D&D General London's D&D Fan Expo 2026 has been postponed until next year

The massive D&D Fan Expo at the O2 Arena in London was due to take place this summer. The event will not be going ahead as planned, however, having been rescheduled until September 2027.

The event organisers shared a statement, saying that this would allow them to 'deliver the truly epic experience this community deserves'. No other reason was given for the cancellation.

The D&D Fan Expo was announced in February 2026, headlined by D&D Actual Play group The High Rollers, as well as Dungeon Master Jasmine Bhullar and a group of undisclosed actors. In May, a range of performances and panelists were announced, including YouTube influencer D&D Shorts, the London D&D venue RPG Taverns, podcasters Roll Britannia, live-players It's Your Role, and miniature painter Johnny Ghiodini.

The O2 Arena is one of the UK's biggest indoor arenas, with a capacity of 20,000, and is the world's ninth largest building by volume.

"We wanted to share an important update regarding D&D Fan Expo: London.

To ensure we can deliver the truly epic experience this community deserves, the event will be rescheduled to Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September 2027. This decision allows us to expand the show and bring you a bigger, better celebration of Dungeons & Dragons with more to see, more to do, and more special guests involved.

We know how much you’ve been looking forward to the event, and we truly appreciate your patience while we take the time to make it the best it can possibly be.

We will be announcing an array of new details and additions for the event in the coming weeks. Your tickets will remain valid for the new date, but if you can no longer attend, refunds are available on request from your original point of purchase.

Thank you for being part of the adventure, we can’t wait to share what’s coming next."

 

[GMMichael]

So if it's been delayed until next year it's not really Fan Expo 2026 anymore is it?

That's the thing. They accidentally printed the passes with "2027" on them. So, simple solution...

 

[CommodoreKong]

Remember when all those musicians were canceling their big arena tours at the last second because they couldn't sell tickets?
This was a dumb move even outside of a recession.

Yeah looking at that lineup I think a 20,000 seat arena may have been a bit over ambitious, especially for a first time event.

 

[Maxperson]

Don’t you follow these forums? No matter what happens, someone will come along and blame WOTC.

For example: My air conditioner died over the weekend while I was out of town. ITS WOTC’S FAULT…!!!

I mean, they did send the Pinkertons to break the weather.

 

[Morrus]

Hasbro is listed on the banner as one of the presenters, along with AEG;

Probably a different AEG to the one you're thinking of though.

https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/

 

[DMLiamJ]

My biggest issue with it is that it was never clear what was going to be happening there apart from a couple of live play performances. It feels like someone saw Critical Role and thought that what DnD fans really want is to sit in a huge arena and watch people play. I know a lot of people who play and run a lot of DnD, I'm a professional DM myself, and I haven't spoken to anyone who had any interest in going, so I'm not really surprised it has been cancelled.
Next year I'll be going to Tabletop Scotland instead. I know they know how to meet the needs of DnD players and DMs really well and they're a lot clearer about what they do.

 

[Morrus]

My biggest issue with it is that it was never clear what was going to be happening there apart from a couple of live play performances. It feels like someone saw Critical Role and thought that what DnD fans really want is to sit in a huge arena and watch people play. I know a lot of people who play and run a lot of DnD, I'm a professional DM myself, and I haven't spoken to anyone who had any interest in going, so I'm not really surprised it has been cancelled.

Yeah, I was never clear. I wasn’t sure whether it was all-day stage shows/panels for an arena audience or more like a convention.

 

[Kkills]

We don't know specifics as to what their involvement is/was but that 'Hasbro' is listed as a presenter indicates that involvement likely consists of considerably more than just giving their blessing to the event.

Anyone got any facts to share on this?

Agreed re WotC specifically, in that we also don't know whether the 'Hasbro' involvement comes from within the WotC branch of the company or from some other department or level.

"The first official event from Wizards of the Coast in partnership with AEG Presents"

https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/event/dungeons-dragons-fan-expo-london/

 

[Kkills]

We don't know specifics as to what their involvement is/was but that 'Hasbro' is listed as a presenter indicates that involvement likely consists of considerably more than just giving their blessing to the event.

Anyone got any facts to share on this?

Agreed re WotC specifically, in that we also don't know whether the 'Hasbro' involvement comes from within the WotC branch of the company or from some other department or level.

"The first official event from Wizards of the Coast in partnership with AEG Presents"

https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/event/dungeons-dragons-fan-expo-london/

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

Who broke you?

It's a, I say, it's a joke, son.

 

[Clint_L]

"The first official event from Wizards of the Coast in partnership with AEG Presents"

https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/event/dungeons-dragons-fan-expo-london/

So reading that press release heavily implies that this is AEG Presents running the show. Likely they have some kind of deal with WotC to allow them to use the official trademarks etc., but I doubt WotC has much, if any, logistical involvement. (Also, note who put out the press release).

Again, this is pretty typical in the entertainment space. Using this postponement as a reason to be mad at WotC is a stretch, but then half of this forum is always looking for a reason to be mad at WotC.