Estepona Board Games Convention Returns This Weekend BGC, the international board games convention, fills Estepona's conference centre on 7 and 8 November with 40 new releases, free entry and a programme for families, fans and designers. Estepona's exhibition and conference centre turns into the capital of tabletop gaming this weekend. BGC, the international board games convention, returns on 7 and 8 November with free entry and a programme built as much for curious families as for seasoned hobbyists. Around 40 new releases from all over the world will premiere at the event, and visitors will be able to play most of them on the spot. Forty tables are being laid out across two demonstration halls. The main hall focuses on more challenging titles, while the family hall concentrates on games suitable for families and children over ten. Entry is completely free, although visitors need to request an invitation at the ticket office of the exhibition centre during the event. In a normal year the convention draws around 4,000 people, and organisers expect similar crowds this weekend. The format is deliberately hands-on. Demonstrators explain the rules of the latest games, and in many cases the authors, illustrators or publishers themselves run the sessions and sign copies afterwards. There is a dedicated area for role-playing games in both Spanish and English, a space for giant games where players effectively become pieces on the board, and dinosaur and horse races for the youngest visitors. Spanish publishing houses are the backbone of the event. Labels attending range from established names to small start-ups, alongside a strong international presence. The headline guest is Mac Gerdts, the renowned German designer who will present the new expansion for his classic game Concordia, which includes the Port of Malaga among its locations. Games from South Korea, Italy, Norway, France, Poland and the Czech Republic will also be on the tables. The heart of the convention is the prototypes section, the area the organisation is most proud of. Emerging designers present their designs and mechanics there in the hope of finding a publisher. The formula has a track record: virtually every year at least one finalist project goes on to international success. Orloj, a finalist in 2023, went on to be named one of the best games in the world in 2025, while the Matriuskats prototype is now in production under a Spanish label. The programme also includes the Andalusian Puzzle Tournament, a contest for the best Spanish-authored board games in categories covering best author, best expert game, best family game and best educational game, and a special zone where young designers can show their projects directly to publishers. Families are explicitly catered for. A games library with more than 200 titles will offer guided sessions, so parents can drop in, learn a game with help on hand, and let children try titles aimed at their age group. The organisers describe the atmosphere as family-friendly and participatory, closer to a festival than a trade fair. For the local economy, the convention has become one of the fixed dates of the autumn calendar. It fills hotels and restaurants on a weekend that would otherwise be quiet, and it reinforces Estepona's pitch as a town that can host national events well beyond the summer season. The event forms part of the town's wider programme of youth-oriented activities this year, and local authorities have thanked the organisers for choosing Estepona once again as the venue for what has become one of the most important board game gatherings in the country. Practical details are simple: the convention runs on 7 and 8 November at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos in Estepona, entry is free with an invitation collected at the ticket office, and sessions run throughout the day. Anyone who wants to try the newest titles before they hit shops, meet the people who design them, or simply spend a rainy November weekend rolling dice with the family will find the doors open. If last year is anything to go by, arriving early on Sunday is the best strategy for the quieter tables.