Stationery Buffs, This Two-Day Pen Fest Is Your Gateway to Fountain Pens

(SPOT.ph) The return to analog is real. This year, we've seen the rise in popularity of going back to good old-fashioned pen and paper. Journalling IRL has become such a thing that we bet your carts are already teeming with the latest stationery finds and gorgeous leather journals to fill those analog bags. But what's a journal without a matching pen? Enter: Fountain pens. The GOAT of the writing world.

If you've always wanted to see what the fuss is about, start your own fountain pen journey and get PEN-abled, there's no better time to start than this weekend at the Manila Pen Show (MPS) 2026. Here's what you need to know.

Happening on March 28 to 29 at the Fairmont Makati, The Manila Pen Show is Southeast Asia's longest-running gathering for fountain pen enthusiasts, writers, and analog culture lovers.

For two days, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., gather with fellow stationery enthusiasts and ready your wallets, as over 60 exhibitors will showcase their wares, making this year the Manila Pen Show's largest showcase to date. Expect to find tons of fountain pens, inks, notebooks, and paper brands from all over the world, including Japan, Italy, Turkey, India, Singapore, Taiwan, and, of course, homegrown brands from the Philippines.

But it's not just pens and paper; there will also be sellers of calligraphy supplies, artisan accessories, drawing markers, and leather goods like pen cases, sleeves, and more. TLDR, if you've been wanting to elevate your stationery sets and invest in really good, timeless pieces, the Manila Pen Show is for you.

• Galen Leather

• Inks by Vinta

• Everything Calligraphy

• Stylo Art Karuizawa

• Tesoro's

• PILOT

• Kawanishi Glass

• Artus Pens

• FWI

• FPW Furuta

• PenParadigm

• Pengallery

• Drillog

• Lotus Pens

• marydoodledo

• Philipelle Leather

• Wancher

• Aesthetic Bay

• On Inks

• Kasama

• Musubi

• Bungubox

• Eboya

• Nagasawa Kyomaru Craft A

• Tachikawa

• Glass Studio Aun

• Leather Luxe/ Tela at Papel

• Kyuseido

• Pens by Cal

• Taccia & Palisades

• Vazir

• Bolo EDC

• The Manila Penography

• Arcus Artisan Inks

• Nobela Jewelry

• Kawaii Komono

• Hanabi Glass

• Magna Carta

• Bags by Rubbertree

• Leonardo Pens

• Pengrafik

• Banwa Pens

• Gira Leather+

• Giftboc

• Studio Penjiro

• LAMY

• Scribe

• Sailor

• Esterbrook

• Koubou Setu

• Yachingstyle/ Henry's Woodcrafts

• Alden's Corner/ Classic Stationery Co.

• Vintage Pens by Guia

• Troublemaker

• Gav 'n Sav

• Peter Bangayan

• Promise of Spring

• Cat Custom Crafts

• Mahui

• Fuga Pens

• Toyooka Craft

• OAC Pens

While most of these exhibitors have an online presence, we recommend still heading to the Manila Pen Show and checking them out IRL. Aside from being able to actually touch the paper and feel the pen glide as you write, there are also tons of limited-edition designs and accessories only available during the two-day fair. Even more importantly, huge discounts await those who eventually get PEN-abled (coughs, budol) by the selection. So if you're going to buy anyway, might as well go where the savings are, right?

But at the end of the day, the Manila Pen Show is about community. This started six years ago by the Fountain Pen Network, a group of analog journalling and stationery enthusiasts who all loved fountain pens. That being said, the MPS isn't just about sales and collecting; it's also an avenue to learn about other crafts like calligraphy, journaling, art, traditional Japanese lacquerware, eco-dyeing, and more. Over the weekend, the MPS will also be hosting a series of workshops and panel discussions.

Saturday highlights include a glass pen and Drillog handwriting session with Imma Frias-Fua, a monoline lettering workshop with Tokyo-based artist Bechori, and a traditional Hira Maki-e urushi (Japanese lacquer) plate workshop with Sophia Ma of Kyuseido. Sunday features a ronde calligraphy class with Eun Bautista, a fountain-pen cursive workshop for kids with Toni Santos, and an Esterbrook travel-journaling session with KikayJournals.

The evening panels bring together voices from across the pen world. Founders' Journeys features Salvatore Matrone of Leonardo Officina Italiana, Jillian Tan of Inks by Vinta and Everything Calligraphy, and Daryl Lim of Musubi, moderated by Leigh Reyes. Additional panels cover the intersection of creative passions and the art of sourcing, shipping, and repairing vintage pens, moderated by Professor Butch Dalisay. 

Nibmeisters will also be on-site to help fine-tune your pens. If you recently bought a fountain and aren't satisfied with how it writes, there are also resident experts offering fountain pen diagnosis, tuning, and specialty nib grinds. This year's lineup: JP's Pen Spa and Nibworks (Philippines), John Raymond Lim (Philippines), Matthew Chen (USA), and Sunny Koh of Straits Pen.

Tickets to the Manila Pen Show are available on-site and online. A one-day pass costs P350, but if you can't get PEN-ough, you can also buy a two-day pass for P600.

Discounts for senior citizens and PWDs are also available. You have to purchase your tickets on-site so that the MPS team can validate your IDs.

If you purchase your tickets online, you will receive a QR code after your payment goes through. This QR code will be scanned on site, and you will receive a wristband corresponding to your purchased pass.

Trust us when we say, ready your wallets. If past experience taught us anything it's that no one leaves the Manila Pen Show without a pen or two, or (and), a notebook or three. But more importantly, bring a lot of curiosity; this weekend will bring you a whole new appreciation for all things analog.

The Manila Pen Show 2026 is happening on March 28 to 29 at the Fairmont Makati. Tickets start at P350. For more information, visit the Manila Pen Show's Instagram account.

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