International Lounge Festival and Europe Cup HookahBattle @ SHISHAMESSE Frankfurt 8-10th May 2026!
Attention Shisha Lounge Owners from All Countries and Continents!
This year, HookahBattle celebrates 10 years of friendship with ShishaMesse – the biggest international shisha expo in the world. We’ve prepared something very special! The HookahBattle Europe Cup evolves into multiple exciting steps for maximum impact.
International Lounge Festival and Europe Cup powered by HookahBattle x ShishaMesse x Black Leaf and Lirra Tobacco
Do you own a shisha lounge? Register now to unlock benefits, forge new connections, gain unforgettable experience, and so much more!
Steps to Register and Participate:
Send a message to HookahBattle with the text: “I want to be the contestant of HookahBattle Europe Cup” via:
- TG: https://t.me/HookahBattle_Teams
- WA: https://wa.me/79117192718
- INST: https://www.instagram.com/hookahbattle/
- E-mail: info@hookahbattle.com.
Short Rules:
- Pay 215 euros entry fee. Send the logo of your team / your lounge.
- You alone or your team (you + 1 or 2 persons, 3 total) should travel to Frankfurt, Germany, to participate at 1 day (choose Friday or Saturday) of the Lounge Festival and be ready to pass to grand-final on Sunday. All you have to do: prepare 1 shisha with tobacco update (many sessions) during 11:00-18:30 on your individual zone on 1 day of Lounge Festival using sponsor tobacco and collecting guests’ voting tags, and be ready to prepare 1 shisha for the Jury members of Europe Cup HookahBattle on Sunday using own tobacco of different brands up to your choice.
Detailed Rules and Plan:
After registration, you will be divided into GROUP A or GROUP B (you’ll know in advance, so plan your final trip if you don’t want to visit all 3 days of the expo).
Prepare the Concept of Your Shisha Model: You should take to your travel bag just 1 shisha + few bowls. It can be:
- Just a classic shisha (any brand),
- Or custom made shisha by your hands.
You will use this 1 shisha model for both your 1 day of Lounge Festival and possible Grand Final on Sunday HookahBattle.
7th May, Motel One late evening:
Motel One terrace – a comfortable place for any kind of meetings. This hotel is located close to Expo Center. Book your hotel not far from Motel One.
All registered contestants can get exhibitor badges from us. Exhibitor badge gives opportunity to:
- Enter expo all 3 days,
- Use exhibitors’ doors to enter expo avoiding the line of 10k regular expo visitors.
8th May (Contestants Group A, 12 teams): Friday’s People Choice Award with International Lounge Festival.
- Motel One last chance to get badge for Friday expo: 10:00-10:20.
- Rules of the International Lounge Festival People’s Choice Award:
- Take your shisha model, locate it on your individual table inside Lounge Festival zone on the expo. You can locate on your table 1 or 2 or 3 shishas (3 is maximum) up to your choice.
- Tobacco and charcoal provided. Use only the tobacco and flavors we provide. Create your best mixes and show to people.
- Not allowed to use your own tobacco—violation leads to disqualification (competitors will watch).
- 10k expo guests get Blue HookahBattle voting tag on entrance with instructions to visit Lounge Festival, smoke from 12 lounges, vote for favorite by dropping tag in team’s box (like presidential elections).
- Stay at zone 11:00 till 18:30—empty zone = disqualification.
- Update bowl with fresh tobacco when finished; make as many updates/new mixes as you want with sponsor tobacco/new bowl.
- Preparation/gathering: 10:30 (take individual table, prepare shisha).
- Start: 11:00 (guests enter).
- End: 18:30.
- Voting count: 18:30-19:00.
- Top 1 by votes: Friday’s People’s Choice Award Trophy + 1000 euro cash +5 Hall of Fame points + gifts from Black Leaf/Lirra + 1 year ads (city top) for your lounge from Where2smoke.net.
- Top 6 pass to Sunday Grand-Final (no Sat duties—free day).
- 7-12 by votes: No final, but +1 Hall point.
9th May (Contestants Group B, another 12 teams): Saturday’s People Choice Award with International Lounge Festival.
- Motel One badges: 10:00-10:20.
- Rules: Identical to Friday—1 shisha/1 bowl, sponsor tobacco only, 11:00-18:30 zone duty, unlimited mixes, guest tags.
- Preparation: 10:30-11:00.
- Start/End same; count 18:30-19:00.
- Rewards: Mirror Friday—Top 1 trophy/€1000/+5 points/ads/gifts; Top 6 to final (Fri free); 7-12 +1 point.
10th May Sunday Grand-Final Europe Cup (Top 6 A + Top 6 B):
- Rules: Prepare 1 shisha for Jury using (!)own tobacco /equipment/ingredients (no sponsor tobacco).
- Mix requirements: 50% RED GRAPE WITH MINT or Cooler (any brand) | 50% any other ingredients (we judge best red grape mint mix).
- Each team: 5 minutes presentation of shisha on big stage for Judges.
- Grand-final: Europe Cup HookahBattle 2026, main stage ShishaMesse.
- Prep/gathering: 13:30-14:00.
- Start: 14:00. End: 16:00.
- Gold Medal Winner: Europe Cup Trophy + 1600 euro + partner gifts +10 Hall points.
- Silver: 1000 euro + gifts +8 points.
- Bronze: 500 euro + gifts +6 points.
- 4-12 place: Grand-final certificate +2 Hall points + partner gifts.
Let’s Summarize Fairly:
What we ask:
- 215 euros entry fee. (In total we collect: 24 teams X 215 =5160 euro -> all the money gonna be distributed to the winners)
- Your budget and time for travel to Frankfurt.
- Take 1 regular shisha or create customized by your hands.
- Obligated to prepare shisha for 1 whole expo day for guests at your individual zone on Friday or Saturday.
- (Maybe yes/maybe no) Prepare shisha for Jury Grand-Final Sunday.
What we give:
- Exhibitor badges up to 3 persons for you/team.
- Guaranteed Hall of Fame points.
- Guaranteed gifts from partners.
- Advertise your lounge on biggest shisha expo—distribute business cards freely.
- Chance to pass to grand-final.
- Chance to win cash prizes/trophies—elevate your lounge to premium status, attract more local customers.
- 150k views online coverage.
- 10k views offline with expo guests.
- New friends + international connections.
- Great experience and garanteed free time to walk and enjoy expo as a visitor for 1,5-2 days (free day on Friday or Saturday and half day of Sunday)
25 Comments
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Hello Stan, thank you for sharing the latest updates on the guidelines and rules for the upcoming ShishaMesse. Could you please let us know if it would be fine to bring our own promotional materials, like a pull-up banner highlighting our brand, or a small screen to showcase our brand video at the booth? Also, we would like to seek your official recommendations on the best way to fulfil the payment for the participant fee. Thank you for your guidance and support🤗🙏
@CloudKick thank you for your question!
Regarding decorations and promotional materials:
We are going to request a logo of your team/lounge and put it on the printed side of your zone on ShishaMesse Expo. Its a 2X2,5 background banner. But please note its gonna be same banner as for 8th May as for 9th May, so a half of banner gonna be dedicated to your lounge and another half gonna be dedicated to another lounge who exhibit another day
You can put some decorations or put your lounge pull-up banner on your zone but only in the way you:
(!) dont anyhow disturb or making troubles to your neighbours – other lounges
(!) you put it only during the time you are actively on the space (when you leave you should clean everything)
@CloudKick regarding the payment of entry fee 215 euro. Please note we do not take this money to ourself, all the money gonna be distributed to the winners of different days according to the article. We are ready to accept payment via next options:
1. Mastercard/Visa Card2Card transfer (most easy option) many banks support it
2. Revolute nickname transfer (best option for us)
3. Crypto USDT transfer
4. Swift international transfer (I dont recomend, this method are expensive as for sender as for recepient)
@Medkov Stanislav Thank you, Stan, for taking the time to answer my previous questions and for providing further clarification on the rules. Much appreciated:)
Just one follow‑up, if I may: is it generally permitted for participants to encourage or “agitate” visitors at the event to vote for their team? Just curious about the rules around this. If agitating visitors to vote is not officially allowed, what exactly does the rulebook say about participants actively promoting themselves to the audience? Would simply asking visitors to vote be considered a violation, or only if it becomes disruptive?
Thanks again for the transparency!
@CloudKick this is a great question! Attention! All the teams are allowed to make any kind of agitation to vote for themself to ShishaMesse guests visitors! The only rules here:
– do not beat anyone =)
– be respectfull to your opponents. Not allowed to agitate telling bad things about your opponents.
Hi Stan,
Quick question – At the lounge booth and guidelins provided you mention only one shisha and one head at a time to be prepared. Perhaps it might be better to allow lounges to have up to 3-5 Shishas to display different mixes at any given time during the lounge festival using the sponsored tobacco and charcoal of course.
Plus then of course if made to grand finale then to utilise 1 Shisha and own tobacco following rules of the 50% Red Grape and Mint etc.
Maybe something to think about -Looking forward to representing the UK with my lounge 😇
@MadShisha its a good question, and Ive been thinking about it for a while: from the one hand yes its better for visitors to have an access to bigger amount of shishas (you’ve seen how many visitors collect ShishaMesse). From the other hand there are many lounges who will not have an ability to operate more than 1 shisha, having only 1 guy at the booth.
We will make a voting inside the telegram chat: 1 shisha maximum or 2 shishas maximum per team / 1 table. https://t.me/HookahBattleInternational/668
@Medkov Stanislav Lets make it 3 shishas toral and its up to the lounge to decide if they wish to provide 1-3 shishas – Giving lounges their own choice and flexibility to showcase what they wish to show and for exhibitors to try. Then it is the choice of the lounge whether they wish to produce 1, 2 or 3 shishas. In order to truly bring international lounges their best possible platform to showcase and represent their country
@MadShisha Since Im the author of concept, I can make a decision here: Okay, we update the rules:
Previus rule: Only 1 shisha with 1 smoking bowl allowed for 1 team.
New rule: You can locate on your table 1 or 2 or 3 shishas (3 is maximum) up to your choice.
Please note: Sunday Grand Prix rules we keep 1 shisha for jury table (no changes)
Why I think this rule is fair:
– During the whole lounge festival day – you have to update your shisha bowl (its like 7-8 hours), if you do this every 30 mins, it gives:
– I agree that its hard to showcase different mixes with just 1 shisha (hose and stem absorb flavor), especially if its different mix profiles – if you previus mix had Coffee profile, and you are going to change next bowl to Grapes profile, you will have Coffee-Grapes flavor with the next shisha
– I dont really think that lounges who will have 3 shisha models instead of 1 will gain big advantage by votes (according to my subjective experience)
Also Stan which entrance can lounges that are attending use to enter the messe as we will have things to bring in for the booth – and which car park is most accessible for us to use if we are driving to bring in our things to setup and use during the event?
@MadShisha you will be provided with exhibitor badge and you should use exhibitor entrance – this is really good, because you can avoid a big line of people (regular visitors). As about parking – I will reply later (need to check with ShishaMesse)
@Medkov Stanislav Amazing thank you – Is there directions for the exhibitors entrance? Can you inform me where I can find them
@MadShisha our team will arrive to Frankfurt on Thursday 7th May. We will visit expo and check this out and publish info here or to the telegram chat
Heyyyy ! братан
How do people will vote for us ? Like they use a paper ?
Can we come with a speaker ?
Can we give gifts to people ?
can we bring our own decoration ?
@Orrerhys Yes to add to my brothers question:
1. What is the dimensions for the tables we will have at our booth – Can we have a table cloth?
2. Can we have promotional materials/other decorations in addition to the banner that is being made from Hookah Battle for each lounge
3. What is allowed to give to exhibitors?
4. Will there be another table at our booths to prepare bowls for our shisha(s)?
@Orrerhys
Each expo visitor will get 1 paper voting card (looks like classic businss card size) + flyer instruction – visit Lounge Festival, try shishas from each lounge and give 1 card to the favorite one.
On Friday its gonna be RED voting cards
On Saturday its gonna be Blue voting cards
Why?
Because on Friday its gonna be B2B day (less people). Deviding cards into different “1 day only valid” we give equal opportunities as for Group A of contestans as for Group B. In other words the system we made makes you compete inside 1 day group (no matter how many people visited Friday or Saturday)
@Orrerhys “Can we come with a speaker ?” – not sure understand what does mean speaker? Something like this? If yes – my answer is no, ShishaMesse will kill me for this
@Orrerhys “Can we give gifts to people ?”. Yes you can. Attention everyone, dont cry later that they did it and you never knew before the start
Why I think its fair – our final goal is not amount of smoke, flavor and nicotine. Our goal is final emotion of people. Gifts or unusual presentation or unusual shisha model – everything can affect on the final emotion, not only your packing method and flavor (getting back to the concept of why up to 3 shishas on the table doesnt actually give a big advantage)
@Orrerhys “can we bring our own decoration ?” – Yes, BUT:
– it should not bother anyhow your neighbours – other lounges
– you should clean everything when you leave
@MadShisha “Can we have promotional materials/other decorations in addition to the banner that is being made from Hookah Battle for each lounge” Yes, BUT:
– it should not bother anyhow your neighbours – other lounges
– you should clean everything when you leave
@MadShisha “What is allowed to give to exhibitors?” – exhibitors? Guess you mean visitors? Like candies? Yes you can give anything which not violates German low
@MadShisha “Will there be another table at our booths to prepare bowls for our shisha(s)?”
No, you are gonna have only 1 table, no any other space or storage. See the render model picture attached
@Medkov Stanislav Where will facilities be to clean shishas, replace/change water for our setups? Is this far from where booths are located? Will we need to bring our own cleaning materials to clean shishas?
Hey Stan,
Is it possible to bring one extra hookah for our team to smoke – besides the hookahs for the visitors ?
Hey guys, if you want to make a stunning mix with red grape and mint, here’s my suggestion:
50% Black Nana (Nameless)
30% Wild B (Darkside Core)
20% Needls (Darkside Core)
This Mix conbines the familiar red grape mint from Nameless with a deeper, more luxurious twist. Wild B from Darkside adds a rich wildberry sweetness that makes the grape feel even more darker and smoother in Flavor, while Needls introduces an intersting pine note that creates a unique Forest-like finish. This contrast between cool fruit sweetness and woody depth makes the mix feel more unique than a standard grape-mint mix.
The result from this: Signature Style Flavor profile that feels mysterious and highly memorable!