Empire State Pen Show 2026: A First Visit to the New York Show

Official event information: Visit the organizer’s event page. Reconfirm dates, venue and entry details before travelling.

The Empire State Pen Show is scheduled for November 7–8, 2026 at New York Hilton Midtown. This guide focuses on planning a first visit, including the distinction between exhibition admission and seminar tickets.

At a glance

• Dates: November 7–8, 2026
• Location: New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10019
• Source checked: October 14, 2026

The featured image is an existing site illustration of a fountain pen, not a photograph of this event or its venue.

Confirmed dates, venue and access

The organizer lists Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, 2026 at New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10019. Its current public hours are 10 am–6 pm on Saturday and 10 am–5 pm on Sunday, in local New York time. Recheck those hours on the official schedule before travelling.

The organizer explicitly separates show admission from seminar tickets. A seminar-only visitor does not need exhibition admission unless they also want to enter the exhibition floor. This distinction matters when comparing a single-day visit with a weekend plan. Confirm what each selected ticket covers before completing a purchase.

Build a first-visit plan around one question

Editorial context: decide what you want to learn from handling a pen in person. That might be how a grip sits in your hand, how a nib feels on your own paper, or which filling system you would be comfortable maintaining. A short question is more useful than a long shopping list with no priorities.

Bring a small notebook and, if convenient, the paper you actually use. Ask permission before testing a display pen and follow the exhibitor’s instructions about dipping or filling it. Record the pen, nib size, ink and paper together so that a pleasing writing sample does not become an unexplained mark in your notebook. These are general visitor suggestions, not a promise that any particular test or service will be available.

Keep admission and appointments separate

If a seminar is central to your visit, start with its current booking details and then work out whether you also want time on the exhibition floor. Do not infer a workshop seat from a show pass. Likewise, ask the relevant provider about any service appointment instead of assuming a place in a queue.

The organizer publishes separate navigation for its schedule, floor map, exhibitors and seminars. Use those live pages to check the details that matter to you. This guide avoids promising the attendance of a specific maker, an exclusive item or a service slot. Those are time-sensitive decisions to verify at the source.

Before leaving for Midtown

Save the venue name, street address and the ticket for the correct day. Check how your confirmation should be presented and whether a separate seminar confirmation is needed. Allow your own margin for the journey; this guide does not estimate travel time or recommend accommodation.

For a comfortable first visit, set a spending limit before browsing and leave room in the day to compare notes. You can learn from a show without making a purchase. The useful outcome is a clearer sense of what you like to write with and which questions remain unanswered. Return to the official organizer page shortly before your visit to reconfirm opening times, access conditions and availability.