2026 Gaming Hoopla

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Attendance Registration Opens: Friday, January 16th, 4:00 pm
Attendance Pre-Registration Closes: Friday, April 17th, 11:59 pm
Hotel Room Block Reservations Open: OPEN NOW!
Hoopla T-shirt Sales Begin: Friday, January 16th, 4:00 pm
Hoopla T-shirt Pre-Sales End: Friday, April 17th, 11:59 pm
Event Submission Opens: Friday, January 16th, 4:00 pm
Event Submission Ends: Friday, April 24th, 11:59 pm
VIG Early Bird Event Sign-Up Begins: Friday, February 6th, 12:00 noon
Event Sign-Up (non-VIG) Begins: Sunday, February 8th, 4:00 pm
Auction Submission Opens: Sunday, February 8th, 4:00 pm
Math Trade Submission Opens: Sunday, March 22nd, 8:00 pm
Math Trade Submission Ends: Sunday, April 12th, 8:00 pm
Math Trade Want List Submission Opens: Sunday, April 12th, 8:00 pm
Exhibitor Applications Closes: Monday, April 30th, 12:00 noon
Last Day for Volunteer Applications: Friday, April 24th, 12:00 noon
Math Trade Results Posted: Sunday, April 26th, 8:00 pm
Auction Submission Ends*: Saturday, May 2nd, 12:00 noon
Event Sign-Up - runs through Hoopla weekend**

ABOUT THE HOOPLA

The Gaming Hoopla is a gaming convention that is a fund-raiser for cancer related charities. This year the Gaming Hoopla is happy to again partner with Aurora Cancer Care! To find out more about the Hoopla and why we do it, click HERE.

The Gaming Hoopla features tabletop board gaming, miniatures, RPG's, giant board games, tournaments, free game rental from the Gaming Hoopla games library, the Best Raffle Ever, a silent auction, a game store exhibitor, and more!

With hundreds of scheduled events, as well as open gaming areas and a well-curated games library, Gaming Hoopla is an ideal place for board game hobbyists to play with friends and family, or to meet new gaming buddies!

LOCATION

The Baird Center We've moved! As we continue to search for a long term home for the Hoopla, we heard your concerns and made the tough decision to make yet another move. For 2026 and beyond, Gaming Hoopla will be held at the Baird Center.

This new venue will allow us to offer you multiple hotel blocks, straight forward off and on-site parking options, and a variety of nearby food available at any time and budget. With so much growth potential, we are anticipating that the Baird Center will be our home for the foreseeable future!

For 2026, we will be located on the 2nd floor of the South Building (400 W. Wisconsin Ave.) in rooms S201, S202, and S203. This space is a bit larger overall than the 2025 venue, and allows us more options to plan for the different types of events that take place at the Hoopla.

MERCHANDISE

If you can't attend this year, you can still support the Hoopla by buying a 2026 Gaming Hoopla shirt!

VERY IMPORTANT GAMER BADGES

Our VIG Badge option is back for 2026! Support the Hoopla in a big way by grabbing your VIG badge - but act fast, because last year the VIG badges sold out in 8 minutes!

VIGS get:
- A Weekend Badge
- Early Bird Registration for events
- Exclusive VIG Hoopla Swag
- VIG Badge Ribbon
- An Invitation to the VIG Welcome Party
- Instructions for a VIG only Meta Game - Additional prize and giveaway opportunities

SILENT AUCTION BIDDING

All winning bids are considered a commitment to purchase. Assume you will win all bids that you place and be prepared to pay that total amount. Bidders who fail to pay for winning items may forfeit those items, be barred from future auctions at the Hoopla, and/or be subject to additional restrictions at the Hoopla's discretion. Please bid responsibly—proceeds support charity, and unpaid bids directly impact our ability to donate.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Masks OPTIONAL After careful consideration for the health of our attendees and the public alike, we have made the decision that Covid vaccination and masking will not be required to attend the 2026 Gaming Hoopla. Masks are still optional at your discretion.

We expect that our rules of respect be observed - this means a zero tolerance policy of harassment for either wearing or not wearing a mask. Please bring any concerns about harassment to an available staff member.

The Gaming Hoopla staff still strongly encourages attendees to follow current CDC guidelines for vaccination and booster shots of the COVID vaccine.