November 12, 2025

2026 Lighting Event Calendar Glows With Possibility

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With 25 events and counting, the year is packed with chances to learn and connect

The lighting industry moves fast, but not without stopping to gather, talk, and reset. That’s what the Inside Lighting industry trade show and event calendar is for.

For lighting people of every stripe — architectural lighting designers, energy consultants, specifiers, reps, engineers, distributors — these events remain one of the best ways to sharpen skills, build relationships, and gain ground in an industry that rarely stands still. Whether your interests lean toward new luminaires, smart controls, photometric testing or municipal standards, the 2026 lighting events calendar offers a wide-ranging menu of opportunities across North America (and beyond).

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And as usual, there’s something for everyone: from the highly technical to the aesthetically ambitious, from landscape and exterior design to interior and architectural innovation. But this year’s calendar also carries a few surprises — quirks of scheduling and subtle shifts that reflect broader undercurrents in the industry.

Here are a few developments worth noting:

LEDucation lands in April, not March.
For the first time in recent memory, the beloved New York City event will take place in April (April 14–15, 2026), overlapping with that rare seasonal window when the dogwoods are blooming and the New York Mets have not yet been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. In 2027, LEDucation will once again light up April, this time coming just 19 days after LightFair wraps up in Las Vegas.
IES eases the calendar crunch.
Traditionally, the IES annual conference and the Street and Area Lighting Conference (SALC) have been packed into a grueling six-week span in August and September. In 2026, the SALC shifts to November (Nov. 8–11), creating a more forgiving three-month breather between the two major gatherings.
Double-booked in Dallas, and beyond.
While major date conflicts are few, two overlaps stand out.
1. ArchLIGHT Summit (Dallas, Sept. 15–16) and the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture (Los Angeles, Sept. 16–18) overlap one day in separate time zones.
2. More notably, the inaugural NEMRA Lighting Summit (Dallas, Oct. 15–17) will take place on the exact same days as IALD Enlighten Americas 2026, which is happening 200 miles down I-35 in Austin and is expected to feature some of the same architectural lighting manufacturers.
NeoCon gets lit, officially.
NeoCon 2026 will debut a new lighting-focused initiative called Illuminate at NeoCon, a curated sub-show highlighting decorative and architectural lighting brands. Expect a more prominent role for lighting in the event widely attended by interior design professionals.

As always, the full list of events (with dates, locations, and links) can be found below and on our 2026 Lighting Trade Shows & Events page throughout the year. Additional 2026 events — including LDI, NYControlled, Canada Light Expo, and more — will be added as details are confirmed throughout the year.

Until then, here’s to another busy year of learning, networking, and trying to remember which ballroom your session is in.