TFT Expo (Tashkent Fashion and Textile Fair): Dates, Tickets & Venue (Tashkent)

A trade floor built on cotton

This is a fair for buyers, not shoppers. TFT Expo brings fashion and textile businesses to the Central Asian Expocenter (CAEx) in Tashkent in January 2027, and the halls run on business cards and order books.

The setting makes sense. Uzbekistan ranks among the world’s larger cotton producers, and the country spent decades moving from shipping raw fibre to spinning, weaving and sewing at home. A fair in Tashkent puts you in front of that supply chain directly: yarn, fabric, finished garments and the machinery between them.

Reaching the Central Asian Expocenter

Most visitors land at Tashkent International Airport, a short drive from the city centre. From there, the usual move is an app taxi:

• Yandex Go is the default ride app in Tashkent and shows the fare before you confirm.
• The Tashkent Metro is cheap and famous for its decorated Soviet-era stations, useful for sightseeing between fair days.
• Hotel shuttles sometimes run for trade fairs; exhibitors usually ask their hotel directly.

Many nationalities can enter Uzbekistan visa-free for short stays. The rules differ by passport, and the official e-visa portal sets them out.

Working the halls at TFT Expo

Trade fairs here follow a recognisable rhythm. Badges come from visitor registration, which the organiser runs through its official site, and serious buyers usually register in advance so they skip the desk queue on day one.

How business actually gets done:

• Telegram is the main business messenger in Uzbekistan. Exhibitors expect to swap Telegram contacts alongside business cards.
• Russian is widely used in commerce, with Uzbek and English alongside. Many stands have an English speaker; buyers often hire a fair interpreter for detailed price talks.
• Samples and swatches are the point of a textile stand. Visitors usually carry a tote or small case to take them away.
• Tea comes first. Hospitality is central in Uzbek business, so a stand visit may open with green tea before specifications.

Buyers with a sourcing brief typically spend two days: one to walk every hall, one to return to shortlisted stands.

January in Tashkent around the fair

January is Tashkent’s coldest month. Days hover around freezing, nights drop below it, and light snow is possible. Attendees usually pack a proper coat for the taxi queue rather than relying on indoor heating alone.

Evenings belong to the city. Chorsu Bazaar, under its large blue dome, sells dried fruit, nuts and fresh bread year-round. The Khast Imam complex holds the Uthman Quran, one of the oldest surviving Qurans. Plov, Uzbekistan’s rice-and-mutton dish, is traditionally a lunchtime meal, so locals eat it at midday and visitors often find it gone by evening.

Fashion visitors also tend to look at atlas and adras, the ikat silks of Margilan, sold in Tashkent’s bazaars and shops. They show the craft roots behind the modern trade on the fair floor.