Who exhibits and shops at MAGIC Las Vegas
MAGIC Las Vegas, produced by Informa, describes itself as home to the largest selection of trend, young contemporary, and modern sportswear brands, along with apparel, footwear, and accessories at affordable to moderate price points. Its February 2026 edition drew more than 16,900 attendees and more than 800 brands.
The buyers come from boutiques, e-commerce sites, chain stores, big-box retailers, and department stores. The show isn't open to the public, and every attendee is verified. That makes the booth a sales floor: buyers want to see the line, feel the fabric, check the price points, and write orders.
MAGIC at the Las Vegas Convention Center
MAGIC Las Vegas runs at the Las Vegas Convention Center alongside PROJECT, for men's contemporary apparel, footwear, and accessories, and SOURCING and OFFPRICE on the same dates. GES is the official services provider. For the August 2026 edition, its kit included targeted move-in maps for the South, North, and Central halls; the organizer hasn't said which halls the February 2027 show will use.
The show has a February and an August edition, and the next is February 16 to 18, 2027, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. MAGIC's custom booth guidelines say the 2027 move-in and move-out schedule will be posted closer to the show. For reference, August 2026 move-in ran four days ahead of opening, and everything had to be out by 5 p.m. the day after close.
MAGIC's custom booth rules: the 8-foot limit and hard walls
MAGIC's custom booth guidelines for February 2027 are stricter than most shows, and they change what a fashion booth can be:
- Nothing may extend above 8 feet from the floor, including walls, furniture, lighting, truss, AV equipment, and signage
- Raw-space booths need hard walls: a back wall and two side walls, with outside faces finished white and unbranded; custom fabric and pipe-and-drape walls aren't approved
- Peninsulas need an 8-foot back wall, and island walls must be 8 feet high and finished front and back
- New exhibitors on raw space submit a rendering with measurements for approval before January 17, and returning exhibitors confirm their booth or submit changes
- A finished booth that doesn't match the approved design has to be changed before opening or it will be blocked
- In-line booths leave 9 inches behind the back wall for electrical access, peninsulas 18 inches, and each booth receives 500 watts per 100 square feet
- Show management provides the music; sound-amplifying devices are prohibited, and AV in a large booth must run with the sound off
Designing MAGIC booths for apparel, footwear, and accessories
With an 8-foot ceiling on everything, the walls do the work. Plan merchandising on the back and side walls at heights buyers can reach, use the front of the booth for a few hero pieces, and keep tables and seating clear for appointments. Fixtures should match the product: face-outs and shelving for footwear, slatwall or bars for apparel, lockable cases for small accessories.
Lighting has to render true color and texture, and it has to stay inside the rules: supplemental lighting is ordered through the electrical contractor, and fixtures can't be visible from the show floor, so they sit below the wall height or in the ceiling. A booth designed in modular sections lets the same walls carry a new season's graphics and fixtures at the next edition.
Contractors and labor at MAGIC
GES labor isn't required if you bring custom walls, but an approved exhibitor-appointed contractor is. For August 2026, the exhibitor had to file a notice of intent to use an EAC at least 30 days before move-in, and the EAC's insurance certificate was due 14 days before. Any EAC doing installation and dismantling must be party to a union collective bargaining agreement and use local union members.
Floor decals have their own rule: they must be printed on approved material and installed and removed by the EAC, leaving no residue. Balloons are prohibited, and screens can mount on the outside of raw-space walls only below 8 feet.
Las Vegas logistics for MAGIC week
MAGIC shares the convention center with PROJECT, SOURCING, and OFFPRICE, so docks and aisles are busy during move-in. Build a booth that installs quickly: pre-assembled wall sections, labeled fixtures, and graphics that go up without specialty tools.
Because MAGIC runs in both February and August, a Las Vegas-built booth can be refreshed locally between editions: new graphics printed by Vegas Visual, revised fixtures cut by The Job Shop, all in the same building, without shipping the booth back and forth.
A MAGIC planning timeline
As general guidance for a February edition. The Las Vegas trade show calendar tracks both editions, our trade show checklist covers the smaller tasks, and when you have a booth number, start a project with your size and collection details:
- Fall: book space, choose a package or raw space, and brief your builder
- November: concept and 3D design within the 8-foot limit
- December: rendering with measurements to MAGIC for approval
- Before January 17: approval in hand, then EAC notice of intent and insurance
- January and early February: fabrication, graphics, fixtures, and a walk-through before move-in