, and the first major show of the year. A practical place to meet suppliers and compare options before the European and US fairs.

Best for: Sourcing and buying teams meeting Asian manufacturers, private-label buyers, anyone shortlisting factories for 2027 programs.

• When: 11 to 14 January 2027 (Monday to Thursday)

• Where: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

• Also on: Pop & Play section 10 to 13 January; Click2Match online meetings 4 to 21 January; the Hong Kong Baby Products Fair and the Hong Kong International Stationery & School Supplies Fair run alongside, 11 to 14 January

• Register: buyer registration through the HKTDC website (hktdc.com)

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London Toy Fair

The UK's largest toy trade show, organized by the British Toy & Hobby Association. Focused on new launches, licensing and buyers for the British market.

Best for: Brands selling into UK retail, licensors and licensees, smaller brands using the Gold Zone for emerging companies.

• When: 19 to 21 January 2027

• Where: Olympia London (Grand, National and Upper West Halls), London, UK

• Entry: trade only

• Register: visitor registration opens in October 2026 at toyfair.co.uk

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Spielwarenmesse

The world's leading toy trade fair, according to its organizer, and the widest product overview of the year across 14 product groups. New for 2027: a Manufacturing Services category for production and related processes.

Best for: International buyers, brand owners and product teams, and sourcing teams looking for manufacturing partners in the new Manufacturing Services area.

• When: 2 to 6 February 2027 (Tuesday to Saturday)

• Where: Exhibition Centre Nuremberg, Germany

• Entry: trade only

• Register: tickets and trade registration through spielwarenmesse.de

• Also on: Meetingspaces for confidential customer talks and the Toy Community Meet Up return from 2026. Asmodee and TigerHead Toys open new permanent showrooms, and Lego, Zuru and MGA Zapf Creation are expanding theirs.

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Toy Fair New York

The largest toy marketplace in the Western Hemisphere, organized by The Toy Association. The 121st edition. Dates are now fixed on a Saturday-to-Tuesday pattern through 2032.

Best for: Brands and suppliers targeting US retail, licensing and inventor meetings, and anyone working on US compliance and tariff planning.

• When: 20 to 23 February 2027 (Saturday to Tuesday)

• Where: Javits Center, New York City, USA

• Entry: trade only

• Register: toyfairny.com (registration opens in fall 2026; cancel on or before 31 January 2027 for a full refund; no single-day passes)

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Australian Toy, Hobby & Licensing Fair

The main trade event for the Australian and New Zealand toy market, run by the Australian Toy Association.

Best for: Brands and distributors selling into Australia and New Zealand, licensing partners.

• When: 28 February to 3 March 2027 (Sunday to Wednesday; closes 2 pm on the last day)

• Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia

• Entry: strictly trade only; proof of working in the toy, hobby or licensing industry required

• Register: free; visitor registration opens January 2027 at austoy.com.au

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bio!TOY 2027

A two-day conference on sustainable materials for toys, organized by Polymedia Publisher and supported by DVSI and Spielwarenmesse. The 2027 edition is the fifth and runs as a hybrid event, on site in Nuremberg and online. For the sourcing side, see what we found on eco-friendly toy materials available in Vietnam and Indonesia.

Best for: Product development and sourcing teams moving ranges to recycled or bio-based plastics, and anyone who needs to check what a material claim covers before it goes on packaging.

• When: 9 to 10 March 2027

• Where: Arvena Park Hotel, Nuremberg, Germany, and online

• Register: through the organizer, Polymedia Publisher (bioplasticsmagazine.com)

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ABRIN

Latin America's largest toy fair, organized by Francal Feiras with Abrinq, the Brazilian toy manufacturers' association. The 2027 edition moves from its usual early-March slot to April.

Best for: Brands and suppliers selling into Brazil and Latin America, licensors and licensees, and teams planning launches around the Brazilian retail calendar.

• When: 4 to 7 April 2027 (Sunday to Wednesday)

• Where: Expo Center Norte, São Paulo, Brazil

• Entry: trade only; visitors register in advance

• Register: abrin.com.br

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If your January trip includes Hong Kong supplier meetings and you want a Southeast Asian comparison for the same products, Play Trail can benchmark supplier options in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand against your MOQ, compliance and delivery requirements before you commit.

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May to September 2027: Licensing and Specialty Retail

Licensing Expo

The world's largest brand licensing trade show, according to its organizer Informa Markets. Brand owners, agents, licensees and retailers meet to sign licensing and collaboration deals.

Best for: Toy brands looking for licensed properties, licensees planning character or entertainment ranges, manufacturers producing licensed products.

• When: 25 to 27 May 2027

• Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA

• Register: register interest at brandlicensingexpo.com; the Event Planner lets you schedule meetings in advance

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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy

The trade show and education program of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, focused on independent and specialty toy stores.

Best for: Brands selling to independent and specialty retailers in North America, and sales representatives.

• When: 6 to 9 June 2027

• Where: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

• Entry: trade only

• Register: astratoy.org

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Brand Licensing Europe

The pan-European licensing event from the same organizer as Licensing Expo, focused on brands and characters available for European markets.

Best for: Licensors, licensees and retailers working on European licensed ranges.

• When: 28 to 30 September 2027

• Where: ExCeL London, UK

• Register: brandlicensing.eu (trade registration was free in 2026; check the 2027 terms)

Licensed products bring their own production checks, from factory authorization to mold ownership. Our IP risk checklist for licensed toy brands covers what to verify before placing a licensed order after the show.

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Not Yet Confirmed: Events to Watch

These events run every year but had not published official 2027 dates when we checked in mid-October 2026. Confirm on the organizer's website before booking travel. We’ll update this blog as soon as we find new information. Where trade fair directories list expected dates, we include them; treat those as provisional.

• Canton Fair, spring session, Phase 3 (Guangzhou, China). The phase that covers toys and baby products. Expected 1 to 5 May 2027, based on the fair's usual pattern; the organizer has not published the 141st session calendar yet.

• HKTDC Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair (Hong Kong). Relevant for promotional toys and gift ranges; see our guide to promotional toy and merchandise sourcing. HKTDC is already taking 2027 exhibitor applications, and directories list 27 to 30 April 2027, in line with its usual late-April slot.

• Kind + Jugend (Cologne, Germany). Baby, toddler and nursery products. Several trade fair directories list 7 to 9 September 2027; the organizer's own site still shows the 2026 edition.

• Tokyo Toy Show (Tokyo, Japan). The 2026 edition ran 27 to 30 August.

• IBTE Hanoi (Hanoi, Vietnam). The 2026 edition ran 18 to 21 June; read what we saw at IBTE Hanoi 2026. The Ho Chi Minh City edition, IBTE Vietnam, runs 17 to 20 December 2026 at SECC; confirm the dates at ibte.com.vn.

• MEGA SHOW Hong Kong (Hong Kong). Autumn sourcing show for gifts, toys and baby products, timed to run alongside the autumn Canton Fair. The 2026 edition ran 20 to 23 and 27 to 29 October.

• CTE China Toy Expo (Shanghai, China). Held together with China Licensing Expo, China Kids Expo and China Preschool Expo. The 2026 edition ran 21 to 23 October; the 2027 edition is expected in October.

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2027 Toy Industry Events at a Glance

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If you are planning 2027 production around these shows, get in touch with Play Trail to line up factory options in Vietnam and Southeast Asia before your trip, so your meetings at the fairs start from a shortlist.

References & Data Sources:

• HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair: Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Fair at a Glance (hktdc.com).

• London Toy Fair: British Toy & Hobby Association, Toy Fair 2027 exhibitor announcement (toyfair.co.uk).

• Spielwarenmesse: Spielwarenmesse eG, press release 2 February 2026, and 2027 Specials and Manufacturing Services announcement (spielwarenmesse.de).

• Toy Fair New York: The Toy Association, Toy Fair dates through 2032 (toyfairny.com).

• Australian Toy, Hobby & Licensing Fair: Australian Toy Association, registration and event details (austoy.com.au).

• Licensing Expo: Informa Markets (brandlicensingexpo.com).

• ASTRA Marketplace & Academy: American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, future Marketplace & Academy dates (astratoy.org).

• Brand Licensing Europe: Informa Markets, About the Event (brandlicensing.eu).

• ABRIN: Francal Feiras and Abrinq, ABRIN 2027 exhibitor page (abrin.com.br).

• bio!TOY 2027: Polymedia Publisher, conference details (bioplasticsmagazine.com).

• Canton Fair, Kind + Jugend, HKTDC Gifts & Premium Fair, MEGA SHOW and CTE China Toy Expo: expected dates from trade fair directories and organizer pages, checked in mid-October 2026.

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