Stamp exhibitions 2026 and 2027 — where to go

Exhibitions are the heart of philately: the place where collectors meet, compare exhibits and where you get to see rare material with your own eyes. 2026 is an extraordinary year — the International Philatelic Federation FIP is celebrating its centenary. And there is even better news ahead: in 2028 a world exhibition returns to Prague. Here is an overview of almost thirty events across Europe, the Americas and Asia with links to their official sites — plus a way to exhibit even if you cannot travel.

PRAGA 2028 — a world exhibition returns to Prague

PRAGA 2028 takes place 22–26 March 2028 at the Industrial Palace on the Prague Exhibition Grounds. It is a specialised world exhibition with championship status, held under FIP patronage and with the recognition of the European federation FEPA. Exhibits will compete in eleven exhibition classes — from traditional philately through aerophilately to the youth class.

Prague holds a special place in this tradition, following on from the legendary PRAGA 1938 and a series of post-war editions. For collectors in Central Europe this is an opportunity that comes round only once in decades — without having to travel half way across the world.

Where to go before the end of 2026

The highlight of the autumn programme is PHILATAIPEI 2026 — a specialised world exhibition with championship status, bringing top exhibits from every continent to the Taipei World Trade Centre. Collectors of classic material should consider MonacoPhil: the Monaco show traditionally displays pieces you will not see anywhere else, including loans from royal and museum collections.

2027: from California to Bratislava

The most important 2027 date for Czech and Slovak collectors is SLOVPHILEX 2027 in Bratislava. It is the first time in history that Slovakia hosts an event of this rank, under the patronage of the President of the Slovak Republic. According to the organisers, the Blue Mauritius from the British Royal collection is expected to be displayed. The Mauritius "Post Office" stamps of 1847 are among the most valuable in the world — we write more about them and other record-breaking items in our guide to collecting covers and in the article on stamps of the British colonies in Africa.

Looking ahead to 2028

Two world exhibitions in Central Europe in a single year is an exceptional coincidence — Prague in the spring, Ulm in the autumn. Anyone hoping to exhibit should join the qualification round at national shows now.

What has already taken place in the jubilee year 2026

The FIP centenary brought a whole series of world exhibitions. Their catalogues and palmares remain a valuable source of information long after the event:

How to keep track of the calendar

• FIP — Fédération Internationale de Philatélie: world exhibitions under patronage and auspices, results and exhibiting regulations.
• FEPA — the European federation: the calendar of continental, bilateral and national exhibitions in Europe.
• FIAF — Federación Interamericana de Filatelia: exhibitions across North, Central and South America.
• Union of Czech Philatelists: domestic shows, qualification and dates.

A few 2027 events have not yet published an exact date — for those we give the month and will update as soon as the organisers confirm. If you plan to exhibit, note that entries for world exhibitions usually close six to nine months in advance and the exhibit must be qualified at a national show. The individual regulations for each class (IREX) are published by every exhibition on its own website.

Exhibit online — any time

Not everyone can bring their exhibit to a show. That is why we launched the interactive online exhibition: upload scanned exhibit pages or compose sheets from your digital collection, share by link and preserve your exhibit for future generations. A whole collection can be exhibited too — just mark it for the exhibition when sharing.