Elmia Game Fair 50 years

Excitement, community, peaceful nature, open spaces and the tranquility of the forest. Hunting evokes emotions and moods like nothing else. That's why we started Elmia Game Fair back in 1975 and since then we have been Sweden's hunting fair.

For half a century, exciting news and innovations have been showcased and opportunities to learn more about both shooting, wildlife management and cooking have been given at Elmia Game Fair in Jönköping.

Since the start in 1975, the fair has been a strong, established and obvious meeting place for Sweden's hunters and the industry. Much thanks to the situation in Sweden, but also to the concept with many activities both indoors as outdoors. During the 50 years the fair has existed, a lot has obviously happened in the industry and a lot of news has been presented, both regarding the hunting itself, but also regarding, for example, hunters' equipment and clothing. 

Since the 1970s, Sweden has had an exploding wild boar population. The fallow deer population has done the same in some places and the wolf is now established over large parts of the country. Hunters dress differently and use new technology. Dog hunting has developed in step with the changing conditions. Weapons and sights have also of course taken enormous strides over the past 50 years.

Our 50th anniversary stand

When we opened our doors in 2025, the anniversary was of course celebrated.

In Hall B we had a nice 50th anniversary stand, where we took a journey through the modern history of hunting using a timeline with highlights from the different decades.

Several major players in the market contributed to the content of the 50th anniversary stand:

• Härkila, who launched their Goretex clothing for the first time at Elmia Game Fair in the 80s, demonstrated the function of Goretex clothing.
• Swedteam showcased the development of fashion, including the first camouflage clothing they released on the market.
• Aimpoint, which has been at the fair since 1975, showed how sights has developed over the years.
• The Swedish Hunters' Association contributed with facts and statistics about hunting over the years.
• Jaktjournalen displayed magazines from different years.

But history doesn't stop in 2025, so the participants also looked a little into the future. What do they think will happen over the next 50 years?