The International Hall of Gala Ciders will hold its 16th edition from 24 to 27 September, with 107 registered producers from Europe, the Americas and Asia, compared with 63 participants last year
SISGA’26 will celebrate its sixteenth edition this September with one of the highest participation figures in its history. A total of 107 cider producers from Europe, the Americas and Asia have registered for the International Hall of Gala Ciders, which will take place in Asturias from 24 to 27 September.
The figure represents a major increase compared with 2025, when 63 producers took part, bringing more than two hundred products to the event. The growth is not only quantitative: the presence of cider makers from three continents further strengthens the international dimension of an event that has, for years, served as a meeting point for very different cider traditions.
This is precisely one of the features that has made SISGA a unique fixture on the international cider calendar. In the same event, producers from regions with centuries-old cider-making traditions come together with new projects from countries where cider is currently experiencing significant growth and renewal.
The result is an exceptionally broad overview of what cider means around the world today. Natural ciders, sparkling ciders, perries, ice ciders, fire ciders, dessert ciders and many other products made using different fermentation, ageing and production methods form part of an increasingly diverse cider landscape.
SISGA was created precisely with the aim of providing a space where this diversity could meet, be compared and become better known. Beyond the competition itself, the event has become a place for exchange between cider makers, distributors, sommeliers, professionals and people involved in cider culture.
Asturias as an international meeting point
The celebration of SISGA also has particular significance for Asturias. The arrival of more than one hundred cider producers from different countries gives international professionals the opportunity to experience Asturian cider culture first-hand, discovering its cider mills, orchards and a region where cider remains deeply rooted in everyday life.
At the same time, Asturian producers have the opportunity to exchange experiences with cider makers from other countries and discover trends, styles and approaches to cider that are rarely brought together in a single event.
The 2026 programme will mainly take place in Gijón, Villaviciosa and Nava, combining visits, professional meetings, tastings and activities open to the public.
On Friday, 25 September, the International Jury of the SISGA Awards will meet, coinciding with the Annual Assembly of Cider Cities, the international network of cider-producing towns and cities.
One of the most important public events will take place on Saturday, 26 September, with the Open Tasting at the Palacio de Congresos in Gijón’s Luis Adaro Exhibition Centre. It will offer visitors the opportunity to taste a wide selection of the ciders taking part in the event and to meet many of their producers directly.
On Sunday, 27 September, the programme will conclude with the Gala Brunch and the presentation of the SISGA Awards, recognising the best ciders entered in the different categories.
A showcase for world cider
The participation of 107 producers confirms a trend that has become increasingly visible through SISGA over recent years: cider is no longer perceived internationally as a product limited to a small number of traditional producing regions, but as a beverage with an increasingly wide variety of styles, markets and audiences.
Asturias occupies a particularly interesting position within this process. The strength and continuity of its cider-making tradition make it an international reference point, while events such as SISGA also provide an opportunity to look beyond Asturias and see how rapidly the wider cider world is evolving.
Each edition of the International Hall of Gala Ciders therefore offers a snapshot of the global cider sector. The 2026 edition promises to be one of the broadest yet: 107 cider producers, three continents and four days of activities centred around a product that shares the same basic raw material, yet can be interpreted in radically different ways.
The organisers have also opened a call for volunteers wishing to collaborate in some of the activities during the event.
But the main story of SISGA’26 is already reflected in the figures. The increase from 63 to 107 producers in just one year represents substantial growth, strengthens the international standing of the event and confirms that, from 24 to 27 September, Asturias will once again become one of the world’s major meeting points for cider.
