Maggard Wet Shaving Meet 2026: What to Expect at the Biggest Shaving Event

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to walk into a room where everyone shares your obsession with lather, blade angles, and post-shave balms — the Maggard Wet Shaving Meet is exactly that experience. I’ve been attending this event since its early days, and every year it manages to grow a little bigger and a lot more fun. The 2026 Maggard Wet Shaving Meet is shaping up to be the best one yet, and I want to make sure you have everything you need to get the most out of it.

Event Details: Date, Location, and Tickets

The 9th annual Maggard Wet Shaving Meet takes place on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Maggard Razors shop: 124 S Winter St, Adrian, MI 49221. If you haven’t been to Adrian before, it’s a charming small town in southeastern Michigan — about an hour southwest of Detroit and roughly 45 minutes northwest of Toledo.

General admission tickets are $36 per person, and honestly, that’s a steal when you consider everything that’s included:

• A $14 meal voucher at one of four participating downtown restaurants
• Complimentary beverages — soft drinks, water, beer, and hard seltzers
• Entry into door prize drawings with 100+ guaranteed winners
• Vendor samples and freebies from most exhibitors
• Access to the legendary Pay-it-Forward exchange table

Here’s the important part: attendance is capped at 180 people, and as of late March, over 119 tickets had already sold. This event sells out. If you’re thinking about going, don’t wait — grab your ticket from the official Maggard Razors page before they’re gone.

Who’s Going to Be There: Vendors and Exhibitors

With 18 vendor spots this year (up from 14 in previous years), the 2026 meet is bringing together some of the biggest names in artisan wet shaving. Here are the confirmed vendors so far:

• Barrister and Mann — Will Carius always brings exclusive meet-day scents. If you’re a Seville or Reserve fan, this is your chance to get something special.
• Stirling Soap Company — Known for their incredible value and massive product line. Rod and Mandy always bring a truck full of goodies.
• Zingari Man — Some of the best post-shave products in the game. Their Sego base is outstanding.
• Ariana & Evans — Peter’s scent creations are always crowd favorites.
• Catie’s Bubbles — Chris has been a fixture at this event, and his soaps consistently punch above their weight.
• Chicago Grooming / Oleo Soapworks
• Through the Fire Fine Craft
• Shannon’s Soaps
• Adopted Acres Soap Co.
• Soap Spoon
• Sudsy Soapery

More vendors are still being announced, so expect this list to grow. Last year’s event featured over 14 vendors and 185 attendees, and the organizers have expanded capacity to accommodate even more this time around.

What makes the vendor experience special here — compared to just buying online — is the chance to smell everything in person, talk directly with the artisans who made it, and often pick up meet-exclusive products that never make it to the website.

What to Bring and How to Prepare

After attending multiple Maggard meets, I’ve learned a few things the hard way. Here’s my practical checklist:

Budget

Set a budget before you walk in — and be realistic. Between meet-exclusive soaps, limited-run aftershaves, and hardware deals, it’s easy to spend $200+ without blinking. I’d recommend bringing at least $100–$150 in cash (some vendors prefer it), plus a card for larger purchases. Vendors often offer 10–20% meet-day discounts you won’t find online.

Your Gear Bag

Pack a small bag with these essentials:

• A good dopp kit or travel bag to carry purchases — something like the Vetelli Leather Toiletry Bag works great
• Your favorite razor to show off and compare — I never go without my daily driver
• Items for the Pay-it-Forward table — bring those soaps and blades that didn’t work for you. One person’s shelf-sitter is another’s holy grail
• A portable phone charger — you’ll be taking plenty of photos
• A small insulated cooler bag if you’re buying soaps in warmer weather — tallow-based soaps can soften in a hot car

Timing Strategy

Doors open at noon, and I’d recommend arriving right at 12:00. The first 30 minutes can feel hectic — everyone’s grabbing their goody bag, hitting the PIF table, and making a beeline for their favorite vendor. But that’s also when the best exclusive items are still on the table. If you prefer a calmer experience, showing up around 12:30–1:00 PM works too. The crowd typically thins out after the initial rush.

Food, Hotels, and the After-Party

Your $36 ticket includes a $14 meal voucher good at one of four participating restaurants:

• Sauce — Italian food and a full bar (my personal pick)
• Chomp Burger — Solid burgers and a bar
• Maumee St. Taproom + Kitchen — Homestyle small plates and craft beer
• Culver’s — Butterburgers and frozen custard (near the hotel, perfect for a quick bite)

If you’re traveling from out of town — and you should, this event is worth the trip — the Hampton Inn & Suites at 1335 S Main St is the preferred hotel. There’s a group rate of $114/night, and it’s also where the after-party happens. The Comfort Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express are also nearby options.

Speaking of which: the after-meet gathering runs from about 9:00 PM to 11:30 PM on Saturday night in the Hampton Inn conference room. This is honestly where some of the best conversations happen. The main event can feel fast-paced, but the after-party is relaxed — people break out their vintage razors, share stories, and the artisan vendors are often hanging around too. Don’t skip it.

Why the Maggard Meet Matters

I’ve been wet shaving for over 20 years and have tested hundreds of razors, but what keeps me coming back to events like this isn’t the gear — it’s the people. The wet shaving community is one of the most welcoming hobbyist groups I’ve ever encountered, and the Maggard Meet is the purest expression of that.

Whether you’ve been shaving with a safety razor for a decade or you just picked up your first Merkur 34C last month, you’ll feel right at home. Beginners can ask artisans directly for scent recommendations, experienced shavers can geek out over vintage Gillettes, and everyone leaves with a bag full of new products to try.

The Maggard Wet Shaving Meet is one of the largest wet shaving events in the United States, and with 18 vendors and a packed house expected, the 2026 edition might be the biggest yet. Brad and Casie Maggard and the whole team at Maggard Razors put an incredible amount of effort into making this event special every year, and it shows.

Tickets are available now at maggardrazors.com. I’ll see you in Adrian on April 25th.