The Alt Art Exchange takes over the Midland County Horseshoe Arena for a full weekend on Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16, 2026, and it is one of the few West Texas events built primarily around trading card games rather than sports cards. The name is the giveaway: alternate-art, full-art, and special-illustration-rare chase cards are the organizing idea, and the dealer mix leans hard toward players and collectors who care about art treatments, print runs, and Japanese-exclusive variants.
Pokemon anchors the floor. Expect singles walls covering vintage WOTC through current Scarlet & Violet sets, heavy Japanese and Korean import inventory, alternate-art and special-illustration rares in locked cases, and sealed product ranging from single packs to sealed booster boxes and elite trainer boxes. Magic: The Gathering dealers bring Commander staples, borderless and showcase treatments, Secret Lair drops, and Standard singles. Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Disney Lorcana, Dragon Ball Z Fusion World, Digimon, and Flesh and Blood all have a presence. Sports card dealers are on the floor too, with vintage Topps and Bowman, modern Prizm and Optic, and PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC graded slabs, but they are the supporting act here rather than the headliner.
Because this is a two-day event, the weekend has a natural rhythm. Saturday is when the deepest inventory is out and when trading activity peaks, and it is also when any tournaments, side events, or grading drop-offs are typically scheduled. Sunday is quieter, better for browsing without elbows, and reliably better for negotiating on anything a dealer would rather not haul home.
Hours run 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM Central Time on Saturday and 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM Central Time on Sunday. Note the time zone: Midland is on Central Time while El Paso is on Mountain Time, so collectors driving in from the Borderland lose an hour and should plan the trip accordingly. Admission pricing had not been published on the aggregators at the time of listing, and this show has appeared on Trading Card Database under two overlapping entries with slightly different hours, so confirm both hours and door price with the promoter before you drive.
The Midland County Horseshoe Arena is at 2514 Arena Trail, Midland, TX 79706, just off Highway 191 between Midland and Odessa. Parking is on site and free, the complex is large and easy to navigate, and the arena floor gives vendors real room to spread out. From El Paso the drive is roughly five hours east on I-10 and I-20, which makes this an overnight trip rather than a day trip.
Who should attend: Pokemon and TCG collectors first and foremost, competitive players looking for tournament staples, art-focused collectors chasing alternate treatments, and anyone in the Permian Basin who wants a real card weekend without driving to Dallas.
Tips: bring a binder of trade stock organized by set, because trading is genuinely active here rather than incidental. Bring cash for negotiating leverage. Know current market comps on your phone before you buy an alt art, since pricing on chase cards moves fast. Pack penny sleeves, top loaders, and a hard case, and book a hotel early because Midland rooms fill on event weekends.