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Successful Home & Gift Festival sets the stage for seven major exhibitions and £10.5m economic impact in Harrogate

Harrogate Convention Centre

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Aerial view of a vibrant cityscape featuring a mix of buildings and lush green trees interspersed throughout the area.
Harrogate Convention Centre gears up to welcome thousands of visitors in the second half of 2026.

Harrogate Convention Centre gears up to welcome thousands of visitors in the second half of 2026 as large-scale exhibitions continue to keep the town busy.

Fresh from another successful edition of Home & Gift Buyers' Festival, which welcomed thousands of retail buyers and exhibitors to Harrogate over four days in July, the venue is now preparing to host seven major trade and public exhibitions over the coming months, some of which have called Harrogate home for decades.

The next exhibition coming up this Sunday is Harrogate Fashion Week (2-4 August 2026). Established in 2018, the show takes place twice a year in February and August, and has quadrupled in size in eight short years. Featuring over 300 brands from leading womenswear clothing, lifestyle, footwear and accessory companies, the Summer 2026 Edition is set to be the biggest so far, after the February 2026 show attracted 1,700 visitors across three days, a 7.5% year-on-year increase. 

Georgia Flynn, Event Director of Harrogate Fashion Week, says: "We're delighted to be returning to Harrogate this summer. The February edition was a tremendous success and the momentum we've seen since means we're on course to deliver our largest show yet. There's something special about bringing exhibitors and buyers together in person, giving them the opportunity to discover new collections, build relationships and do business face to face. Harrogate provides the perfect backdrop, combining a welcoming atmosphere with a destination that our exhibitors, buyers and brands genuinely enjoy returning to season after season."

The diverse line-up reflects the breadth of events that call Harrogate home, from major trade exhibitions and industry showcases to consumer events attracting enthusiasts, hobbyists and families:

Together, the events attract tens of thousands of exhibitors and visitors from across the UK, generating an estimated economic impact of £10.5 million for hospitality business in Harrogate and North Yorkshire. 

Simon Cotton, Managing Director of Fat Badger Group, says: "What we've seen this summer with large-scale events such as Home & Gift is exactly why Harrogate's events calendar matters so much. These aren't just visitors passing through for a few hours. They're exhibitors staying multiple nights, 

buyers booking business lunches, badge-wearing delegates filling coffee shops between meetings, and visitors making a weekend of it while enjoying the town's restaurants, bars and attractions. 

“The upcoming exhibitions will continue that momentum beyond the summer holiday season, bringing the kind of consistent footfall and spending that allows hospitality businesses to plan with confidence and benefits far more than the venues themselves. When the Convention Centre is busy, the economic impact spreads right across the town, and that's invaluable for the local economy."

Jamila Bray, Head of Venue Sales and Marketing of Harrogate Convention Centre, says: "From trade fairs to public exhibitions and comic conventions, Harrogate's event calendar offers something for everyone. We are delighted to see these exhibitions return to Harrogate each year, launching new programmes, taking up new spaces and attracting ever-growing crowds from all around the UK and beyond. 

“We are also grateful to the wonderful local hospitality businesses from hotels to restaurants, bars and independent shops that make Harrogate such a lovely and welcoming destination to visit. Event tourism is a crucial part of the visitor economy of Harrogate and North Yorkshire, and we are proud to be part of it.” 

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Note to Editors

Situated in the centre of the idyllic Victorian spa town of Harrogate and owned by the North Yorkshire Council, Harrogate Convention Centre was name Venue of the Year (Under 20,000 sqm) at the AEV Excellence Awards (2026) and Most High-Tech and Innovative Venue at Event Technology Awards (2025). Facilities at the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) accredited, premium purpose-built conference and exhibition venue include a world-class 2,000-seat conference auditorium that opened with the Eurovision Song Contest in 1982, and the splendid Edwardian theatre, Royal Hall, among a total of 13,700+ sqm of flexible event space, along with on-site parking and adjacent hotels. The venue is benefiting from a £9.4 million development investment from North Yorkshire Council with a programme of site improvement works scheduled to complete in 2027. 

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