General Information
To help you feel at home and make the most of your visit to a Hugglets Teddy Bear Festival, here are some practical tips. You’ll probably find them helpful even if it’s not your first time. If you think we should add other things to this page, please let us know by emailing to contact@hugglets.co.uk
Please click here for helpful advice on how to get to our events.Â
Be prepared
Many people find it helpful to review the list of exhibitors before the event. You can view the exhibitor list and a basic floor plan on our website to plan your visit. It’s a good idea to identify any stands you particularly want to visit early in the day when more bears are still available. But don’t forget to look around and allow yourself to discover new things. There are always new exhibitors and young talents worth your attention.
If there are cancellations, additions or changes to the published programme, we will post these in various places as you enter the venue.
In the Online Exhibitor List, we also provide links to our exhibitors’ websites. This is great for previewing the sorts of bears offered by each exhibitor. The links remain available on the site for a while after the event to help you track down an exhibitor if you later regret not buying one of their bears.
If you are especially intent on buying a specific bear or a work from a particular artist, it may be worth contacting the exhibitor in advance. It might be possible to reserve the bear. Or perhaps you can buy it in advance and collect it on the day.
The Useful Guide
The Hugglets Teddy Bear Guide contains the contact details of most exhibitors – and a lot more besides. If you prefer to purchase the Guide in advance, you can order it online here.
> Getting here and parking
Parking
Please click here for helpful advice on how to get to our events. At Kensington Town Hall, there is a Saba car park under the venue. The special Sunday rate is £25 for the day, payable by card only (Mastercard or Visa), and parking must be paid for before you leave at the end of the day. The car park can be full by midday, so please book your space in advance. It is worth comparing prices at justpark.com first, as the same car park is often cheaper when booked there. Alternatives from £12 within walking distance of under 10 minutes are also available at justpark.com (you should book at least two weeks before the fair). Four disabled spaces are located just to the right after the barrier.
If you drive to the exhibition at the weekend, please note that the London Congestion Charge applies on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 to 18:00. The daily charge is £18. As of 25 December 2025, the former 100% Cleaner Vehicle Discount ended and was replaced by a tiered discount system. Discounts are available only for electric vehicles registered for Auto Pay, helping to manage traffic and reduce congestion in central London.
The NEC Birmingham provides plenty of Parking Spaces. Parking is completely free for Hugglets TEDDIES Festival visitors. Here is how it works:
- Book your parking in advance at parking.thenec.co.uk
- Choose “September” and the Hugglets TEDDIES Festival from the list of events
- Enter the code HTBF26 at the checkout
- Book at least 24 hours before the day – this matters, as the code cannot be applied any later
Your space will be in the North 2 car park. Free shuttle buses run from there to the Atrium 1 entrance from 8 am, and they will bring you back to your car at the end of the day as well. There is no need to look for anywhere closer – the shuttle is included and runs throughout the day.
> Tickets and entry
Have your tickets ready
Before joining the queue, we recommend you obtain your entry ticket from the Hugglets reception desk behind the entrance. If you already have the correct ticket, you can join the queue directly. You can purchase tickets online. You can also enjoy free and early entrance as a Hugglets Club member. Members receive their tickets two days before the Festival by email.
Tickets cost £8 on the day for adults (from age 17); children have free entrance. If you wish to get early Festival information, you can register here.
Your ticket is valuable
Don’t fear the queue.
Those who arrive before the opening time will find a queue winding its way down from the entrance. Some people arrive very early as they are keen to get the best choice of bears from one or another artist. However, the main advantage of arriving much before 10.30 am (for Hugglets Club members) or 11.00 am (for the public) is the free chocolates passed down the line about 20 minutes before opening.
The queue often gets very long. Despite this, we usually manage to get everyone in within ten minutes because experienced visitors have their tickets already on hand. If someone in the queue doesn’t already have their ticket, they just step aside when they get to the reception. We will sell them as fast as possible. Still, a short delay for these ticket buyers is inevitable.
From the moment you enter the event, everything is open to you. Thousands of teddy bears and related collectables (including rabbits, cats, monkeys, dogs, etc.) are on sale. And they come in an enormous variety of styles, sizes, colours, ages and prices.
> Access for everyone
At Kensington Town Hall, please come directly to reception via the entry point higher up Hornton Street – this avoids the external stairs. An internal lift connects all three floors, including Hall 1 downstairs, where you will find Hugglets BLYTHE & friends and the cloak room. There are four disabled parking spaces in the car park, just to the right after the barrier. Toilet facilities are on both the top floor and in the basement; accessible toilets are in the basement only. Official guide dogs are welcome at both our venues, but other pets are not allowed.
The NEC is step-free throughout, and the Festival takes place on a single level in Concourse Suites 1&2. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge, and there is dedicated accessible parking close to the entrances. You will find full details, including a personal access guide, at thenec.co.uk/visitors/accessibility
> Where to find everything
Something to discover
At Kensington Town Hall, the teddy bears fill Halls 2 and 3 on the ground floor. For those very new to bear collecting, bear artist is the term for teddy bear makers who design their own original bears. Most of them are one-of-a-kind bears (OOAK) or limited editions. Hall 1 downstairs is home to Hugglets BLYTHE & friends, our new floor for the Blythe community – included in the same ticket, so do go down and have a look while you are with us. There is a lift between the floors. At the NEC, you will find us in Concourse Suites 1&2. Both our venues are fully accessible.
Please find the detailed floor plans here.
Huge variety
There are so many great teddy bears and their friends – it will be hard to know where to begin. Most of the leading teddy bear makers in the UK will be there, as well as remarkable artists from all over the world. Hugglets Teddy Bear Festivals also offer a rare opportunity to meet bear artists and other exhibitors from overseas in the UK, so you’ll not want to miss these.
You will find them through the halls. Countries often represented include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Ukraine & USA.
If you are thinking of selling an old bear at Hugglets Teddy Bear Festivals, many dealers may be pleased to see your bear and perhaps make an offer. One or more specialist toy auctioneers may also have a stand and so be able to advise you.
The picture thing
A quick word about photography. If you want to take photos, we won’t be surprised because the displays are lovely and the artistry amazing. But please ask permission from the exhibitor first.
Cash is king
Not all exhibitors can take cheques or card payments. So, having sufficient cash for your proposed purchases is a good idea. You may need to visit one of the nearby cashpoints/ATMs. There are some to find in the NEC and on Kensington High Street. The nearest is at the corner of Hornton Street.
If you need some cash, we offer a cash service at the reception. We accept all major debit and credit cards, but have to charge a 3% fee for this service.
Coats and bags are safe
If you have coats and bags with you, you can leave them in our free cloakroom. At Kensington Town Hall you will find it downstairs in Hall 1. At the NEC it is just behind the Hugglets reception desk.
Hunger Games
By now, you might be getting hungry.
At Kensington Town Hall, you’ll find a snack bar with delicious options. An alternative is to take a break outside at one of the local eateries, or to find a seat in the balcony area overlooking Hall 3 and break out the sandwiches. If you go out for food, please note that fast food cannot be brought back into the premises, so you’ll need to finish it outside.
At the NEC, there are three outlets close to the halls:
- Starbucks, 8 am to 4 pm
- Atrium Bar, 8 am to 4 pm
- Subway, 8 am to 5 pm
There is plenty of seating in the Atrium, and you are welcome to eat your own food there – so a packed lunch is a perfectly good plan. Worth knowing: Starbucks and the Atrium Bar close at 4.00 pm, exactly when the Festival ends. If you would like a coffee before you set off home, it is better to go a little earlier.
At both venues, food and drinks are not permitted in the exhibition halls.
Lost & found
Please keep hold of your bags and children. You may need to put them down to cuddle an irresistible bear from time to time. But remember to pick them up again. If you do lose something, please report it to the Hugglets reception at the entrance. We’ll take your contact details and reunite you with your property if it is handed in. If you find something, please bring it to the reception. If it is next to a stand, please also bring it to the exhibitor’s attention.
If you are coming with a party, it is a good idea to arrange a meeting time and place in case you split up. Sorry, we generally won’t make public announcements to reunite you with your friends. But we make an exception if children are lost.
If you feel unwell during the event (overwhelmed by all the bears?), there is always an ambulance staff on-site to help you, so please ask at the reception.
Everything finds an end
The event finishes at 4.00 pm, so you’ll want to regroup and ensure you’ve visited all the halls before then. At 3.45 pm, we’ll make an announcement to recommend that you make your final purchases before the journey home. If you have left items in the cloakroom, please collect them. Anything still there at the end of the day will be transferred to the Hugglets reception desk.
When will we see you again?
Have a safe journey back home, and we hope your adopted bears settle well into their new home. If you have taken pictures of your day or wish to write an account of your visit, please send us a copy. We may be able to include it on our website or feature it on Facebook. By joining our Facebook group, you won’t miss a thing – before and after every Festival.Â
We’ll be happy to have you with us and wish you an enjoyable time with us at the Hugglets Teddy Bear Festival.
Sebastian, Family & the Hugglets Team