GaLaBau 2026: Visitor Growth and Focus on Playground Equipment

<p>GaLaBau has once again established itself as a central industry platform for garden, landscape and sports field construction. The 26th edition of the international trade fair for urban green spaces and recreational areas closed in Nuremberg with renewed visitor growth and set a clear thematic focus on playground equipment and recreational facilities. For many exhibitors in the playground equipment sector, the event was an important opportunity to present new products and trends.</p><h2>Strong Numbers Despite Changed Schedule Concept</h2><p>From September 15-18, 2026, the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre opened its doors for GaLaBau. According to the organizers, this year <strong>68,000 visitors</strong> and <strong>1,100 exhibitors</strong> attended the trade fair – a result that continues the positive trend of previous editions. The event is organized by NürnbergMesse, with the Federal Association of Garden, Landscape and Sports Field Construction (BGL) as the honorary sponsor.</p><p>Particularly noteworthy this year was the new schedule concept: For the first time, GaLaBau took place from Tuesday to Friday – previously it was traditionally held from Wednesday to Saturday. Opening hours were from 9 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and the trade fair closed one hour earlier at 5 p.m. on Friday. This change had been explicitly requested by exhibitors.</p><h3>Better Planning for Exhibitors and Visitors</h3><p>"We are confident that the response to this change will be extremely positive and that GaLaBau will become even stronger in the future," said Thomas Banzhaf, President of the BGL, ahead of the trade fair. Stefan Dittrich, Director GaLaBau at NürnbergMesse, also emphasized the importance of early announcement: "We believe it is important to announce this major change in good time so that participants can plan reliably and to show that we take the change desired by exhibitors seriously and implement it promptly."</p><p>From the organizers' perspective, the change brings several advantages: Lower-cost stand dismantling, better travel options, and a more even distribution of visitor flows across the four trade fair days. Particularly professional visitors from garden and landscape construction benefit from this, as they no longer need to schedule a Saturday for their trade fair visit.</p><h2>Themed Playground Equipment as a Crowd Magnet</h2><p>A clear focus of this year's GaLaBau was on themed playground equipment for recreational facilities. Manufacturers and planners of playground equipment presented their innovations to a broad professional audience – a sign that this sector is increasingly establishing itself within the trade fair. The connection between garden and landscape construction with play and leisure design shows how closely these two topics are linked in practice, particularly in the design of public green spaces and urban recreational areas.</p><h3>A Trade Fair with a Long Tradition</h3><p>GaLaBau has a long history: Since 1974, it has brought together professionals in garden, landscape and sports field construction on a biennial basis. Over the decades, the event has continuously evolved and become more international. Together with the BGL, NürnbergMesse continuously works to adapt the format to the current needs of the industry – whether through new exhibition focuses, professional programs, or, as this year, through structural adjustments to the event schedule.</p><h2>Conclusion and Outlook</h2><p>GaLaBau 2026 has shown that the trade fair continues to enjoy great popularity despite changed conditions. With 68,000 visitors and 1,100 exhibitors, the positive trend of previous years is confirmed, while the new schedule concept from Tuesday to Friday appears to have been well received. The increased focus on themed playground equipment also underscores the fact that the design of leisure and green spaces is increasingly being thought of holistically. For the next edition in two years, it will show whether the new format establishes itself permanently and the industry continues to benefit from this reliable planning foundation.