If there’s fear that scribbling by hand has lost its place in daily life, the more-than-3000 attendees at the 2026 Manila Pen Show, Southeast Asia’s longest and biggest, proved that there’s always space for the love of handwriting.
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That March 28-29 weekend at Fairmont Makati saw “our largest crowd, biggest exhibitor roster, most workshops, and most volunteers yet,” said Leigh Reyes, president of non-profit organization Fountain Pen Network – Philippines (FPN-P) Inc, to Pen Noob.
FPN-P president Leigh Reyes interviewed by media at the sidelines of the Manila Pen Show 2026.
Now on its 6th edition, the Manila Pen Show is FPN-P’s only official annual event that gathers enthusiasts and sellers under one roof.
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Beyond loving 3000+
Aside from breaking 2025’s record of attendees, the Manila Pen Show 2026 also had twice the number of workshops with a dozen learning sessions. Some of the new classes featured monoline lettering, ink and watercolor art, and basics for fountain pen noobs.
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Three panel sessions separately featured fountain pen curation; vintage pen sourcing, shipping, and repairing; and founder’s journeys of fountain pen-related brands.
Margo, a new Philippine pen brand by Romana Go and Marco Magalona was announced during the first panel. Everything Calligraphy and Inks by Vinta founder Jillian Tan, meanwhile, teased a third brand’s name “Lakbay” (travel) with no other clue near the end of the third panel (last slide on this link).
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FPN-P meanwhile offered Manila Pen Show enamel pins (in blind boxes!), button pins, shirts, and keychains, with all proceeds joining ticket sales in going to Save the Children, the show’s beneficiary since its inception.
This year’s edition also saw the number of exhibitors jump from last year’s 45 to more than 60 this time. 35 of those sellers are newcomers.
Exhibitor-visitor connection
One of the show’s freshies was local handmade pen brand Banwa, whose artisan Nonoy Vallejo came into the show “not knowing what to expect” but left with “a deeper sense of community.”
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“What stays with me are these moments in between—the conversations over Philippine wood, fabric and pens, the shared appreciation for handmade work, the feeling that what we do, as artisans, is seen and valued,” the Iloilo-based maker told Pen Noob.
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Banwa pens were seen and valued indeed, as Vallejo already sold out by Saturday afternoon.
“But what stayed with me was not the absence of the pieces—it was the presence of connection,” he added. Sold out, yes. But more importantly—filled.”
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Kickstarter success story Drillog, known for its metal dip pens, was also new to the Manila Pen Show for 2026.
“We were deeply impressed by the warm atmosphere, the passion of the pen community, and the strong connection between exhibitors and visitors,” said Drillog’s Takeshi Yamada to Pen Noob.
The Japanese manufacturer likewise sold out some of its models early that weekend.
It’s all “about people”
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Long-time exhibitor Lara Telan of pen wrap line Gav and Sav gave that reason for returning to the show. There’s something with “the conversations, stories, and the little moments in between,” she said, that is highly encouraging.
And at the time when writing seems to be a lonely, solitary hobby, finding like-minded people in many forms makes a difference.
As Reyes said, “our responsibility as FPN-P Inc. is to keep finding ways to stay true to the spirit of community and volunteerism, even as we continue to grow.”
Disclosure: The author has been a workshop volunteer for the Manila Pen Show since 2023. They also held a workshop for fountain pen beginners for the 2026 edition.
Manila Pen Show returns on March 20-21, 2027.
