Fairs and Markets

Back in the day, the most common overseas buyer at IACF Newark would have been American. However, a larger number now hails from the Far East, with visitors from Korea, Japan and Taiwan making up 30% of the overseas buyer numbers at the East Midlands event, according to IACF estimates.

Hungerford is a handy hub for art and antiques fairs judging by two events held in the Berkshire town.

Isle sur La Sorgue, near Avignon, is one of the most ravishing towns in Provence.

Bookings are going well for the collaborative venture between B2B Events and Bentleys Fairs at the beginning of August.

Milan’s Navigli district dates to the 12th century and nine centuries later it is full of vintage shops, restaurants and bars, with its canals a great backdrop for the city’s biggest antiques and vintage market.

The pretty Suffolk coastal town of Southwold is well known for its delightful pier, Adnam’s brewery, multi-coloured beach huts and a Grade II-listed lighthouse in the middle of the town.

Gary Halford of Guildhall Antique Fairs is anticipating upwards of 150 stallholders at his annual antiques and vintage event at the Rutland County Showground, Oakham.

The summer fairs and markets scene is cranking into high gear, so here is a short selection over the next two weekends.

Fine art was a leading field at Masterpiece London (June 28-July 4) which, despite some challenges, retained and even reinforced its position as a top international fair during its most recent run.

In the lead-up to Masterpiece, the organisers suggested that, despite the high-quality offered, the fair offers more than just the astronomically expensive.

Coming up next for Cooper Events is the second of three annual Cotswolds Decorative Fairs, which take place in the grand hall of Westonbirt School in Burnham-on-Sea.

Penman Fairs holds its second annual fair at Burford School in Oxfordshire from July 29-30.

Along with its sister group in the US, members of Antiques Young Guns – “brilliant old things from bright young things” – now span at least three continents. AYG’s core message of support for up-and-coming professionals in the trade has never been stronger.

What is selling well in the clocks and watches world? Dealer Warren Wilkinson, who has been collecting and repairing clocks and watches for 40 years and who is a regular standholder at Love Fairs events, is a good man to answer that very question.

The 'Art & Antiques Fair Olympia', the 45-year-old staple of the London summer calendar, finished its most recent run (June 25-July 1) to subdued reports.

Launched earlier this year, the two-day New Road Vintage Market in Brighton has four dates in 2017, with the next on Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23.

The July 28-30 antiques and fine art fair at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh brings 35 dealers from across the UK to stand in the foyer and assembly hall of this 18th century building.