If you are considering a Crocodile gun and knife show as a new sales channel, you now have six future 2026 stops to compare. Crocodile Productions, Inc. lists events from October through December in Spring Lake Park, Zimmerman, Bloomington, Braham, Mankato, and Fridley, Minnesota.
The organizer names each stop by venue rather than using “Crocodile Gun & Knife Show” as one fixed event title. This guide first gives you the current official schedule, then explains the hours conflict and the vendor checks to complete before you reserve tables, ship inventory, or build a display.
What Crocodile Productions Publishes About Its Shows
Crocodile Productions describes a public marketplace with parking and food concessions. Its general information page publishes two public-hour patterns: Friday 4:00–8:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. for Friday/Saturday shows; or Saturday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sunday 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. for Saturday/Sunday shows. Admission is listed at $8, with children age 12 and under admitted free with an adult.
For dealers, the page lists an 8-foot by 2.5-foot table at $40 when paid before the show and $50 when paid at the show. It includes two admissions per dealer and says 90% of each table must contain arms or related items. The organizer also publishes Friday and Saturday setup windows and says a guard is on duty for 24 hours.
Those details describe a table-led consumer show, not a conventional trade-show floor with documented booth packages, overhead signs, exhibitor-appointed contractors, lead scanners, or hosted-buyer meetings. Your display budget and sales expectations should reflect that difference.
Six Future 2026 Events Are Listed on the Official Schedule
The following six records were visible on the organizer’s Upcoming Shows page on September 9, 2026. The hours column applies the organizer’s human-readable day pattern to the calendar dates; it does not use the inconsistent machine timestamps shown in some Wix event fields.
| City and venue | Official date | Planning-reference public hours | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake Park — Kraus-Hartig VFW Post, 8100 Pleasant View Dr NE | October 10–11, 2026 | Sat 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sun 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | Officially listed |
| Zimmerman — Station 1 Event Center, 26140 136th St NW | October 23–24, 2026 | Fri 4:00–8:00 p.m.; Sat 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Officially listed |
| Bloomington — Bloomington Armory, 3300 W 98th St | October 30–31, 2026 | Fri 4:00–8:00 p.m.; Sat 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Officially listed; detail-page hours conflict—confirm in writing |
| Braham — Braham Event Center, 655 8th St SW | November 27–28, 2026 | Fri 4:00–8:00 p.m.; Sat 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Officially listed |
| Mankato — Kato Ballroom, 200 Chestnut St | December 5–6, 2026 | Sat 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sun 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | Officially listed |
| Fridley — Banquets of MN, 6310 Hwy 65 NE | December 18–19, 2026 | Fri 4:00–8:00 p.m.; Sat 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Officially listed; detail-page hours conflict—confirm in writing |
Reconfirm the current event status with Crocodile Productions before booking any of the six stops.
Gun Show Trader and the American Gun Owners Alliance show the same general six-city date sequence. That agreement is useful as a cross-check, but the directories are not the booking authority. Use Crocodile Productions for current status, acceptance, table availability, payment, and final city instructions.
Read the City-Specific Hours Carefully
The official source contains an internal inconsistency. Bloomington and Fridley are dated Friday/Saturday, but their detail pages also contain a copied line stating Saturday/Sunday public hours. The same pages’ general-information block gives the Friday/Saturday pattern of Friday 4:00–8:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. The Wix event fields also display machine times that do not match the human-readable public-hour patterns.
For planning, the table above uses the organizer’s general day pattern. Add the exact public hours and setup window to your city confirmation so the organizer can resolve the conflict before you schedule travel, freight, staffing, or display production.
Choose One City and Run a Measurable Table Test
Begin with one of the six listed cities rather than planning the full series. Choose the stop that best fits your legal ability to operate, service coverage, travel cost, and target market. The published format is most useful when your approved products can be explained, compared, or sold across a table to members of the public.
Give the first city one measurable job. It might test interest in a product family, generate follow-up conversations, introduce the brand to local dealers, or reveal the questions customers ask before buying. This makes the first event a controlled sales test instead of a prediction based on the organizer’s schedule or table fee. The reviewed pages do not publish qualified-buyer counts, retailer lists, or attendance data, so your own result should decide whether a second city is worthwhile.
Start with a Tabletop Display and Add Only What Helps
For a first test, a fitted table cover, clear product groups, legible information, secure presentation, and room for conversation can carry the core message. A portable backdrop can add recognition when the organizer allows it. A modular direction makes sense when you expect repeat use and need more structure for comparison, demonstrations, or product security.
The public material does not define wall heights, freestanding signs, power, lighting, monitors, locked cases, fire rules, floor loading, or outside-contractor access. Treat those items as design inputs to confirm, then choose the lightest display direction that does the job.
Prepare One Approval Pack and Confirm Four Decision Groups
Before booking, assemble one short pack with your target city, number of tables, complete product categories, planned transactions or demonstrations, basic display sketch, power needs, staffing plan, and insurance contact. Use it to obtain one written reply covering four groups:
- Event and commercial terms: Confirm the date, venue, human-readable public hours, setup and move-out windows, load-in point, table quantity and location, total price, payment deadline, and cancellation or transfer terms.
- Product and display approval: Confirm the product mix, how the 90% arms-or-related rule applies, and the permitted backdrop, signs, cases, demonstrations, power, lighting, cords, customer handling, restocking, freight, and third-party crew access.
- Legal, tax, insurance, and security: Match the planned activity to the company’s actual licenses and current federal, Minnesota, and local requirements. ATF states that licensed manufacturers, importers, and dealers may generally conduct business temporarily at a qualifying gun show in the state specified on the license, and that applicable background-check rules still apply. Minnesota uses Form ST19 for people selling or exhibiting at events. Confirm the documents Crocodile Productions requires, overnight storage rules, guard scope, insurance evidence, and responsibility for loss with the organizer, relevant authorities, qualified counsel, and your insurer.
- Result and point of contact: Ask what documented audience information is available for that city, decide how results will be recorded, and identify the person who will resolve differences among the schedule page, detail page, venue instructions, and directory listings.
With those four groups aligned in writing, the team can move from a listed event to a workable one-city test.
FAQ
How much product should you plan for one 8-foot table?
There is no useful universal SKU count. Select enough products to support one clear buying conversation, leave room for safe handling and side-by-side comparison, and keep the display readable from the aisle. A small, deliberate assortment usually produces better feedback than trying to show the entire catalog at once.
Should the graphics speak to consumers or dealers?
Because Crocodile Productions describes a public show, the primary message should help an individual visitor understand the product quickly. If dealer recruitment is also a goal, give that conversation a separate handout, QR destination, or follow-up path instead of making the main graphic serve two audiences.
How can the display work if the venue does not provide power?
Build the core message so it works without a monitor or powered light. High-contrast printed product cards, physical comparison samples, and an offline follow-up form can keep the table useful. If battery-powered equipment is part of the backup, include it in the approval pack so the organizer can confirm whether and how it may be used.
How should you pack and replenish the display between cities?
Pack by table zone: keep graphics and fasteners together, separate display samples from sale or replenishment stock, and label each module for the person rebuilding the table. Use a short quantity and condition check before departure and after closing. The confirmed organizer, venue, carrier, legal, and security rules still determine how controlled products travel and where they may be stored.
How should the two included admissions shape staffing?
Build the base plan around two defined roles, such as product conversation and transaction or follow-up handling. If you need shift changes or additional staff, ask how names, badges, substitutions, and extra admissions are handled before finalizing the roster.
Final Thoughts
Choose one listed city that fits your market and operating position, give the first table test one measurable job, and prepare the core event, product, display, and approval information before committing the wider team. That sequence is enough to decide whether this public, table-led format deserves a first trial.
If you are preparing to exhibit at a Crocodile Productions show, KingExhibits can provide booth and display design and build services for the event.
