Chicago, IL – October 5, 2026 – Koelnmesse, Inc. today announced the expansion of the Fiber + Fabric Craft Festival (FFCF) with a second edition launching in Houston, Texas, in fall 2027, growing the consumer festival from a single flagship event in Rosemont, Illinois, into a multi-city platform for the fiber, fabric, and craft community. The Houston edition will run alongside Koelnmesse's h+h americas Fall Edition, and additional U.S. markets are planned as Koelnmesse continues to grow the platform.

FFCF unites crochet, spinning, cosplay, knitting, quilting, patchwork, needlepoint and general crafts in a single live experience built around education, community and commerce and around the well-documented link between making and mental wellbeing. The festival's debut edition, held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, welcomed more than 12,556 visitors and featured 276 companies from 8 nations across 45,016 square feet (4,182 sqm) of exhibit space, establishing an immediate, meaningful presence in the North American craft market and proof of concept for a format Koelnmesse now intends to bring to additional cities.

A Message from Koelnmesse Leadership

"The expansion of Fiber + Fabric Craft Festival into a second city reflects our commitment to growing the global craft industry and creating new opportunities for makers and the communities that support them," said Gerald Böse, President & CEO, Koelnmesse GmbH. "We recognize the importance of both the professional industry and the passionate consumer community that supports it. Taking this format to a second market is proof that this platform has staying power and a clear signal of where we intend to take it next."

A Second City for a Growing Platform

Houston becomes FFCF's second home beginning fall 2027, positioning the festival alongside h+h americas Fall Edition and extending Koelnmesse's fall programming into a dedicated consumer experience for the region's maker community. The expansion reflects sustained demand from crafters, retailers, and educators for an in-person, discipline-spanning event beyond the festival's original Midwest market and sets the template Koelnmesse will use to bring FFCF to additional cities in the years ahead.

"We believe the crafting community is ready for something new and ready for it closer to home, wherever home is," said Darrin Stern, President and Managing Director of Koelnmesse Inc. "Rosemont proved the model with more than 12,556 visitors and 276 companies from 8 countries in year one. Houston is the next step in building FFCF into a national platform, one that meets makers where they are while staying true to the traditions and communities that built this industry."

A New Experience for the Craft Community

FFCF is designed as more than a traditional consumer craft event; it is an immersive environment where attendees discover, learn, create, shop, and connect. Each edition will feature hands-on workshops, live demonstrations, curated retail, maker experiences, and educational programming built to inspire creativity and skill development at every level, from lifelong quilters to first-time stitchers.

"What we're building is not just another craft event; it's a growing network of experiences that meets the community wherever it shows up next," said Jessica Boweak, Show Director. "Houston lets us bring the energy and access of the original festival to a new region, while giving makers everywhere a consistent, high-quality experience they can count on as we expand."

Connecting Industry and Community

FFCF's expansion reflects Koelnmesse's broader strategy of strengthening connections across the fiber arts and handicrafts ecosystem. As a dedicated consumer experience, FFCF complements h+h americas and h+h americas Fall Edition, which serve as the professional platform for brands, retailers, designers, and industry stakeholders. Running the consumer and trade events in parallel, first in Rosemont and now in Houston, creates a connected period of engagement that links the professional industry directly to the makers and consumers who drive it.

For more information, visit houston.fiberfabriccraft.com or follow @fiberfabriccraftfest using #fiberfabriccraftfest.

Dates

The Houston edition of FFCF will launch with the conference on October 21 and the show October 22–24, 2027, alongside h+h americas Fall Edition.

Future Show Dates

Wholesale Events

  • h+h cologne, April 2 to 4, 2027, in Cologne, Germany - hh-cologne.com
  • h+h americas, Conference May 4, Show May 5 to 7, 2027, in Rosemont, Illinois, USA - hh-americas.com
  • h+h americas Fall Edition, Conference October 26, Show October 27–29, 2027, in Houston, Texas, USA - fall.hh-americas.com

Unified B2B / B2C Platform Events

  • Fiber + Fabric Craft Festival, Conference April 29, Show April 30 to May 2, 2027, in Rosemont, Illinois, USA - fiberfabriccraft.com
  • Fiber + Fabric Craft Festival Houston, Conference October 21, Show October 22–24, 2027, in Houston, Texas, USA -  houston.fiberfabriccraft.com

About Koelnmesse, Inc.

Koelnmesse – Industry Trade Fairs for the Handicrafts Sector

As an organizer of innovative trade fairs of global significance, Koelnmesse is a global market leader in the handicrafts and hobby sector. Through h+h cologne in Cologne, it organizes the world's leading trade fair and largest international platform for inspiration and sourcing in the fiber arts and handicrafts industry. Since 2022, Koelnmesse has continuously expanded its international handicrafts portfolio.

With h+h americas in Rosemont, Illinois, as well as h+h americas Fall Edition in Houston, Texas, launched in 2026, the portfolio encompasses international B2B events for exhibitors and trade visitors from the knitting, quilting/patchwork, crochet, sewing, fiber arts, and craft sectors. h+h americas has established itself as the leading B2B platform for the fiber arts and handicrafts industry in North America.

The portfolio is complemented by consumer trade fairs, including the Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival in Rosemont and Houston. Following its debut in Rosemont in May 2026, the community-focused event format is set to expand to the southern U.S. in 2027. The festivals unite all fiber and handicraft categories under one roof, showcasing trends, products, and technologies across knitting, quilting/patchwork, crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, felting, sewing, and cosplay.

Media Contact

Jessica Boweak
Show Director
Koelnmesse, Inc.
Tel: +1 773-326-9923
Email: [email protected]

Koelnmesse Inc.
8770 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 1300
Chicago, Illinois 60631, USA
www.koelnmesse.us