If you are planning to visit the biannual Peterborough Festival of Antiques this Easter then give yourself plenty of time to get around as the two-day fair is a sell-out with 2100 inside and outside stalls.
Simon Evans, director of Bob Evans Fairs, organisers of the event, said: “We couldn’t be more excited about this Easter’s show. We have had a significant increase in bookings for indoor stalls and private marquees since last autumn’s festival. We have redesigned the layout for the outdoor pitches making for a better flow for both traders and visitors.”
Kris Hart, festival manager for the organiser, said: “This is only the fourth time we have held this festival at Easter since we started it in 1999 with just 550 stands. “Last year our March event was the biggest ever with a record attendance of 15,000 and we are expecting that and more this year.” The Peterborough Festival of Antiques is on Friday and Saturday, April 14-15 at the East of England Showground at Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
Held around nine times a year, the Malvern Flea and Collectors’ Fair on Easter Monday is one of the most popular fleamarkets on the circuit and is certainly the most successful for organisers B2B Events, with stands in the two buildings booked out all year.
At the time of writing, B2B’s Helen Martin and Alan Yourston are currently honeymooning. As an indication that some of their thoughts are on their fairs, they have tweeted from a tropical beach that they wonder how many outside pitches they could get on there.
The organisers are expecting a bumper turnout this Easter at the Three Counties Showground, getting over 7000 visitors through the gates in previous years.
“The fair, on April 17, is fully booked at 500 stalls and with a long waiting list,” said Martin. This fair starts at 7.30am for both trade and public so a start at dawn’s early light is a good idea to bag the best here.
The medieval Penshurst Place, near Tonbridge in Kent, is likely to be heaving with visitors this Easter weekend. Among its many attractions are its use in historic TV and film dramas including BBC Two’s Wolf Hall in 2015 and the 2008 film The Other Boleyn Girl. Which is good news for decoratives dealer Tara Franklin, organiser of the stylish Penshurst Vintage and Antiques Fair, held every bank holiday weekend in the village’s hall.
New faces this Easter include Marina Adolfini who deals from Church Hill Antiques in Lewes, East Sussex. Her eye-catching stand at a recent Decorative Living Fair in Kent is pictured above. She brings French antiques, apothecary bottles and early prints. Little Wren Vintage from Frome in Somerset will load its stall with everdesirable vintage textiles.
