--- title: "Germany Watches Bilbao as Spannabis 2026… | Cannabivo" description: "Why Bilbao’s first Spannabis mattered to Germany and Europe: 20,000+ visitors, Spain’s new medical cannabis rules and a changing fair map." canonical: https://cannabivo.com/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry language: en robots: index, follow og_type: article type: research-article language_alternates: en: https://cannabivo.com/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry.md cs: https://cannabivo.com/cs/novinky/akce/nemecko-sleduje-bilbao-spannabis-2026-otvira-novou-kapitolu-evropskeho-konopneho-prumyslu.md de: https://cannabivo.com/de/news/veranstaltungen/deutschland-blickt-nach-bilbao-spannabis-2026-eroeffnet-ein-neues-kapitel-fuer-europas-cannabis-industrie.md es: https://cannabivo.com/es/noticias/eventos/alemania-sigue-de-cerca-bilbao-mientras-spannabis-2026-abre-un-nuevo-capitulo-para-la-industria-europea-del-cannabis.md fr: https://cannabivo.com/fr/actualites/evenements/l-allemagne-observe-bilbao-alors-que-spannabis-2026-ouvre-un-nouveau-chapitre-pour-l-industrie-europeenne-du-cannabis.md hu: https://cannabivo.com/hu/hirek/esemenyek/nemetorszag-bilbaora-figyel-a-spannabis-2026-uj-fejezetet-nyit-europa-kannabisziparaban.md it: https://cannabivo.com/it/notizie/eventi/la-germania-guarda-a-bilbao-mentre-spannabis-2026-apre-un-nuovo-capitolo-per-il-settore-europeo-della-cannabis.md nl: https://cannabivo.com/nl/nieuws/evenementen/duitsland-houdt-bilbao-in-de-gaten-nu-spannabis-2026-een-nieuw-hoofdstuk-opent-voor-de-europese-cannabisindustrie.md pl: https://cannabivo.com/pl/aktualnosci/wydarzenia/niemcy-obserwuja-bilbao-gdy-spannabis-2026-otwiera-nowy-rozdzial-dla-europejskiej-branzy-konopnej.md pt: https://cannabivo.com/pt/noticias/eventos/a-alemanha-observa-bilbau-enquanto-a-spannabis-2026-abre-um-novo-capitulo-para-a-industria-da-canabis-europeia.md ru: https://cannabivo.com/ru/novosti/sobytiya/germaniya-nablyudaet-za-bilbao-spannabis-2026-otkryvaet-novuyu-glavu-dlya-evropeyskoy-industrii-kannabisa.md tr: https://cannabivo.com/tr/haberler/etkinlikler/almanya-spannabis-2026-avrupanin-cannabis-sektoru-icin-yeni-bir-sayfa-acarken-bilbaoyu-izliyor.md zh: https://cannabivo.com/zh/news/huodong/deguo-guan-zhu-bi-er-ba-e-spannabis-2026-wei-ou-zhou-da-ma-chan-ye-kai-qi-xin-pian-zhang.md ja: https://cannabivo.com/ja/news/ibento/doitsu-wa-birubao-o-chushi-spanabis-2026-ga-oshu-kannabisu-sangyo-no-shinsho-o-hiraku.md ar: https://cannabivo.com/ar/akhbar/faaliyat/almanya-turaqib-bilbao-maa-iftitah-spanabis-2026-faslan-jadidan-fi-sinaat-al-qannab-al-urubiya.md ko: https://cannabivo.com/ko/news/ibenteu/dogil-i-bilbaoreul-jumokhaneun-iyu-seupannabiseu-2026i-yureop-kaennabiseu-saneob-ui-sae-jangeul-yeolda.md pt-br: https://cannabivo.com/pt-br/noticias/eventos/alemanha-observa-bilbao-enquanto-a-spannabis-2026-abre-novo-capitulo-para-a-industria-europeia-da-cannabis.md hi: https://cannabivo.com/hi/samachar/aayojan/spanabis-2026-bilbao-mein-europe-ke-cannabis-udyog-ka-naya-adhyay-jarmani-ki-nigahon-mein.md generated: 2026-07-29 --- > **Machine-readable Markdown rendering.** This is a Markdown representation of a web page, > served for AI agents and crawlers as a token-efficient alternative to the full HTML. > Full interactive HTML version: https://cannabivo.com/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry > Canonical URL: https://cannabivo.com/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry > Available languages: en, cs, de, es, fr, hu, it, nl, pl, pt, ru, tr, zh, ja, ar, ko, pt-br, hi [![Crowds entering Bilbao Exhibition Centre during Spannabis 2026 in Barakaldo](/images/uploads/8e38fc22-bb66-49e6-84e3-8b0d85b655f0/news-hero-germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannab-1920x1080.jpg)](/images/uploads/8e38fc22-bb66-49e6-84e3-8b0d85b655f0/news-hero-germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannab-1920x1080.avif "View image full size") [Events](/news/events "Events") 11 min read # Germany Watches Bilbao as Spannabis 2026 Opens a New Chapter for Europe’s Cannabis Industry ![Portrait of Rob Harley, Cannabivo news desk](/images/uploads/5f094d99-3443-4907-8555-2910851fd38a/rob-harley-1920x1920.jpg)By [Rob Harley](/user-profile?u=a65dddce-73db-40b5-8660-fe93612a7384 "View the author's member profile")Published June 20, 2026in [Events](/news/events "Events") Why Bilbao’s first Spannabis mattered to Germany and Europe: 20,000+ visitors, Spain’s new medical cannabis rules and a changing fair map. ![Portrait of Rob Harley, Cannabivo news desk](/images/uploads/5f094d99-3443-4907-8555-2910851fd38a/rob-harley-1920x1920.jpg)By [Rob Harley](/user-profile?u=a65dddce-73db-40b5-8660-fe93612a7384 "View the author's member profile") Rob Harley has reported on cannabis law and the non-profit association movement across Europe for the past decade. He focuses on how regulation actually reaches the members who use cannabis social clubs — the paperwork, the limits, and the slow build of public trust. His work for Cannabivo aims to be accurate, sourced, and free of hype. [More articles by this author](/news/author/rob-harley "See all articles by this author")Published June 20, 2026in [Events](/news/events "Events") In this article1. [Why Bilbao mattered beyond Spain](/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry#why-bilbao-mattered-beyond-spain "Why Bilbao mattered beyond Spain") 2. [Why the fair left Catalonia](/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry#why-the-fair-left-catalonia "Why the fair left Catalonia") 3. [A trade expo, a conference and a festival](/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry#a-trade-expo-a-conference-and-a-festival "A trade expo, a conference and a festival") 4. [Spain's new medical rules changed the stakes](/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry#spain-s-new-medical-rules-changed-the-stakes "Spain's new medical rules changed the stakes") 5. [Bilbao's debut in the shadow of Berlin's scale](/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry#bilbao-s-debut-in-the-shadow-of-berlin-s-scale "Bilbao's debut in the shadow of Berlin's scale") 6. [What Bilbao revealed about Europe's next phase](/news/events/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industry#what-bilbao-revealed-about-europe-s-next-phase "What Bilbao revealed about Europe's next phase") For **Germany's** medical cannabis businesses, one of the most important European gatherings of spring 2026 was not in Berlin but in **Spain's [Basque Country](/spain/basque-country "21 Cannabis Social Clubs in Basque Country (2026)")**. Spannabis moved from Catalonia to the Bilbao Exhibition Centre in Barakaldo for the first time on April 17 to 19, bringing its 23rd edition into a new city just months after Spain adopted its first legal framework for medical cannabis. ## Why Bilbao mattered beyond Spain Seen from **Germany**, the Bilbao edition mattered because it pulled together several strands of the European cannabis story at once: trade, science, regulation and cross-border business. The 23rd Spannabis, outlined in [The Cannex report on the fair's historic Bilbao debut](https://thecannex.com/spannabis-bilbao-2026-europe-cannabis-fair/ "The Cannex report on the fair's historic Bilbao debut"), drew around **3,000 industry professionals**, 300 exhibitors representing more than 400 brands, and an overall footfall projected at **20,000 to 25,000 visitors** across three days. Spannabis Bilbao 2026 at a glance 20,000–25,000projected total visitors 3,000industry professionals 300exhibitors 400+brands represented Those numbers explain the scale, but not the significance. Spannabis has long operated as more than a conventional expo: it is also a scientific congress, a networking venue and a cultural gathering. In that sense, the Bilbao move was not merely about where the booths were set up. It was about where Europe's cannabis conversation was being staged at a sensitive regulatory moment for **Spain**. The opening-day scene captured that shift clearly: [![Visitors entering Bilbao Exhibition Centre under Spannabis signage during the 2026 fair](/images/uploads/58cb53db-d1bb-46fc-9ce9-22c4373aa046/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industr-1920x1080.jpg)](/images/uploads/58cb53db-d1bb-46fc-9ce9-22c4373aa046/germany-watches-bilbao-as-spannabis-2026-opens-a-new-chapter-for-europe-s-cannabis-industr-1920x1080.avif "View image full size") The first Bilbao edition of Spannabis brought large crowds to the Bilbao Exhibition Centre in Barakaldo. ## Why the fair left Catalonia The move north was driven by infrastructure rather than image. **Fira de Cornellà**, the Barcelona-area venue that had hosted Spannabis continuously since 2002, is slated for demolition, and organisers said no comparable venue in Barcelona could accommodate a fair of this scale. The **Bilbao Exhibition Centre**, by contrast, offered 150,000 square metres, modern infrastructure and transport links suited to an international event. > "Expansion possibilities" > > Raúl del Pino, Spannabis communications director That short description, cited in the primary source, gets to the heart of the organisers' calculation. After more than two decades in Catalonia, Spannabis needed room to grow with an industry that is more professionalised, better funded and more international than it was when the fair first took root. Bilbao offered capacity; it also offered the chance to test whether the event could become anchored somewhere new without losing its continental draw. The milestones around the move and its policy backdrop were: From Cornellà to Bilbao 1. 2002Cornellà becomes Spannabis's long-term home Fira de Cornellà began hosting the fair continuously. 2. October 2025Spain enacts Royal Decree 903/2025 Spain adopted its first legal framework for medical cannabis. 3. 17–19 April 2026Spannabis opens in Barakaldo The 23rd edition takes over the Bilbao Exhibition Centre for the first time. 4. 2026Review of dispensing criteria planned Spain's Health Ministry signalled it would revisit how medical cannabis is dispensed. The venue change was visible long before anyone entered Hall 1: ## A trade expo, a conference and a festival What distinguished **Spannabis** in Bilbao was the breadth of its programme. The exhibition itself ran alongside the 13th World Cannabis Conference, the Spannabis Champions Cup and a three-day music line-up. That mix is part of why the event has remained influential even as cannabis fairs across Europe have multiplied. ### What visitors actually found inside On the exhibition floor, the offering showed how broad the sector has become: - Seed genetics and breeding-focused exhibitors - Cultivation hardware including LED lighting and hydroponic systems of the kind covered in our [Hydroponics and Cannabis Growing Complete Guide 2026](/cannabis-wiki/growing/hydroponics-and-cannabis "Hydroponics and Cannabis Growing Complete Guide 2026") - Extraction technology, CBD products and vaporisers - Industrial hemp applications - A dedicated area for non-psychoactive derivatives such as oils, cosmetics, edibles, textiles and hemp-based building materials Running in parallel, the **World Cannabis Conference** brought together medical researchers, physicians, regulators and business leaders to debate clinical evidence, therapeutic applications, licensing frameworks and the future of patient access. That gave the Bilbao edition a seriousness that went well beyond product display. The cultural layer remained intact too. The programme included the **Spannabis Champions Cup** and 15 live acts spanning reggae, hip-hop, dub, electronic music and artists from the Basque urban scene, including Kulto Kultibo, La Basu, Kiliki and DJ Rambla. The result was an event that still carried scene energy while presenting itself as a mature industry platform. Inside the conference spaces, that shift was easy to see: ## Spain's new medical rules changed the stakes The most important regulatory context hanging over the event was **Spain's Royal Decree 903/2025**, enacted in October 2025. It created Spain's first legal framework for the medical use of cannabis through a hospital-based model in which specialist physicians can prescribe standardised cannabis preparations for chemotherapy-induced nausea, treatment-resistant epilepsy, chronic pain unresponsive to opioids and multiple-sclerosis-related spasticity. Dispensing under that model is currently restricted to **hospital pharmacies**, and Spain's Ministry of Health has signalled that it will review dispensing criteria during 2026. For exhibitors and conference delegates, that meant Bilbao was not taking place in a policy vacuum. It was unfolding at the moment when Spain's medical framework had shifted from political debate to practical implementation. Set against the fair's programme, the regulatory shift broke down like this: How Spain's new medical framework shaped the Bilbao edition | Element | What changed in Spain | Why it mattered at Spannabis | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Medical framework | Spain enacted Royal Decree 903/2025 as its first legal framework for medical cannabis. | The fair became an early venue for discussing implementation rather than abstract reform. | [The Cannex report](https://thecannex.com/spannabis-bilbao-2026-europe-cannabis-fair/ "The Cannex report") | | Access model | Specialist physicians may prescribe standardised preparations, with dispensing limited to hospital pharmacies and a 2026 review of criteria planned. | Questions about prescribing, distribution and patient access moved to the centre of the conference agenda. | [The Cannex report](https://thecannex.com/spannabis-bilbao-2026-europe-cannabis-fair/ "The Cannex report") | | Export bridge | Spain already had roughly 18 facilities licensed by the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices, or AEMPS, supplying markets including Germany and the United Kingdom. | The decree gave Spanish operators a possible domestic market to build alongside existing export activity. | [The Cannex report](https://thecannex.com/spannabis-bilbao-2026-europe-cannabis-fair/ "The Cannex report") | Why Germany was watching The primary source places Germany directly in the picture: Spain's existing AEMPS-licensed production base was already supplying the German market. That made Bilbao relevant not only to Spanish businesses, but also to German companies tracking supply, regulation and future competition. ## Bilbao's debut in the shadow of Berlin's scale Raw size is not the only way to measure influence, but it does help place **Bilbao** in the 2026 fair calendar. In **Germany**, [Tagesschau's report on Mary Jane Berlin](https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/berlin/rbb-mary-jane-cannabis-messe-in-berlin-verzeichnet-besucherrekord-von-75-000-menschen-100.html "Tagesschau's report on Mary Jane Berlin") put that June event at more than 75,000 visitors over four days, with roughly 700 exhibitors and an 87,000-square-metre showground. Spannabis in Spain was smaller on those metrics, but it arrived with a different kind of weight: a first move out of Catalonia, a newly relevant medical-policy backdrop and a long-established reputation as a pan-European meeting point. Exhibitor totals show the gap in raw trade-floor scale between the two headline fairs of 2026: Exhibitors at major European cannabis fairs in 2026 (exhibitors) That does not reduce Bilbao's significance; it clarifies it. Berlin's Mary Jane demonstrated mass-market scale, while Spannabis showed how a fair can matter because of timing, geography and regulatory context. It is part of the wider reshuffling we traced in [Berlin to Bilbao and Vienna: Europe’s cannabis fairs are in motion as policy and market debates intensify](/news/events/berlin-to-bilbao-and-vienna-europe-s-cannabis-fairs-are-in-motion-as-policy-and-market-debates-intensify "Berlin to Bilbao and Vienna: Europe’s cannabis fairs are in motion as policy and market debates intensify"). Bilbao's city-wide impact was visible beyond the halls as well: ## What Bilbao revealed about Europe's next phase The Bilbao edition suggested that Europe's cannabis fairs are becoming less about spectacle alone and more about implementation. Research, licensing, export infrastructure and patient access are increasingly discussed in the same rooms. For readers trying to place Spain's move within the wider legal patchwork, our [Cannabis Legalization Overview: Global Legal Status](/cannabis-wiki/law/cannabis-legalization-overview "Cannabis Legalization Overview: Global Legal Status") offers the broader frame. That broader frame still matters because Europe remains fragmented. Bilbao sat inside a continent where cannabis rules vary sharply by country, a tension that also runs through our reporting on the [EU Drug Report 2026: Cannabis remains Europe’s most used illicit drug as policy fractures widen](/news/science/eu-drug-report-2026-cannabis-remains-europe-s-most-used-illicit-drug-as-policy-fractures-widen "EU Drug Report 2026: Cannabis remains Europe’s most used illicit drug as policy fractures widen"). What Spannabis 2026 showed is that a fair born in legal ambiguity can now serve as a platform for very concrete questions: who may prescribe, where products are dispensed, which cities can host an expanding industry, and which markets abroad are already connected to it. ### Reader questions after Bilbao Spannabis Bilbao 2026 FAQ Why did Spannabis leave Barcelona for Bilbao?According to the primary source, Fira de Cornellà, which had hosted Spannabis continuously since 2002, is slated for demolition, and organisers said no comparable venue in Barcelona could handle an event of this scale. They chose the Bilbao Exhibition Centre for its size, infrastructure and room for expansion. How big was the 2026 Bilbao edition?The fair brought together roughly 3,000 industry professionals, 300 exhibitors representing more than 400 brands, and a projected total footfall of 20,000 to 25,000 visitors over three days. Why was the 2026 edition especially significant?It took place only months after Spain enacted Royal Decree 903/2025, the country's first legal framework for medical cannabis. That gave the fair and the World Cannabis Conference an immediate policy relevance. What medical cannabis model did Spain introduce?Spain adopted a hospital-based model. Specialist physicians can prescribe standardised cannabis preparations for a limited set of conditions, and dispensing is restricted to hospital pharmacies for now, with Spain's Health Ministry planning a review of dispensing criteria during 2026. Key takeaways - Spannabis 2026 marked the fair's first move from Catalonia to Bilbao after more than two decades at Fira de Cornellà. - The Bilbao edition drew around 3,000 industry professionals, 300 exhibitors, 400-plus brands and an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 visitors. - Its timing mattered as much as its size, coming just months after Spain enacted Royal Decree 903/2025, its first medical cannabis framework. - Spain's existing export relationship with Germany helped give the fair relevance beyond Spain's domestic market. - Bilbao showed that Europe's leading cannabis fairs are increasingly arenas for policy implementation and market strategy, not only trade-floor spectacle. Spannabis did not move to Bilbao simply to recreate Barcelona under a new roof. Its 2026 edition landed where venue capacity, medical regulation and cross-border market strategy now meet. For Germany, Spain and the wider European sector, that is what made the Basque debut historic: it showed that the centre of gravity in cannabis is increasingly defined by implementation, not symbolism. ## Sources 1. [Vier Bundesländer veröffentlichen CSC-Listen | DHV-News # 512 (hanfverband.de)](https://hanfverband.de/vier-bundeslaender-veroeffentlichen-csc-listen-dhv-news-512 "Open source in a new tab: https://hanfverband.de/vier-bundeslaender-veroeffentlichen-csc-listen-dhv-news-512") 2. [DHV-Stellungnahme zum Regierungsentwurf „GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz“ (hanfverband.de)](https://hanfverband.de/dhv-stellungnahme-zum-regierungsentwurf-gkv-beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz "Open source in a new tab: https://hanfverband.de/dhv-stellungnahme-zum-regierungsentwurf-gkv-beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz") 3. [DEA Selects Only Cannabis Opponents For Crucial June 29 Rescheduling Hearing (businessofcannabis.com)](https://businessofcannabis.com/dea-selects-only-cannabis-opponents-for-crucial-june-29-rescheduling-hearing/ "Open source in a new tab: https://businessofcannabis.com/dea-selects-only-cannabis-opponents-for-crucial-june-29-rescheduling-hearing/") 4. [Listed – Part II: The Three Amigos (businessofcannabis.com)](https://businessofcannabis.com/listed-part-ii-the-three-amigos/ "Open source in a new tab: https://businessofcannabis.com/listed-part-ii-the-three-amigos/") 5. [EUDA wird mit diesem Europäischen Drogenbericht den eigenen Ansprüchen noch nicht gerecht – aber das könnte sich ändern (krautinvest.de)](https://krautinvest.de/euda-wird-mit-diesem-europaeischen-drogenbericht-den-eigenen-anspruechen-noch-nicht-gerecht-aber-das-koennte-sich-aendern/ "Open source in a new tab: https://krautinvest.de/euda-wird-mit-diesem-europaeischen-drogenbericht-den-eigenen-anspruechen-noch-nicht-gerecht-aber-das-koennte-sich-aendern/") 6. [Cannabis in Europa: Ein differenzierter Blick auf den Europäischen Drogenbericht (krautinvest.de)](https://krautinvest.de/cannabis-in-europa-ein-differenzierter-blick-auf-den-europaeischen-drogenbericht/ "Open source in a new tab: https://krautinvest.de/cannabis-in-europa-ein-differenzierter-blick-auf-den-europaeischen-drogenbericht/") 7. [MPU wegen Cannabis: Ablauf, Kosten und wie du bestehst (hanf-magazin.com)](https://www.hanf-magazin.com/recht/rechtslage-deutschland/mpu-wegen-cannabis-ablauf-kosten-und-wie-du-bestehst/ "Open source in a new tab: https://www.hanf-magazin.com/recht/rechtslage-deutschland/mpu-wegen-cannabis-ablauf-kosten-und-wie-du-bestehst/") 8. [Cannabis Edibles Dosierung: So vermeidest du Überdosierung (hanf-magazin.com)](https://www.hanf-magazin.com/genusskonsum-von-cannabis/cannabis-essen/cannabis-edibles-dosierung-so-vermeidest-du-ueberdosierung/ "Open source in a new tab: https://www.hanf-magazin.com/genusskonsum-von-cannabis/cannabis-essen/cannabis-edibles-dosierung-so-vermeidest-du-ueberdosierung/") 9. [Five Takeaways from the Global Medical Cannabis Market Review 2026 (prohibitionpartners.com)](https://prohibitionpartners.com/2026/03/26/five-takeaways-from-the-global-medical-cannabis-market-review-2026/ "Open source in a new tab: https://prohibitionpartners.com/2026/03/26/five-takeaways-from-the-global-medical-cannabis-market-review-2026/") 10. [Cannabis Telemedicine: What Poland’s Market Crash and Recovery Tells Us About Regulatory Risk (prohibitionpartners.com)](https://prohibitionpartners.com/2026/03/09/cannabis-telemedicine-what-polands-market-crash-and-recovery-tells-us-about-regulatory-risk/ "Open source in a new tab: https://prohibitionpartners.com/2026/03/09/cannabis-telemedicine-what-polands-market-crash-and-recovery-tells-us-about-regulatory-risk/")