Toy Fair 2026 will be held in New York City from February 14-17. This iconic global event is the premier destination for discovering innovative new products, forming valuable partnerships, and gaining key insights that will shape the future of play. As the industry’s most essential gathering, Toy Fair is where ideas transform into bestsellers, and the trends of tomorrow take flight. Toy Fair 2026 is set to deliver even more opportunities for meaningful connections and significant business growth.
What makes Toy Fair® 2026 a must-attend event for the global toy community?
We’re expecting Toy Fair® 2026 to be an incredible show. Plus, it’s our 120th Toy Fair in New York City, which is a huge milestone, not just for the U.S. Toy Association but for the entire global toy community. After the success of the 2025 event, it’s clear that Toy Fair remains the place for the global toy, play, and children’s entertainment community to come together — including retail buyers, children’s brands, distributors, inventors, licensors, media, and more.
Toy Fair will be held at the Javits Center from February 14 to 17, unveiling the hottest trends and innovations from U.S. and international toymakers and offering a variety of educational and networking events throughout Toy Fair week.
How will the 2026 show build on Toy Fair’s legacy and scale?
While we’re always evolving and elevating the show experience to meet the needs of the industry, what sets Toy Fair apart is its scale, substance, and setting. In 2026, we’ll once again fill the Javits Center with nearly 8 football fields’ worth of product displays.
That’s hundreds of exhibiting toy companies and tens of thousands of new products across every play category—preschool, dolls, games, action figures, plush, educational toys, collectibles, outdoor play, licensed goods, and more.
The show’s layout helps buyers and media easily navigate this breadth with curated showcases and smart tools like our Toy Fair Mobile app for planning and discovery.
And of course, being in New York City brings a special kind of energy. Toy Fair has a rich history of being the place where iconic brands, like Barbie, are first introduced to the world. That legacy continues, and there’s real magic in walking the aisles and seeing what’s next in play.
What can attendees expect when it comes to trends and forward-looking insights?
One of the things Toy Fair does best is bring emerging trends into focus. For 2026, The Toy Association’s trends team will unveil brand-new toy trends for the year at the show itself, and the only way to be among the first to see them is to be at Toy Fair, in person.
These trends are the culmination of in-depth research throughout the year, including meeting with toy and children’s entertainment companies during LA Fall Preview market weeks, to analyze shifts in consumer behavior, innovations in product development, and emerging cultural influences.
This work comes together in our annual curated presentation at Toy Fair, offering actionable insights backed by real product examples from show exhibitors. Attendees will also be able to explore these trends firsthand across the show floor, discovering innovative new lines from both major brands and up-and-coming companies.
But trendspotting is only part of the experience. Toy Fair University, the show’s educational programming, offers a robust slate of sessions designed to deepen understanding on everything from retail strategy and licensing insights to sustainability, safety, and evolving play patterns — led by top experts from across the industry.
How would you describe the current landscape of the toy industry—and the U.S. market’s role in it?
The global toy industry is constantly evolving, but the U.S. market continues to lead the way in driving innovation. American toy companies are making strides right now across every category, from sustainable design and inclusive storytelling to cutting-edge tech integrations and new play patterns that speak to today’s families.
What’s unique about Toy Fair is that it offers a front-row seat to that innovation. It’s where you’ll see what the most influential players in the U.S. market are bringing to retail next—and how they’re setting the tone for the broader global industry. It’s where play comes to life.
At the same time, Toy Fair is proudly international, and that global mix is part of its energy. But there’s no denying that access to the U.S. market—the world’s largest and most competitive—is a major draw for exhibitors and attendees alike.
Whether you’re a retailer looking to diversify your shelves, a media outlet scouting trends, or a global brand seeking U.S. expansion, Toy Fair offers a direct line into what’s moving the industry forward.
Toy Fair® will take place February 14 to 17, 2026 at the Javits Center in
New York City.
Attendee registration will open in October.
Visit ToyFairNY.com to learn more about Toy Fair.
This article originally appeared in Edition 17 of The Toy Universe Magazine
