FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival 2026 Debuts with Strong Attendance and Establishes a New Consumer Platform for the Creative Industry

Rosemont, IL — May 4, 2026 The inaugural Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival concluded its debut edition at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, welcoming more than 12,556 visitors and establishing an immediate and meaningful presence within the North American craft market.

The event featured 276 companies from 8 nations across 45,016 square feet (4,182 sqm) of exhibit space, delivering a curated, experience-driven environment where education, artistry, and commerce came together to serve today’s maker. Held May 1–3, 2026, the Festival introduced a new model for consumer craft events rooted in participation, creativity, and community engagement at scale.

“The successful debut of the Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival reflects Koelnmesse’s commitment to extending our global leadership in the handicraft sector into every layer of the market. By creating a dedicated consumer platform alongside our B2B trade events, we are building an ecosystem that serves makers, brands, and the industry at every stage and reinforcing the United States as a strategic pillar of our worldwide portfolio.”

Gerald Böse, President & CEO, Koelnmesse GmbH

A Highly Engaged Audience

The Festival demonstrated strong consumer demand and deep engagement across all program areas. More than 7,270 unique registered attendees generated approximately 12,556 ticket-days, exceeding attendance targets by 205%.

Multi-day participation proved especially important. Three-day attendees represented a significant share of total time spent on site, reinforcing the value of immersive, multi-day programming.

A Show Floor Built for Discovery

The Festival floor was designed as an experiential journey, blending retail, education, and inspiration through curated exhibits and community-driven spaces from landmark installations and designer spotlights to hands-on make-and-take stations and community pavilions for niche craft communities.

Education at the Core

With more than 200 classes and over 100 instructors, the Festival delivered one of the most comprehensive educational programs in the consumer craft market, spanning quilting, sewing, crochet, cosplay, embroidery, design, and craft business development, with programming calibrated for every skill level.

Connecting Consumer and Trade

Positioned directly ahead of h+h americas, the Festival established a clear connection between the consumer and professional sides of the industry. The back-to-back format created a seamless continuum, allowing brands to engage passionate makers and shoppers at FFCF before transitioning directly into the B2B environment of h+h americas, and establishing Rosemont as a week-long destination for the global creative community.

“The response to the inaugural Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival exceeded our targets by 205% and validated what we’ve believed from the start: the North American creative community is ready for a consumer event built with the same caliber, scale, and intentionality as a world-class trade show. Pairing FFCF with h+h americas in back-to-back weeks has positioned Rosemont as the definitive destination for the creative industry in the United States.”

Darrin Stern, Managing Director, Koelnmesse Inc.

Building for the Future

The debut edition provides a strong foundation for continued growth, with clear opportunities to expand programming, increase participation, and refine the experience. The 2027 edition returns to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center April 30 – May 2, 2027, with conference programming beginning April 29, once again preceding h+h americas (May 5–7, 2027) to continue the consumer-to-trade continuum.

“Launching a consumer festival of this scale from the ground up is no small undertaking, and the energy we saw on the show floor made clear this community is ready to grow with us. For 2027, our focus is on deepening designer partnerships, expanding hands-on programming, and introducing new pavilions in the categories with real momentum, needlepoint, spinning, weaving, and cosplay among them. FFCF is here to stay, and we’re just getting started.”

Jessica Boweak, Show Director, Koelnmesse North American Handicraft Portfolio

For more information, visit fiberfabriccraft.com or follow @FiberFabricCraftFest using #fiberfabriccraftfest

Media Contact

Jessica Boweak, Show Director

Koelnmesse Inc. | Cologne International Trade Fairs

8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Suite 1300 | Chicago, IL 60631

p: +1-773-326-9923

fiberfabriccraft.com

Koelnmesse – trade fairs for the handicraft industry

As an organizer of innovative and important trade fairs worldwide, Koelnmesse is the global market leader in the handicraft & hobby sector. h+h cologne is the leading trade fair for textile handicrafts and the industry’s largest international inspiration and order platform.

Koelnmesse also supports companies in reaching international markets, which is why it has expanded its fiber arts portfolio in the USA: h+h americas, a platform for the North American knitting, quilting, crochet, sewing, textile, and craft industries, uses pioneering formats and online solutions to put the industry’s products and services center stage. The trade show in Rosemont, Illinois, offers both digital and on-site experiences to maximize reach and impact.

The Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival in Rosemont, Illinois, is a new consumer trade show that brings together crafters, creatives and innovators for education and to showcase the latest trends, products and techniques in knitting, quilting, crochet, needlepoint, cross stitch, felting, sewing, quilting and cosplay.

h+h americas Fall Edition in Houston, Texas, is the new B2B marketplace for the North American creative industry in the autumn. The event features a three-day trade fair and training program. Developed as an extension of h+h americas it is held under the motto: “Spring inspires. Fall delivers. Together they sustain the entire creative supply chain.”

Future Show Dates

Wholesale Events

h+h americas Fall – Conference: September 30 | Oct 1–2, 2026 – Houston, TX

h+h cologne – April 2–4, 2027 – Cologne, Germany – hh-cologne.com

h+h americas – Conference: May 4 | May 5–7, 2027 – Rosemont, IL – hh-americas.com

Consumer Events

Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival – Conference: April 29 | April 30 – May 2, 2027 – Rosemont, IL – fiberfabriccraft.com