Hutchinson Selected to Host International Geocaching Conference in 2026
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The world's largest annual geocaching event will come to Kansas for the first time when GeoWoodstock XXII takes place in Hutchinson from May 20-24, 2026, at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.
The internationally recognized conference will bring together thousands of geocachers from around the globe for a week of exploration, education and community celebration, Visit Hutch announced Wednesday.
GeoWoodstock, now in its 22nd year, has become the premier gathering for geocaching enthusiasts in North America and around the globe. The event celebrates geocaching, a real-world GPS-enabled hide-and-seek adventure where participants seek hidden containers, or "caches," in locations worldwide.
"Visit Hutch is thrilled to welcome the geocaching community to Kansas. We're excited to showcase Hutchinson's unique attractions and warm hospitality," said Holly Leiker, director of national sales and sports events for Visit Hutch. "We know that Hutchinson and Reno County have so much for these visitors to discover, and we are excited to have been able to bring this event to our community."
The event traces its origins to 2003, when Tennessee geocacher JoGPS hosted the first GeoWoodstock in Louisville, Kentucky, with a vision to bring together top cachers from across the country. From its humble roots in a small Louisville park, GeoWoodstock has become an annually celebrated international event that continues to grow in global attendance and excitement.
Since geocaching's inception in 2000, the hobby has grown to include over 3 million active caches and millions of players worldwide.
The 2026 event will feature geocaching adventures throughout Hutchinson and Reno County during the week. The main event on Saturday, May 23, will include live presentations from geocaching experts, workshops for beginners and seasoned cachers, vendor exhibits with the latest gear and collectibles, family-friendly activities and social events.
All Saturday events will be held at the Kansas State Fairgrounds Meadowlark and Sunflower South buildings, as well as the People's Bank and Trust Arena.
The GeoWoodstock organizing committee, made up of past hosts, accepts proposals from local groups who then host the event according to guidelines set by the committee, similar to the Olympics. Unlike many regional events, GeoWoodstock has been hosted all over North America, with past locations including cities from Seattle to Jacksonville.
Previous GeoWoodstock events have achieved "Giga-Event" status when attendance exceeds 5,000 people. At the 2025 event in West Virginia, geocachers represented all 50 states and nine countries.
Hosting GeoWoodstock is expected to provide a significant economic boost to the region. Local hotels, restaurants and retail stores are anticipated to benefit from more than 3,000 visitors. Similar events have brought over 5,000 geocaching enthusiasts to host communities.
GeoWoodstock is generally held on Saturday of either Memorial Day weekend or the weekend nearest Independence Day to ensure the best weather possible and that guests will have time off to attend.
For more information and to register, visit geowoodstockxxii.com.
About Geocaching
Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to specific coordinates to find geocaches, which are containers of varying sizes hidden at locations around the world. The activity has grown from its 2000 inception to include millions of participants worldwide.