Warfare 2024

Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre 16th/17th November 2024

Showguide for 2024 can be downloaded from – Warfare 2024 Show Guide

Welcome to the home site of this year’s Wargames Association of Reading (WAR) annual wargames show Warfare 2024 which is an amalgam of four core components – Trade stands, Tournaments, Demonstration and Participation games and not forgetting one of the UKs biggest Bring and Buys.
Warfare, is one of the largest in the country and this year, it is being held on the 16th and 17th November 2024 at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre more information on Farnborough is available here:

 

Some background on Warfare to start – The WAR club was formed in 1978 and it quickly took on running an annual trade and competition event which was called Warfare. This started very much as the ‘baby’ cousin to Armageddon (now Colours) in Reading, and its humble beginnings I believe was either in 1979 or 1980 in a red brick Gothic church hall in Reading town centre.

By 1980/81 it was at the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory moving again in 1982 or thereabouts to a school somewhere in Reading. Then around 1984 or so it moved to out-of-town council offices. A building many thought resembled a nuclear bunker with lots of concrete and a difficult to find entrance is the recollection.  This is where I attended my first Warfare and I remember a long row of windows with thin white metal frames and the traders all along the walls.  Odd what the memory retains.

The next move was a key one and around 1988/89 we moved to the Rivermead Leisure Centre and stayed there up until 2019 when a refurbishment of the bowling area (where the tournaments were generally located) forced us to seek alternative premises.  By this time the show had grown to having over 50 traders and running many competitions – however we were now out growing the space – It was becoming increasingly harder for new traders to attend as there was a long wating list and the tournaments were trapped for space as well, leading to unwelcome caps being imposed in some years.

A new solution needed to be found – and found it was – very much with a vengeance. A highly splendiferous venue was found in the Grandstand at Ascot Racecourse and that was to be the venue for 2020 – then the C thing happened.  When we emerged from lockdown in 2021, Ascot was still waiting for us and magnificent it was.  I will never forget that feeling of grandeur as I first approached the Grandstand – puffing and panting from the short, gentle walk from the car park.

However rising prices were to force us to look once more elsewhere and after much debate, deliberation and cogitation Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre seemed the best bet and so 2022 saw us relocate to what will be hopefully our new home for the foreseeable future.

Last year, our first in Farnborough, saw a great success with over 2,000 people in attendance which was split across 1,500 people through the door across the weekend with a further 500 plus captive competitors, demo and participation gamers and over 70 traders in attendance.  Safe to say Warfare 2022, Warfare 2023 and Farnborough were a roaring success and the even better news is we are already booked in for and 2024.

So here we are now heading towards Warfare 2024 – at Farnborough on the weekend of November 16th and 17th with the same location hall wise as 2022 and 2023

With the space constrictions of Rivermead now firmly behind us we can stretch our wings and seek to grow all of the key areas. To get in touch with the key contacts please select the appropriate link below

Trade enquiries: [email protected]

Tournament enquiries: [email protected]

Demo and Participation Game enquiries: [email protected]

General Enquiries: [email protected]

Entry Information

Show entry tickets are now available and are £12 for one day entry.

Show entry tickets can only be bought at the door in CASH and are £12 per day

Please note: Tournament tickets also include entry to the show

Show opening Times
Saturday 10am to 5pm
Sunday 10am to 4pm
Travel Summary 
Over the course of the weekend, to make managing traffic flow easier. We have agreed with the venue that all traffic will enter the site via Gate A, postcode GU14 6XE or What 3 Words – ///oldest.scans.dozed.
If travelling from the M3 – Access is limited by security bollards through Fowler Avenue and it is advised that all traffic enters the site by turning off of the A325 onto the A327 and taking the first exit off of the roundabout onto Pinehurst Road, taking the first exit at the next roundabout onto Fowler Avenue, and then turning right onto Trenchard Way.
If travelling from the A331, it is advised to exit the A331 to follow Lynchford Road, to go straight over the two sets of roundabouts, onto Government House Road, and then turn right onto Queen’s Gate Road, second exit at the roundabout onto Trenchard Way, and follow the signs for Gate A.
Traffic will then all leave by Gate A on each of the days.
Car parking on site is free all weekend.
For pedestrian access and taxis then you should use Gate B that is directly in front of the atrium entrance.
For detailed information regarding getting to the venue please click here

Warfare 2024 Show Sponsors:

The Wargames Association of Reading would like to thank our sponsors:

KR Multicase/Navara

KR Multicase are a company dedicated to miniature figures and innovative storage solutions. KR carry out all design and testing in-house for our cases trays and accessories, and manufacture and sell only their own products. Their UK factory is set up to serve worldwide customers at minimum cost. KR provides the most versatile, cost effective and highest capacity miniature wargaming transport and storage system on the market.

Forged in Battle/Westwind

Established in 2007 Forged in Battle (FiB) grew steadily, becoming a major supplier of 15mm WWII tanks and miniatures.

In 2014 we took FiB to Kickstarter, the crowd funding website. This is where we experienced a massive explosion in the growth of the company. Our War & Empire range grew from six armies, to over twenty. Throughout the course of a year we designed, sculpted, moulded and manufactured over half a million miniatures!

Slitherine Software

Returning for 2024 – Slitherine Software UK Limited is a British video game developer and publisher founded on 25 June 2000. It is responsible for the production of a range of over 200 strategy and wargames. Slitherine developed and/or published a number of licensed games with brands including Battlestar GalacticaWarhammer 40,000Starship Troopers, Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance and Stargate: Timekeepers.  It also produces rules for a series of tabletop wargames called Field of Glory, and the digital PC version. During Warfare 2024, visitors will have the opportunity to play Panzer Corps 2 and Headquarters WW2, as well as purchase these two titles on Steam with a special 50% discount. In addition, Every visitor will receive a £20 coupon, redeemable on the Slitherine website toward the purchase of any digital video game.