Get your ticket for SPIEL 2024 now!
The ticket shop for the fair is online and you can buy your tickets.
Secure your ticket and enjoy 3 months of expectation looking forward to SPIEL. Since July 1, 2024 you can buy your tickets for SPIEL Essen in our online ticket shop.
There are good reasons to get your tickets early for the fair from October 3 to 6. This year we are again offering the early bird discount until August 31.
Loot – The official game for SPIEL
This year you can get our cute mascot Meeps as stuffed toy. In collaboration with Heunec, the well-known plush-toy manufacturer from Neustadt near Coburg, we bring the cuddly, soft toy to you. You will be able to preorder Meeps soon in our merch shop or get it directly at our booth at SPIEL.
Meeps soon as plush toy
This year you can get our cute mascot Meeps as stuffed toy. In collaboration with Heunec, the well-known plush-toy manufacturer from Neustadt near Coburg, we bring the cuddly, soft toy to you. You will be able to preorder Meeps soon in our merch shop or get it directly at our booth at SPIEL.
Star guest at SPIEL Essen 2024: „Saltatio Mortis“-lead-singer Alea is the face of SPIEL
A real rock star is showing his face at SPIEL Essen 2024, quite literally: Alea, lead singer of the well-known German rock band Saltatio Mortis, is this year's face of the world's largest public fair for board games. Dressed in his personal original Geralt of Rivia armor from The Witcher 3, the musician, who is an enthusiastic gamer himself, will be inviting people to play on posters, on banners, and online even before the fair begins. In addition, he and the band, together with other star guests on site, will offer a special program relating to their cross-genre project Finsterwacht.
SPIEL Essen 2024: Record – Space for exhibitors completely sold out for the first time.
For the first time in its history, SPIEL Essen will occupy the entire space for exhibitors in six exhibition halls from October 3 to 6 and is therefore sold out. Never before have so many exhibitors wanted to enlarge their booths at SPIEL and at the same time so many new publishers wanted to present their titles to around 200,000 visitors. With this growth in exhibition space, Merz Verlag is setting a new record this year even before the start of the fair: for the first time, the world's leading fair in Essen will occupy a total area of 68,528 square meters.
We are looking for topics for our SPIEL.talks and Educators Day!
Do you have exciting projects, are you doing research in the field of board games or are you an expert in our industry? Then get in touch with us and take part in our SPIEL.talks or Educators Day. We still have a few slots available for your talks, panels or best practices.
Boardgames recognized as cultural heritage
The "German board game culture" has made it: the UNESCO Commission in Thuringia has placed it on its state list of intangible cultural heritages. This shows the state's appreciation for the 50-year-old culture of board game meetings, designer days and many other ways of experiencing board games in Germany. Thuringia will also propose the topic for inclusion in the Federal List of Intangible Cultural Heritage to further emphasize the importance of our tradition.
Tolerance is vital also at SPIEL Essen
The world of boardgames is colorful and not brown. At the board, we don't care about skin color, gender, identity or orientation. Playing brings everyone together, it's for everyone. This is also what the "Spielend für Toleranz" initiative stands for, which we wholeheartedly support at SPIEL.
Especially today, it is important to hold up the flag and stand up for respectful, polite and equal treatment - not just at the gaming table. That's why we at SPIEL Essen take a stand against racism, xenophobia and hatred and join all those who feel the same way. Because play builds bridges where words might fail. Play connects across all levels and differences and creates shared worlds full of emotions.
With the logo of the initiative, which was founded in 2018 by Spiel des Jahres members Udo Bartsch, Martin Klein and Harald Schrapers, we are joining a large number of games media professionals and other supporters who, like us, have long stood for fair and equal cooperation. We are delighted to be able to support our rules at SPIEL with the use of the logo.
