OARC Carp Hamfest 2026

OARC Carp Hamfest is the region’s largest Amateur Radio flea market and trade show!

Let’s break another attendance record in 2026! This event features most of the big ham radio retailers, fellow hams selling radio goodies at unbelievable prices, and major door prizes. This is the OARC’s annual flagship event! Below, your will find more information as follows:

• Reserve your vendor or exhibitor table
• Who will be there?
• Hamfest Schedule – Saturday, September 12, 2025
• Other details (admission, parking, etc.)
• Write your Amateur Radio exam on-site
• Volunteer to help out at OARC Carp Hamfest 2026

Reserve your vendor or exhibitor table

If you are commercial or private vendor, don’t miss out on the opportunity to showcase your products and connect with amateur radio customers from across the National Capital Region. If you are an exhibitor (e.g., local amateur radio club or service organization), book a table to engage with potential new members and other audiences. Fee: Tables: $17 per 8-foot table (does NOT include admission fee) All tables are 8 feet long. That’s 33% more space than most hamfests!

CLICK THIS LINK TO RESERVE YOUR TABLE

Who will be there?

To give you the idea of who will be there, here is a list of our 2025 commercial vendors. It will be replaced with the list of our 2026 vendors, when they are confirmed. All of these commercial vendors generously donate our many fantastic door prizes!

• Icom Canada
• Gerald Lemay Books
• Harold Macfarlane
• Retevis Canada
• Radio Communication Alexandria
• Reliable Radio
• Netty Electronics
• Radioworld
• Art by Selina LED Signs

Exhibitors and organizations include: Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), Amateur Radio Emergency Service^® (ARES^®), West Carleton Disaster Relief, Diefenbunker, Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), several regional Amateur Radio clubs, and more.

Hamfest Schedule – Saturday, September 12, 2025

• Commercial vendor setup: 7:30 am
• Private vendor and exhibitor setup: 8:00 am
• Open to public: 9:00 am – 12 noon
• Teardown after 12 noon.

Other details (admission, parking, etc.)

Admission: $6 per person. Children 12 and under are free. Parking: FREE! Coffee and snack concession in the lobby area.

Write your Amateur Radio exam on-site

Write your Amateur Radio Operator Certificate exam at Hamfest under the supervision of an examiner accredited by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). You don’t need to book ahead – you can just show up! You can also upgrade. If you are upgrading, bring the 11-digit certificate number on your current Certificate to speed processing.

Volunteer at Hamfest

Ed, VE3WGO, has been delivering Hamfest since 2007 and we’re all so grateful to Ed for his organization skills and boundless energy. We are also fortunate to have a small army of volunteers that help make Hamfest to run smoothly. Some volunteer roles include:

• Venue set-up – Friday, September 11, 2025 at a 2:00 pm – NOTE : This is setup for the infrastructure, NOT for vendors.
• Road sign set-up and take-down
• Parking lot and tailgate relations
• Vendor registration
• Front-door ticket seller
• Inside vendor relations
• Photographer
• Talk-in (on-air notice on local repeaters)
• Announcer
• OARC membership and extras table
• Venue tear down and clean up

CLICK THIS LINK TO VOLUNTEER