UK & Europe Pen Shows 2027: London, Hamburg & More Dates

Route map of the six 2027 UK and European pen shows in date order: Hamburg Feb 20, London Feb 28, Chester, Cheltenham, Newcastle and London Oct 2–3 — Six shows have official 2027 dates so far: one in Hamburg and five in England, ending with the two-day London Autumn show.

Events at a glance

Event	Dates	Where	Who can go	Status
GermanPenFest Hamburg 2027	Feb 20, 2027	Hamburg, GermanyMozartsäle, Moorweidenstraße 36	Public	Upcoming
London Spring Pen Show 2027	Feb 28, 2027	London, United KingdomNovotel London West, Hammersmith (W6 8DR)	Public	Upcoming
Northern Pen Show 2027	Apr 24, 2027	Chester, United KingdomCrowne Plaza Chester, Trinity Street (CH1 2BD)	Public	Upcoming
Cheltenham Pen Show 2027	Jun 26, 2027	Cheltenham, United KingdomCheltenham Racecourse, Hall of Fame (GL50 4SH)	Public	Upcoming
Newcastle Pen Show 2027	Aug 22, 2027	Newcastle upon Tyne, United KingdomThe Village Hotel, Silverlink, North Tyneside (NE27 0BY)	Public	Upcoming
London Autumn Pen Show 2027	Oct 2–3, 2027	London, United KingdomNovotel London West, Hammersmith (W6 8DR)	Public	Upcoming

Notes on these dates

GermanPenFest Hamburg 2027: organized by Marktlust. Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm. The organizer says details will follow; admission prices were not posted. Checked October 25, 2026. Date source.
London Spring Pen Show 2027: organized by UK Pen Shows Ltd. Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm, with 9 am early entry; 200 tables. The ticket page lists £10 (about US$13) and £15 (about US$20) for early entry; the organizer's show page still says £7 (about US$9) and £12 (about US$16). Checked October 25, 2026. Date source.
Northern Pen Show 2027: organized by UK Pen Shows Ltd. New venue and a new Saturday date. 10 am to 4 pm, 9 am early entry; over 50 dealers at more than 75 tables, per the ticket page. Checked October 25, 2026. Date source.
Cheltenham Pen Show 2027: organized by UK Pen Shows Ltd. The second edition of the show that merged the South West and Birmingham pen shows. Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, 9 am early entry; 80 vendor tables; free parking. Checked October 25, 2026. Date source.
Newcastle Pen Show 2027: organized by UK Pen Shows Ltd. Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm, 9 am early entry; over 40 dealers. The organizer calls it its most northerly show. Checked October 25, 2026. Date source.
London Autumn Pen Show 2027: organized by UK Pen Shows Ltd. Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 10 am to 4 pm, 9 am early entry both days; 230 tables and over 150 dealers. Checked October 25, 2026. Date source.
"Status" is relative to when this page was last built. Always check the official site before you travel.

Key takeaways

Six UK and European pen shows have official 2027 dates as of October 25, 2026, from the GermanPenFest in Hamburg (February 20) to the London Autumn Pen Show (October 2–3); five of the six are run by UK Pen Shows Ltd.
London Autumn, October 2–3, 2027, is the biggest and the only two-day show: 230 tables at the Novotel London West, with day tickets at £10 (about US$13) and a weekend ticket at £16 (about US$21).
UK Pen Shows' regional shows cost £7 (about US$9) at the door, or £12 (about US$16) for 9 am early entry; children under 13 get in free with an adult.
The Northern Pen Show moves to a new venue, the Crowne Plaza in Chester, and to a Saturday: April 24, 2027.
Eight regular shows have not announced 2027 dates: Barcelona, Milan, Nuremberg, the Dutch Pen Show in Utrecht, Florence, Madrid, Budapest and Bologna.

Which UK and European pen shows have 2027 dates?

Six pen shows in the UK and Europe have posted 2027 dates on their organizers’ own pages as of October 25, 2026, and all are open to the public. Five are run by UK Pen Shows Ltd; the sixth is the GermanPenFest in Hamburg. We list a show only when its organizer states the dates, and we read every page on October 25, 2026. For the US season, see our US pen shows 2027 guide.

Show	Dates	City	From
GermanPenFest	Sat, Feb 20	Hamburg	Not posted
London Spring	Sun, Feb 28	London	£10 (about US$13)
Northern	Sat, Apr 24	Chester	£7 (about US$9)
Cheltenham	Sat, Jun 26	Cheltenham	£7 (about US$9)
Newcastle	Sun, Aug 22	Newcastle upon Tyne	£7 (about US$9)
London Autumn	Oct 2–3	London	£10/day (about US$13)

“From” is the adult day ticket on each show’s ticket page on October 25, 2026; venues are in Events at a glance above. London Spring’s own show page still gives £7 (about US$9), but its ticket page charges £10. Every UK Pen Shows event opens 10 am to 4 pm (5 pm on the London Autumn Saturday), and under-13s go free with an adult.

When are the London pen shows in 2027?

London has two: the London Spring Pen Show on Sunday, February 28, 2027, and the London Autumn Pen Show on Saturday and Sunday, October 2–3, 2027, both at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith. UK Pen Shows calls London the longest-established show in the UK and “perhaps the largest writing equipment show in Europe”.

Spring: a one-day show with 200 tables, added in 2019. Early entry is at 9 am.
Autumn: the flagship, with 230 tables and over 150 dealers, and the only two-day show on the list. In 2026 it also ran ten ticketed workshops, among them calligraphy, letter writing and a Writing Equipment Society session.

When are the Northern, Cheltenham and Newcastle shows in 2027?

The Northern Pen Show is on Saturday, April 24 in Chester, Cheltenham on Saturday, June 26, and Newcastle on Sunday, August 22, 2027. All three are one-day UK Pen Shows events with £7 (about US$9) admission and 9 am early entry for £12 (about US$16).

Northern: a new venue, the Crowne Plaza in Chester, and a new Saturday date; over 50 dealers at more than 75 tables.
Cheltenham: the second edition of the show that replaced the South West and Birmingham shows, at Cheltenham Racecourse with 80 tables and free parking.
Newcastle: the organizer’s most northerly show, with over 40 dealers at the Village Hotel in North Tyneside.

When is the GermanPenFest in Hamburg in 2027?

The GermanPenFest runs Saturday, February 20, 2027, from 11 am to 5 pm, at the Mozartsäle on Moorweidenstraße in Hamburg. It is the first confirmed show of the European year, eight days before London Spring. Marktlust, the Hamburg market company that organizes it, says details will follow; prices were not posted on October 25, 2026.

Is an early-entry or VIP pen show pass worth it?

In our view, yes for London, where the queue is long and popular tables sell out early; at the smaller regional shows, an hour’s head start matters less. At European shows a pass mostly buys 9 am entry, an hour before the public. Prices come from the organizers’ pages on October 25, 2026; the advice is ours.

Show	Pass	What it adds	Price
London Spring	Early entry	9 am entry	£15 (about US$20)
London Autumn	Early entry, one day	9 am entry	£15 (about US$20)
London Autumn	Full weekend early entry	Both days from 9 am	£25 (about US$33)
Chester, Cheltenham, Newcastle	Early entry	9 am entry	£12 (about US$16)
Dutch Pen Show	Early Access VIP Passe-Partout	Both days from 10 am, show ink, goodie bag	2026: €65 (about US$73)
ACPS Bologna	Early bird	In with exhibitors from 9:30 am	€15 (about US$17)

At London Autumn, the regular weekend ticket, £16 (about US$21), is cheaper than two day tickets, £20 (about US$26). The early-entry weekend costs £25 against £30 for two early days.

The Writing Equipment Society lists free UK Pen Show tickets and a “Bring and Sell” table at the London shows among its member benefits. Its standard UK membership is £37.50 (about US$50) a year, so it pays off if you go to several shows. The Italian shows of the ACPS, a collectors’ association, admit members only: you join at the door for €5 (about US$5.60) a year.

Who we think should buy early entry: London visitors with a list, because at the 2026 autumn show the 8:45 am queue “snaked around the room”, and the room was packed by about 10:30, per UK Fountain Pens. Who can skip it: first-timers and anyone going to a regional show to browse.

How do you book a nib grinder at a European show?

Ask the nibmeister directly before the show, or join the walk-in queue first thing. UK Pen Shows advertises nib grinding and repairs at every show, but each nibmeister runs their own list. At London Autumn 2026, two of the four nibmeisters worked walk-in only, and UK Fountain Pens waited about 90 minutes.

The Dutch Pen Show lined up five nibmeisters together in 2026 and ran 27 workshops, each ticketed separately from show admission.

What should you buy at a European pen show?

Buy show inks, small-maker stock you can’t find online, vintage pens and nib work. Each example below was announced by an organizer or reported in a dated recap; 2027 lineups are not out yet.

Show inks: the Dutch Pen Show’s 2026 official ink was Robert Oster Love Letters, a red with a bronze sheen. The Pen Addict also found Tono & Lims show exclusives and Robert Oster Dutch Caramel there. Barcelona announced a special, very limited show ink for 2026.
Society exclusives: the Writing Equipment Society sells an exclusive set of four “Tropical” inks, made in collaboration with Pure Pens.
Makers from Asia: at London Autumn 2026, new vendor Hachimonjiya had a queue by the time doors opened, per UK Fountain Pens. Utrecht had Yamamoto, sEy, Bungubox and Toyooka Craft.
Vintage pens and valuations: UK Pen Shows promises free advice and valuations, and pens from £2 (about US$2.60) upward. The ACPS’s Italian shows are collectors’ swap meets (“mostra scambio”).
Nib work: see above.

How we would shop:

Bring cash. The Dutch Pen Show warns that not every vendor takes cards and the nearest ATM is a 20-minute walk.
Arrive before opening, or after lunch. London fills by mid-morning; Utrecht says attendance peaks between noon and 1 pm.
Negotiate politely. The Dutch Pen Show’s visitor page says it is not uncommon to negotiate, as long as you “bid reasonably”.

Which European shows haven’t announced 2027 dates?

Eight regular shows had not posted 2027 dates as of October 25, 2026; their 2026 dates show the usual month, not a forecast.

Show	Usual month (2026 dates)	City	2026 venue
Barcelona Pen Show	Spring (March 14–15, 2026)	Barcelona	Hotel Catalonia Ramblas
Milan (ACPS)	February (March 28, 2026)	Milan	Hotel Grand Visconti Palace
Nürnberg Penshow	May (May 9, 2026)	Nuremberg	Merks Motor Museum
Dutch Pen Show	June (June 6–7, 2026)	Utrecht	Van der Valk Hotel Utrecht
Florence (ACPS)	Spring (September 26, 2026)	Florence	AC Hotel by Marriott, Via Luciano Bausi
Madrid Pen Show	November (November 13–14, 2026)	Madrid	Hotel Meliá Castilla
Hungary Pen Show	November (November 21, 2026)	Budapest	Lurdy Conference and Event Centre
Bologna (ACPS)	November (November 28, 2026)	Bologna	Hotel I Portici

Milan ran in February in 2024 and 2025; the ACPS moved the 2026 show to March 28 to avoid the Winter Olympics. Florence ran in May in 2025 and in September in 2026. Madrid, Budapest and Bologna are still ahead this year. Madrid is now a UK Pen Shows event; the show’s former site, madridpenshow.com, still lists its November 2025 edition.

We could not confirm a current show with dates in Paris, Turin, Belgium, Poland, Scandinavia or Scotland: the Katowice show’s old address now shows a hosting placeholder. For every 2026 show and what’s left this year, see our pen shows 2026 calendar; for trade fairs, see the 2027 stationery events guide.

Frequently asked questions

When is the London Autumn Pen Show 2027?

Saturday and Sunday, October 2–3, 2027, at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith. It opens 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, with 9 am early entry both days, per UK Pen Shows' ticket page.

How much are London Pen Show tickets in 2027?

For London Autumn, £10 (about US$13) a day, £15 (about US$20) with 9 am early entry, £16 (about US$21) for the weekend and £25 (about US$33) for an early-entry weekend. London Spring's ticket page lists £10 and £15.

When is the Dutch Pen Show 2027?

Not announced yet. The Dutch Pen Show's site still listed its June 6–7, 2026 edition at the Van der Valk Hotel in Utrecht on October 25, 2026; it has been held in late May or June most years since 2019.

When is the Madrid Pen Show 2027?

Not announced yet. The next Madrid Pen Show is November 13–14, 2026, at the Hotel Meliá Castilla, now run by UK Pen Shows; 2027 dates had not been posted as of October 25, 2026.

Is there a pen show in Birmingham or Bristol in 2027?

Not as such. UK Pen Shows merged the South West and Birmingham pen shows into the Cheltenham Pen Show, which runs on June 26, 2027, at Cheltenham Racecourse, between the two cities.

Is there a pen show in Scotland in 2027?

We found none with 2027 dates as of October 25, 2026. The closest is the Newcastle Pen Show on August 22, 2027, which UK Pen Shows calls its most northerly show.

What is the biggest pen show in Europe?

The London Autumn Pen Show, which its organizer calls perhaps the largest writing equipment show in Europe, with 230 tables. The Dutch Pen Show is the biggest on the continent we could measure: 153 tables, 105 vendors and 1,930 visitors in 2025.

Do children get into European pen shows free?

Usually. UK Pen Shows admits under-13s free with an adult, as does its Madrid show; the Hungary Pen Show lets children up to age 7 in free, and the Nürnberg Penshow is free for everyone.

Sources (35)

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