Bordspelfestival 2026

Bordspelfestival 2026: Ghent's Board Game Festival Returns to Het Arsenaal

Some of the best days you can spend are ones where you sit across a table from someone — a friend, a stranger, a child — roll some dice, make a move, and discover that an hour has passed in what felt like five minutes. The Bordspelfestival 2026 is a whole day built around exactly that experience. On Saturday, May 9, 2026, one of Belgium's most enjoyable gaming events returns to Het Arsenaal in Gentbrugge (Ghent) for a day of board games, workshops, creator meet-ups, competitions, and the kind of collective, screen-free fun that is increasingly rare and increasingly valued.

This is a festival that welcomes everyone — families with young children, hardcore strategy gamers, roleplayers, casual players who just want something new to try, and complete beginners who have never played anything more complex than Monopoly. The philosophy is as simple as it gets: show up, play, and discover. Entry details are available at bordspelfestival.be, and the event draws exhibitors from some of the biggest names in the international board game publishing world.

What Is Bordspelfestival Ghent? A Day Built for Players of All Kinds

Board gaming in Belgium and the Netherlands has experienced a remarkable expansion over the past decade, mirroring a global trend. The tabletop gaming market has grown significantly year on year since 2015, driven by a wave of innovative, accessible games that bear little resemblance to the classic family games most people grew up with. Games like Wingspan, Pandemic, Ticket to Ride, Catan, and hundreds of others have introduced entirely new audiences to the pleasure of sitting around a table and playing together.

The Bordspelfestival grew out of this context and has become one of the most focused and genuinely enjoyable board game events in the Benelux region. The festival is built around the conviction that the best way to discover a new game is to play it — not to read about it online or watch a rules explanation video, but to sit down with someone who knows the game and actually experience it.

Het Arsenaal in Gentbrugge provides the ideal space. The event takes place in halls 8A and 8B of this large former arsenal complex — spacious enough to accommodate dozens of exhibitors and hundreds of simultaneous gaming sessions, intimate enough that the atmosphere never becomes overwhelming.

Who Is Coming: Publishers, Exhibitors, and Creators

The 2026 edition brings together an impressive array of exhibitors from the board gaming world. Confirmed publishers and exhibitors include some of the biggest names in the industry:

• Asmodee — the world's largest board game publisher, home to titles including Catan, Ticket to Ride, Dixit, Codenames, 7 Wonders, and Mysterium
• Ravensburger — one of Germany's most iconic games publishers, creator of classics and modern hits including Villainous and Wingspan expansions
• 999 Games — the Dutch publisher known for bringing high-quality games to Benelux audiences and for popular titles like Ticket to Ride: Netherlands and Saboteur
• White Goblin Games — an independent Dutch publisher with a strong reputation for accessible, well-designed titles
• Jumping Turtle Games — a Belgian publisher bringing locally designed games to the community

The presence of publishers of this calibre is significant. Having Asmodee and Ravensburger in the same room as smaller independent publishers creates a festival environment where the full spectrum of the board gaming world is represented — from massive international hits to small-run passion projects by local designers.

In addition to publishers, the festival features content creators from the Dutch and Flemish board gaming community — YouTubers, TikTokers, streamers, and writers whose reviews and explanations have helped bring new audiences to the hobby. Meeting creators in person, playing games alongside them, and getting their direct recommendations is one of the most popular elements of the day.

What Happens There: Spelstanden, Workshops, D&D Zone, and More

The structure of the Bordspelfestival is designed to keep every kind of visitor engaged from the moment they walk through the door.

Spelstanden met Speluitleg: Try Before You Decide

The heart of the festival is the game stands with explanations (spelstanden met speluitleg). Publishers and exhibitors set up tables where their games are available to try, with dedicated staff or volunteers sitting down to explain the rules and play a round with visitors.

This is the ideal environment for discovering new games. Rather than spending €40 on a game based on a box description, you can play a full introductory session and know within 20 minutes whether it's something you love. For families, it's also a way to identify which games will actually work for your age range and group dynamic before committing to a purchase.

Many exhibitors sell games directly at the festival, often at festival-exclusive prices or with exclusive editions not available in regular retail.

Workshops

The workshop programme at Bordspelfestival gives visitors the chance to go deeper into specific games or gaming skills. Workshops are typically run by experienced gamers or designers who can take participants beyond the basic rules into strategy, game design thinking, or the pleasure of a specific game's deeper mechanics.

Workshop spaces tend to fill up quickly — checking the programme in advance at bordspelfestival.be and arriving early to sign up is strongly recommended.

D&D Zone: Dungeons & Dragons for All Levels

One of the most distinctive and growing elements of the Bordspelfestival is the dedicated Dungeons & Dragons zone. As D&D has moved dramatically into mainstream culture — driven by Stranger Things, Critical Role, and a global revival of interest in tabletop roleplaying — events like Bordspelfestival have responded by creating dedicated spaces where newcomers can try their first session and experienced players can find new campaigns and game masters.

The D&D zone at Bordspelfestival is designed to be welcoming to complete beginners. Short introductory sessions run throughout the day, and the dedicated space creates an atmosphere where the particular, slightly theatrical energy of roleplaying games can breathe properly. If you've always been curious about D&D but never found the right moment to try it, a festival with experienced game masters running beginner sessions is genuinely the best possible introduction.

Competitions, Tombola, and Prizes

Competitive players are well catered for. The festival includes gaming competitions with prizes, and a tombola (lottery) with board game prizes throughout the day. Competitions are typically announced in advance on the festival's social channels — following @bordspelfestival on Instagram is the best way to stay informed about specific competition formats and how to register.

Het Arsenaal: A Great Space for a Great Festival

Het Arsenaal in Gentbrugge — the municipality directly adjacent to and now part of the greater Ghent area — is a large former arsenal complex that has been reimagined as an event and exhibition space. The halls 8A and 8B used by Bordspelfestival provide the kind of large, flat, well-lit space that a festival built around tables and games genuinely needs.

The space is practical and purpose-suited, with enough room to walk between stands without the crushing congestion that can make smaller gaming events feel overwhelming, but enough energy and noise from dozens of simultaneous gaming sessions to create a genuinely lively atmosphere.

Combining Bordspelfestival with a Ghent City Visit

Bordspelfestival takes place on Saturday, May 9 — right in the middle of the broader Gent Smaakt culinary festival (May 13–17), meaning that a long weekend trip to Ghent in mid-May can combine board gaming at Het Arsenaal with world cuisine on the city's medieval squares. That is a remarkably good combination for anyone planning a trip from elsewhere in Belgium or from the Netherlands, Germany, or France.

Even just within May 9 itself, Ghent offers exceptional options for before or after the festival:

• The Ghent Altarpiece at Sint-Baafskathedraal — one of the greatest paintings ever made, viewable up close in its own dedicated space in the cathedral
• Gravensteen Castle — the 12th-century fortress right in the city's waterways, with battlement walks and remarkable views
• Graslei and Korenlei — the medieval quaysides with guild houses and terraces, perfect for an evening beer after a day of gaming
• Patershol — the old labyrinthine quarter beside the castle, full of independent restaurants for a post-festival dinner
• Vrijdagsmarkt — the great civic square surrounded by guild houses and ideal for a post-festival drink in the May evening sunshine

Getting to Het Arsenaal, Gentbrugge

• From Ghent-Sint-Pieters station: Gentbrugge is easily accessible by bus or a short drive; approximately 15–20 minutes
• By car: Het Arsenaal is well signposted from the main Ghent approach roads and offers parking
• From Brussels: approximately 35 minutes by intercity train to Ghent-Sint-Pieters, then onward connection
• From Bruges: approximately 25 minutes to Ghent by train
• From Antwerp: approximately 50 minutes by train

The specific address is Het Arsenaal, Gentbrugge (Halls 8A and 8B), Ghent — check the festival website for the precise street address and any updated parking or transport information before the event.

A Day That Reminds You Why Sitting Around a Table Is Still the Best Thing

The board gaming community has grown because the games have gotten genuinely better — more inventive, more accessible, more varied, and more beautifully made than at any previous point in the hobby's history. Bordspelfestival 2026 brings the best of that world to Ghent on Saturday, May 9 in a setting that invites you to stop scrolling and start rolling.

Whether you come as a seasoned gamer looking for your next favourite title, a parent who wants to find games your whole family will actually want to play together, a D&D newcomer ready for your first campaign, or simply someone curious about what all the fuss is about — Het Arsenaal on May 9 has a table waiting for you.

Check the full programme and register for workshops at bordspelfestival.be. Follow @bordspelfestival on Instagram and Facebook for the latest exhibitor announcements, competition details, and practical event information.

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