Madison Card Show — Dec 26, 2026

Madison Card Show is a monthly sports card and Pokémon show in Madison, Wisconsin, drawing dealers and collectors from across the Midwest. It runs at two kinds of venues: a relaxed hotel show with free admission and a large exhibition-hall show with hundreds of tables, and it suits anyone who wants to buy, sell or trade in a single day.

What you'll find on the floor

Sports cards and Pokémon cards share the floor, along with memorabilia, autographs, hobby supplies and storage products. Inventory runs from vintage baseball, football, basketball and hockey cards to modern rookies and prospects, graded cards, sealed hobby boxes and wax packs, and bargain boxes alongside high-end pieces. Dealers travel in from Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota and beyond.

The exhibition-hall shows are split across multiple rooms, including a sports room and a dedicated Pokémon room, plus an atrium section between the main entrance and the concession area. Concessions are open inside the building all day. The April Pokémon show at the Marriott had 120 dealer tables spread over two floors and sold out.

Two venues, two sizes

The 2026 calendar alternates between Madison Marriott South and the Alliant Energy Center. The Marriott shows run 9 AM to 3 PM with free admission and free parking, a quieter setting with easy vendor load-in. The Alliant Energy Center shows are the big ones: $5 admission, kids 12 and under free, 250 tables or more, and the largest crowds of the year. The July show reached 275 tables, all sold out, the biggest in the show's history, and ran 9 AM to 5 PM.

Separate Pokémon-only shows run on the Sunday after several of the Marriott dates.

Tickets and parking

Admission at the Alliant Energy Center is $5, and buying ahead online saves a small fee-sized amount and shortens the line; at the December 2025 show, online tickets were $4 plus a processing fee against $5 cash at the door. Parking at the building was $8 at that show, with no cash taken, only cards and mobile payment, though the organizer has waived the fee for some months, including July 2026. Marriott shows have free parking.

Vendor tables

Tables are booked online, and the exhibition-hall shows sell out. The sports room filled before the December 2025 show, leaving only atrium and Pokémon room spots. The atrium tables sit between the entrance and concessions, the highest-traffic stretch of the floor. Tables for the large shows are worth reserving early.

History

The show started in 2021. The first show, in April of that year, had 23 vendor tables and more than 200 attendees. By the end of 2025 it was filling more than 250 tables across several rooms in the Alliant Energy Center, even through a foot of snow in December, and in 2026 it added the Marriott South shows and a separate run of Pokémon-only weekends. The July 2026 show set the table record at 275.

Who it suits

Collectors who want a big floor with variety, families introducing kids to sports cards or Pokémon (children 12 and under get in free at the big shows), and vendors looking for a regional crowd. Those who prefer a quieter, free-entry day will find the Marriott dates a better fit.