The Festival of Antiques

One of the biggest antiques fairs in the country, Peterborough Festival of Antiques is coming to the East of England Showground this April and again in October

The antiques fair contains a spectacular array of antiques and collectables for sale within four permanent buildings, a variety of trade marquees and several acres of outdoor pitches. Having recently taken over the running of the event, new owners International Antiques & Collectors Fairs have been keen to keep the fair’s format as close to previous years as possible. Early trade buyers are allowed in on the Friday from 7am to 10am and – because of IACF’s reputation within the trade – their first fair attracted a much larger number of antiques professionals.

‘The Festival of Antiques at Peterborough is one of the largest antiques events in Europe,’ says Grant Nicholas, Marketing Manager at IACF. ‘There really will be something for everyone, with items covering every era, style and budget.’ Stallholders were particularly impressed with IACF’s inaugural Peterborough event, held last September. Sue Skelton, a regular stallholder at Peterborough for more than 15 years, explains:

‘Any concerns we might have had about the Festival of Antiques changing ownership were quickly put to rest. It was extremely well run and there certainly appeared to be an increase in early trade buyers. Over the course of the weekend we actually broke our sales record for the fair, so we were very happy. We are really looking forward to the next one this Easter Bank Holiday!’

The uptake on stalls inside the largest hall at the venue – the East of England Arena – is now so great that there is a waiting list to get a pitch in that particular hall. Of course, with another four indoor areas to choose from, and acres of shopping marquees and outside pitches available, the organisers are bound to find an excellent spot for any dealers interested in giving the largest UK public antiques fair a try.

Peterborough Festival of Antiques
East of England Arena

● Fri 10-Sat 11 April (Easter weekend), and Fri 2-Sat 3 October.
● To book a stall phone 01636 702326.
● For opening times and prices visit www.iacf.co.uk/peterborough

Image: www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background