Competitions and Events
Competitions, Events & Exhibitions
JANUARY 2026
EXHIBITION
Dubai Racing Carnival Millinery Exhibition
30 January 2026
Meydan
Hosted at Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, this prestigious curated exhibition showcases decorative headwear by regional and international milliners. Closely linked to the Dubai World Cup racing season, the exhibition forms an enduring part of racing culture and fashion. Australian milliners are frequently invited to participate, making it a truly global high-fashion showcase.
FEBRUARY 2026
EXHIBITION
Royal Ascot Millinery Collective
February 2026 (launch)
RoyalAscot
Unveiled annually during London Fashion Week, the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective presents the official millinery designs created for Royal Ascot in June. The exhibition highlights craftsmanship, innovation and the long-standing relationship between millinery and British racing tradition.
EXHIBITION
Hats Under the Dome
14–28 February 2026
MelbFF
Held at the Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, this free public exhibition is part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival Independent Programme. Set within the building’s striking architecture, the exhibition presents a curated selection of contemporary millinery, ranging from refined racewear to sculptural and experimental headpieces.
EXHIBITION
The Queen’s Hat
19–23 February 2026
QueenHat
Presented during Milan Fashion Week and curated by Le Salon de la Mode, The Queen’s Hat is an international exhibition celebrating the art of the hat and its cultural significance. Hosted in historic Milanese venues, the exhibition brings together designers from around the world and pays tribute to the influence of figures such as Queen Elizabeth II on millinery and style.
MARCH 2026
EVENT
Lost Trades Fair
28–29 March 2026
LTF
Held at Hanging Rock, Victoria, the Lost Trades Fair celebrates heritage crafts and handmade excellence. Over 150 artisans demonstrate traditional skills, including felt hat-making and hand blocking. Millinery plays an integral role in the fair’s focus on textiles, wearable art and slow craft.
EXHIBITION & COMPETITION
Sydney Royal Easter Show Millinery Competition
27 March – 7 April 2026
Sydney
This millinery competitions and exhibition is held as part of the Sydney Royal Arts & Crafts programme. Categories include Spring and Winter Millinery, Themed Wearable Millinery, Student Millinery and an annual themed class. Entries are exhibited publicly in the Arts & Crafts Pavilion.
APRIL 2026
EVENT
New York City Easter Bonnet Festival Parade
Sunday, 5 April 2026 | 10:00am–4:00pm
NY
A long-standing New York tradition dating back to the 1870s, this informal parade transforms Fifth Avenue into a living exhibition of millinery. Participants wear elaborate, creative and often whimsical bonnets, with the heart of the event centred around St Patrick’s Cathedral.
EXHIBITION
International Millinery Network Royal Ascot Showcase
Saturday, 25 April 2026
IMN
Held in the vibrant heart of Covent Garden, London, this exclusive showcase brings together an elite group of international milliners to debut curated race-day collections. The event features a private salon-style experience, a designer catwalk and a pop-up boutique, offering a first look at high-fashion headpieces ahead of the Royal Ascot season in June.
COMPETITION
Worshipful Company of Feltmakers Design Award
April 2026 – Final judging and awards
FeltUK
Held at the Haberdashers Hall, London, this annual competition promoting excellence in felt hat design, open to students and apprentices. Entrants are challenged to produce a hat that is both innovative and commercially viable, with a strong emphasis on wool or fur felt craftsmanship.
MAY 2026
EVENT
World Hat Walk
Sunday, 10 May 2026
WHW
A global celebration of hats, taking place simultaneously in dozens of cities worldwide. Participants gather for hat walks that celebrate community, creativity and the joy of wearing hats.
EVENT
London Hat Week
May 2026
HatWeek
A city-wide programme of exhibitions, talks and events celebrating London’s rich millinery heritage and contemporary hat design.
EXHIBITION & COMPETITION
Château de Cheverny Hat Festival (Festival du Chapeau)
30–31 May 2026
CdCHat
Held in the Loire Valley, this prestigious festival combines exhibitions, demonstrations and a live competition showcasing both women’s and men’s hats. Milliners work on site, offering visitors insight into professional hat-making techniques.
JUNE 2026
COMPETITION
Dutch Hat Association (NHV) Competition
June 2026 – Judging and exhibition
DutchHat
An international competition limited to 50 entrants. The 2026 theme, “Say Hat to the Dress!”, challenges milliners to design a headpiece to complement a wedding gown. Finalists’ works are exhibited publicly, with an Audience Award voted by visitors.
EVENT & COMPETITION
Prix de Diane Longines – Elegance Contest
Sunday, 14 June 2026
PrixDiane
Held at the Hippodrome de Chantilly, this prestigious race day is renowned for its elegance competition. Hats play a central role, with judging focused on overall style, imagination and presentation.
JULY 2026
COMPETITION
African Millinery Competition
July 2026 – Winners announced
AMComp
Organised by the African Milliners Network, this international competition celebrates African heritage through millinery. Designers are encouraged to combine traditional textiles with contemporary techniques.
EVENT
Sydney Wearable Art Gala (SWAG)
July–August 2026
Enmore
Hosted by TAFE NSW at the Design Centre Enmore, this cross-disciplinary gala includes the Headworks category dedicated to millinery, showcasing avant-garde and experimental headwear.
EVENT & COMPETITION
Fête du Chapeau (Estivales du Chapeau)
16–19 July 2026
Caussade
Held in Caussade, France, this four-day festival features exhibitions, demonstrations, fashion shows and an international hat competition for amateur and professional milliners.
COMPETITION
Millinery Australia Design Award
Friday 3rd July
MAA
A closed competition for Fellow and Life members of Millinery Australia, held yearly with a rotating theme. The 2026 theme is Enchanted.
COMPETITION
Millinery Australia Student Award
Friday 3rd July
MAA
Open to millinery students and beginners who have completed millinery training in the last 12 months. The 2026 theme is Curiosity.
EVENT
Millinery Australia Gala Evening
Friday 3rd July
MAA
AUGUST 2026
EXHIBITION & COMPETTON
Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) – Millinery Competition
August 2026
EKKA
A major Australian millinery competition hosted within the Ekka’s Fine Arts category, featuring professional and student classes.
EXHIBITION & COMPETITION
Royal Adelaide Show – Millinery Competition
Late August – early September 2026
Adelaide
Part of the Cookery & Fibre Art section, offering categories that highlight both traditional and contemporary millinery techniques.
SEPTEMBER 2026
COMPETITION
Hattember
September 2026 – submission date TBA
Hattember
Hattember is an international competition run by Sydney's Hatters Millinery Supplies, with yearly rotating themes. Identical materials are supplied to entrants. Proceeds support the John Skipper Kelly Fund.
EXHIBITION & COMPETITION
Bridport Hat Festival (HatFest)
Saturday, 5 September 2026
Bridport
A community-focused festival featuring public and professional competitions, fundraising activities and large-scale hat celebrations.
EXHIBITION & COMPETITION
Melbourne Royal Show – Millinery Competition
September 2026
MelbourneShow
One of Victoria’s most respected competitions, with categories spanning traditional, formal and conceptual headwear. Open to professional, student and hobbyist milliners.
COMPETITION
Panama Hat Design Contest (Who’s Next x Ecua-Andino)
5–7 September 2026
PanamaHatContest
A high-profile international competition challenging designers to reimagine the Panama hat using toquilla straw. Finalists are exhibited during Paris Fashion Trade Week.
NOVEMBER 2026
COMPETITION
Lillian Frank AM MBE Millinery Award
3 November 2026
LillianFrankMillinery
Undoubtedly Australia’s premier millinery competition, hosted by the Victoria Racing Club. The Lillian Frank AM MBE Award represents the pinnacle of millinery craftsmanship and racing style. Entrants compete for an elite, high-value prize pool that includes a prestigious international showcase at Royal Ascot. It is the ultimate platform for headwear as high art.
EVENT
St Catherine’s Day (Sainte-Catherine)
25 November 2026
Celebrated worldwide as the Patron Saint of Milliners’ Day, marked by hat walks, parades and millinery-focused events across major fashion cities.
DECEMBER 2026
COMPETITION
Lincoln International Millinery Competition
December 2026 – date TBA
LincolnMillinery
An international competition open to amateur, student and professional milliners. Entries are traditionally judged by Stephen Jones OBE, with a portion of entry fees donated to charity.
EXHIBITIONS RUNNING THROUGH THE YEAR
MUSEUM & EXHIBITION
Atelier-Musée du Chapeau
Chazelles-sur-Lyon, France
AtelierMusse
Housed in the restored Fléchet factory, this workshop-museum is dedicated to the history and craftsmanship of hat-making and felt production. Once a centre of luxury felt manufacturing, the site preserves the specialised savoir-faire that defined the region’s industry.
The permanent Fashion Gallery displays over 400 hats and headpieces spanning the Middle Ages to contemporary haute couture, including works by Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermès and Paco Rabanne. The museum also holds the Celebrity & Provenance collection, featuring hats worn by figures such as Marie Curie, Grace Kelly and Winston Churchill.
Every two years, the museum hosts the International Hat’s Art Competition, an avant-garde global contest that treats the hat as a sculptural art form inspired by painting and fine art.
EXHIBITION
The Hat: Between Art and Extravaganza (Il Cappello fra Arte e Stravaganza)
Ongoing through 2026
TheHatArchives
At the Museum of Costume and Fashioin, Pitti Palace, this landmark exhibition is the first major museum show devoted entirely to the history and artistry of the hat from the late 19th century to the present day. Featuring more than 340 pieces drawn from the museum’s archives and international loans, it elevates millinery from accessory to art object.
The exhibition includes works by Christian Dior, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Prada and Philip Treacy, with a curatorial focus on the evolution of materials, silhouette and technique across the 20th and 21st centuries.
EXHIBITION
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style
10 April – 18 October 2026
QueenElizabethII
Presented to mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, this major exhibition held at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, explores the late Queen’s personal style and its cultural impact. Approximately 200 garments and accessories are displayed, including many hats worn across ten decades.
The exhibition highlights the craftsmanship behind her wardrobe and examines the role of millinery in diplomacy, ceremony and public image.
MUSEUM
The World of Hat Museum
Ongoing through 2026
WorldofHat
Founded by Dr Kirill Babaev, this museum houses over 400 traditional headdresses collected during extensive global travel. The collection is organised across five themed halls representing different continents, offering a cultural journey through headwear traditions.
Highlights range from antique jewelled crowns and ceremonial masks to wedding bonnets and regional dress. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the collection through try-on experiences and workshops exploring traditional hat-making techniques.
MUSEUM
Hat Works: Museum of Hatting
Ongoing through 2026
StockportMuseum
Located in the restored Victorian Wellington Mill, Stockport, Hat Works is the UK’s only museum dedicated to the hatting industry. It celebrates Stockport’s history as a global centre of felt hat production.
The Gallery of Hats displays over 400 examples from around the world, while the preserved factory floor demonstrates 19th-century felt-making machinery in operation. The museum also hosts contemporary exhibitions and millinery workshops.
MUSEUM
Victoria and Albert Museum – Fashion & Textiles Collection
Ongoing through 2026
VictoriaAlbert
Located in London, the Victoria and Albert Museum houses one of the world’s most significant dress collections. While displays rotate, the permanent Fashion Gallery includes an extensive range of historic and contemporary headwear, from 17th-century nightcaps to couture pieces by Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones.
The museum’s digital archive is an invaluable research resource for milliners studying construction, materials and evolving silhouettes.
MUSEUM
Museo del Cappello di Montappone
Ongoing through 2026
MuseoDeCappello
Located in Montappone, Italy, and dedicated to the straw hat-making traditions of the Marche region, this museum documents the full production process, from harvesting wheat stems to plaiting, sewing and finishing.
The collection includes historic tools, machinery, wooden blocks and archival photographs, as well as notable pieces such as the straw hat worn by Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. The museum highlights the transformation of rural craft into a defining element of Italian design excellence.
MUSEUM
JEFFSUN Hats Museum
Ongoing through 2026
JeffsunHatsMuseum
Spanning nearly 2,000 square metres, the JEFFSUN Hats Museum in Chongchuan District, Nantong, China, showcases approximately 6,000 pieces of headwear, hat boxes and accessories from around the world. The collection ranges from ancient imperial artefacts to contemporary designer hats.
Highlights include rare Chinese ceremonial crowns, traditional international headwear and modern competition pieces. The museum also hosts events such as the China International Hat Design Competition, bridging historical craftsmanship with contemporary creativity.
______
This page lists major millinery-related competitions, exhibitions and events taking place worldwide in 2026. Dates and details may change; where possible, official websites are included for reference.
Note: many museums also host temporary exhibitions, workshops and competitions throughout the year. Check individual websites for current programming.
If you are running a millinery competition, event or exhibition and would like to be included in this list, please feel free to email me.
Information current as at February 2026.