2026 convention spoilers

[Adam!]

On 11/11/2025 at 12:39 AM, halfspanishlee said:

I also say that some will have there there convention at bows road assembly hall

@halfspanishlee @Bluebell - I heard you may have received a letter over the weekend, informing you that you may be assigned to a brand new location.  This new location is even closer to us than Twickenham by a significant distance but it is unlikely we will be assigned there.

[Brazilian2024]

Any congregation already received the printed invitation?

[Parale]

On 11/4/2025 at 8:12 PM, Adam! said:

The rest of London got told today where they are assigned for their 2026 convention.

 

FWIW here is a matrix I threw together ......

 

In Great Britain: 24 Conventions, in 18 locations, over 11 weeks (with 1 'break' week)

In Ireland: 3 Conventions, in 3 locations, over 4 weeks (with 1 'break' week)

 

[Adam!]

5 hours ago, Parale said:

 

FWIW here is a matrix I threw together ......

 

In Great Britain: 24 Conventions, in 18 locations, over 11 weeks (with 1 'break' week)

In Ireland: 3 Conventions, in 3 locations, over 4 weeks (with 1 'break' week)

 

That looks good. Theres still at least one convention that is not showing on there.

[Brandon]

8 hours ago, Parale said:

In Great Britain: 24 Conventions, in 18 locations

Surely there’s more than that, unless you’re only counting english ones ?

[halfspanishlee]

We be at the velopark queen Elizabeth Olympic park August 28th.

[Parale]

On 12/31/2025 at 2:26 AM, Brandon said:

Surely there’s more than that

 

Yes! Though it is confusing, unlike previous years when all the Conventions have generally been announced at around the same time, this time for the 2026 Conventions the venues / dates have been released over an extended period, since September 2025 .... and more are expected to be announced in January 2026! 😮

 

Thus the above matrix is only 'as currently announced' - AKA the current 'state-of-play'

[Parale]

On 12/31/2025 at 2:26 AM, Brandon said:

only counting english ones ?

 

There are non-English Conventions taking place too, starting the same weekend as the English, but finishing a couple of weeks later, and with more 'break' weeks too - four. Below is a matrix, listed by date, that I put together quickly. Looks like just one has two Conventions, Polish, with one in Telford, and one in Waterford?

 

[Bluebell]

18 hours ago, halfspanishlee said:

We be at the velopark queen Elizabeth Olympic park August 28th.

 

The Capacity for this venue is only 6,750......our circuit is around 10000

We're assign also to the Velo Park but on the 21-23 August....so it looks like our circuit has been divided

[Parale]

37 minutes ago, Bluebell said:

The Capacity for this venue is only 6,750......our circuit is around 10000

 

WOW! 😮😮

 

Wait, if your circuit has 25 congregations (to allow two CO visits-a-year) then each of your congregations would have around 400 publishers! What percentage attend on Zoom?

 

Did you mean 'district'? I didn't think we still used districts? 🤔

 

37 minutes ago, Bluebell said:

so it looks like our circuit has been divided

 

Yes, that's what I'm hearing - circuits are being divided up, and are going to different venues, on different dates 🤔 ..... AKA congregations that attend the same Assembly together on the same day and location, are being divided up to go to different Convention venues, on different days.

Edited Friday at 04:40 PM by Parale

[Bluebell]

1 hour ago, Parale said:

 

WOW! 😮😮

 

Wait, if your circuit has 25 congregations (to allow two CO visits-a-year) then each of your congregations would have around 400 publishers! What percentage attend on Zoom?

 

Did you mean 'district'? I didn't think we still used districts? 🤔

 

 

Yes, that's what I'm hearing - circuits are being divided up, and are going to different venues, on different dates 🤔 ..... AKA congregations that attend the same Assembly together on the same day and location, are being divided up to go to different Convention venues, on different days.

 

At our regional convention at Excel we are always around 10000 in attendance

[Brandon]

4 hours ago, Parale said:

congregations that attend the same Assembly together on the same day and location, are being divided up to go to different Convention venues, on different days.

That has always been the case. Conventions never followed circuit boundaries. 

[MullumMiss]

11 minutes ago, Brandon said:

That has always been the case. Conventions never followed circuit boundaries. 

Yes ever since Regional conventions have been held using assembly halls with smaller numbers our circuit has been divided out to different conventions.  One year we were the only congregation from our circuit.  

[Parale]

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

That has always been the case. Conventions never followed circuit boundaries.

 

1 hour ago, MullumMiss said:

Yes ever since Regional conventions have been held using assembly halls with smaller numbers our circuit has been divided out to different conventions.

 

Interesting - traditionally we've always been used to fairly large Conventions here in London/UK, and if you're not on the border, it's never really been noticable .... but with the 2026 dates coming out in 'dribs and drabs' over 4 or so months I suppose it's become much more of a topic of conversation when meeting up with the circuit at Assemblies 🤷‍♂️ and virtually all the publishers I've mentioned about our own circuit being split up have been surprised in a - to quote - 'weird, can they do that?' way.

[johnnyjw01]

When are they going to publish the 2025 convention videos?

[bvr]

Either next week or the following week. We still have few more conventions ongoing.

16 minutes ago, johnnyjw01 said:

When are they going to publish the 2025 convention videos?

 

[Luigi62]

20 hours ago, johnnyjw01 said:

When are they going to publish the 2025 convention videos?

After the Auckland, New Zealand Convention, which is on January 9-11, 2026.

 

Edited Sunday at 07:09 AM by Luigi62

[Adam!]

On 1/2/2026 at 10:21 PM, Parale said:

 

 

Interesting - traditionally we've always been used to fairly large Conventions here in London/UK, and if you're not on the border, it's never really been noticable .... but with the 2026 dates coming out in 'dribs and drabs' over 4 or so months I suppose it's become much more of a topic of conversation when meeting up with the circuit at Assemblies 🤷‍♂️ and virtually all the publishers I've mentioned about our own circuit being split up have been surprised in a - to quote - 'weird, can they do that?' way.

 

Out of interest- which convention location have you been assigned to @Parale?

[Adam!]

On 1/2/2026 at 4:02 PM, Bluebell said:

 

The Capacity for this venue is only 6,750......our circuit is around 10000

We're assign also to the Velo Park but on the 21-23 August....so it looks like our circuit has been divided

 

I knew the Velodrome / Velo park was small but not this small. I do sense that this location could be subject to overcrowding.

 

To put it into perspective- those in deep Kent (the far South East of England) have been assigned to Twickenham. For some that could be a 3 hour drive - just one way - in normal traffic conditions. However, the distance to the Velodrome / Velodrome park from the same location could take roughly just over 2 hours driving.

 

There are other congregations in the South East of London whereby they could take one train or underground tube to the Velodrome / Velodrome. This would take between 25 to 40 minutes. However, from the same location to Twickenham, where they have been assigned, requires 2 to 3 trains and at a minimum take anything from 1 hour 15 minutes to get there going upwards. What could be a 3 to 5 mile journey is going to take between 12 - 14 miles.

 

The hotel reservation list hasn't been released yet. Ones are fearing its going to be a mad rush to get a room to minimalise travelling. Older ones have also expressed its just too far to go to. Also, let's not forget, Twickenham is an outdoor venue with concrete steps to walk up to the seating bowls, so the physical welfare for some is worrying - and whilst it's summer, if the typical British weather doesn't play nice, thats not going to please many.

 

This isnt intended to be a moan or groan or whine. Just to point out the concerns and fears ones are having about attending a convention this year in 2026 in this part of the earth.

[jwhess]

It is very interesting to hear about distances and travel times.  We don't even have any cities of more than 25,000 people nearby.  This coming summer we will attend in Ft. Wayne, Indiana which is the nearest big city.  It is about 30 miles to the East.  It will take 30-40 minutes.  The next congregation south of us will be going to Dayton, Ohio which is 120 miles South.  It takes 2 1/2 hours driving time.  The convention to the East of us will be in Toledo, Ohio and that is about 70 miles away.  It takes 1 1/4 hours to get there.

 

Few publishers will stay in hotels in Ft. Wayne (only a half-hour to drive home).  About half might stay when we went to Toledo and we all got hotel rooms when we went to Dayton.

 

So, hearing about 3-5 miles or 12-14 miles is startling to think about.

Edited Sunday at 11:35 PM by jwhess

[Mike047]

That's a lot of travelling. Comparing our journey to the convention from where I live is like going to the bottom of the backyard (garden in UK).

[On the huh]

We have gone from a 3 to 4 hour journey to the convention last year, to a journey of only 45 minutes this year.  That means for most brothers no hotel stays this year, just travelling to and back again each day.

[Adam!]

54 minutes ago, On the huh said:

We have gone from a 3 to 4 hour journey to the convention last year, to a journey of only 45 minutes this year.  That means for most brothers no hotel stays this year, just travelling to and back again each day.

Enjoy your convention at the Horsefair ground.

[Mike047]

Wherever we have to get to, it will always be worth any effort we expend.

[jwhess]

2 hours ago, Mike047 said:

Wherever we have to get to, it will always be worth any effort we expend.

In 1958 our family of eight drove from Pasadena, California (Monrovia Congregation) to New York City for the 8-day Divine Will International Assembly.  We slept in the station wagon on the trip and stayed with relatives when we got there.