The best antiques fairs to have on your radar

*Check ahead-Please contact event organisers to check for postponements &last-minute cancellations*

2020 has been an especially difficult year for the event organisers and dealers who put on the wonderful antiques fairs and markets around the UK. We wanted to do as much as we could to support the trade, so we’ve decided to focus on the event organisers rather than the individual fairs in order to introduce you to the people who work so hard to put on these fabulous events. Log on to their websites and follow them on social media if you want to stay up to date with their plans for a new year of antiquing. Do please check event websites for last-minute changes!

This monthly antiques fair, known as ‘Horti’, is held at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London and run by stalwart fair organiser Matthew Adams, who also heads up Frock Me!. Sadly, government guidelines took their toll on this indoor event, but the team is hoping to bring this popular fair back as soon as it’s safe to do so. 020 7254 4054;adamsantiquesfairs.com; @adamsantiquesfairs

Antiques dealer Ingrid Nilson runs these boutique-style luxury antiques fairs at prestigious venues around the UK, now focusing on Petworth Park in West Sussex and Mayfair in London.01797 252030; adfl.co.uk; @adflfairs

This popular vetted antiques, vintage and collectors’ fair held several times a year at the NEC, Birmingham could not go ahead due to the restrictions but organisers are hoping to run an online event from 19th–22nd November. antiquesforeveryone.co.uk; @aafefairs

Richard Burgoin and his team run the Lincoln Antiques and Home Show and a vintage flea market at Lincolnshire Showground as well as large outdoor antiques and salvage shows at Ripley Castle, Cheshire Showground, Loseley Park in Surrey and Beale Park in Berkshire. Due to mounting restrictions and a great deal of uncertainty, they’ve decided to cancel the Lincoln show scheduled for 2nd December and hope to begin again in spring 2021. In the meantime they will host pop-up, drive-in antiques markets at the Lincolnshire Showground, held at short notice if and when the conditions are right. They will also be hosting more virtual events on Instagram. 01298 27493; asfairs.com; @asfairs

Helen and Alan Yourston and their team run the highly popular Malvern Flea in Worcestershire, which is held nine times a year, as well as antiques fairs and markets in Detling in Kent, Malvern and Edinburgh. They were quick to adapt some of their events so they could get them on the ground this summer and autumn. Their last event of the year is Malvern Flea on 13th December. 01636 676531; b2bevents.info; @b2beventsfairs

This organisation runs The Art & Antiques Fair Olympia in June and the Winter Art & Antiques Fair at Olympia London in November. Dates are set for 2021 and information will be published in future issues of H&A. olympia-antiques.com; @olympiaartantiques

Continuity holds antiques fairs across the UK at locations in Bath, Stafford, Anglesey, Builth Wells, Epsom, Harrogate and Exeter. The Bingley Hall event at the Staffordshire County Showground is due to take place from 12th–13th December, the last fair of the year. 01584 873634; continuityfairs.co.uk; @continuityfairs

Fairs doyenne Sue Ede runs the Shepton Flea in Somerset, the Decorative Fairs in Bath and Bruton, the Exeter Matford Fair and a selection of high-end antiques and art fairs under the banner of Cooper Events. These fairs are held in historic and interesting buildings in Buxton, the Cotswolds, Harrogate and Chester throughout the year. 01278 784912; cooperevents.com;@cooperantiques

Lucy Haywood started holding village hall markets about 12 years ago to bring together small businesses at beautiful venues. Now known as Country Brocantes, these are highly popular and well-attended selling events at stunning locations and country estates in West Sussex and the Cotswolds, where you’ll find a mix of decorative antiques and interiors along with handmade and vintage pieces. To adapt to this year’s restrictions, Lucy held an Insta event in May and launched an open-air fair called In the Meadows. For the winter, she’s holding a monthly Fair in the Square at Midhurst Market Square, with the next scheduled for Saturday 12th December. thecountrybrocante.co.uk;@thecountrybrocante

Running since 1985, this world-renowned London fair known as Battersea (due to its location at Battersea Park) takes place three times a year in winter, spring and autumn. Its spring and autumn editions were hit by Covid regulations but organisers are planning The Digital Decorative. Keep checking in for more details about how to buy from some of the best decorative antiques and textiles dealers around. decorativefair.com; @decorativefair

Keeley Rosendale organises the Festival of Vintage in York and the Vintage Home Shows in Leeds, Manchester and the Midlands. Her last fair of 2020 is scheduled to be in Leeds at Pudsey Civic Hall on 29th November. Keeley has also launched the Discover Vintage Marketplace to provide a vintage shopping platform for dealers who usually sell at fairs. Visit discovervintage.co.uk. 07880 910361; vintagehomeshow.co.uk;@vintagehomeshow

Antiques and vintage afficionado Sally Knott set up a brocante at the Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset in May 2016. It was such a success that she started holding more events in beautiful locations. While her real-life markets have been halted this year, in 2021 she’s planning brocantes at Deans Court in Dorset in May and August and at Latton Priory in Essex in July. During the lockdown, she didn’t sit on her laurels and launched online brocantes, which were a fantastic hit. Follow @thedorsetbrocante for updates.thedorsetbrocante.co.uk

The family-run Dovehouse Fine Antiques Fairs started in Surrey in 2012 and now heads up the monthly Dorking Halls Antiques & Decorative Arts Fair and the biannual Little Chelsea Decorative Arts & Antiques Fair in London. The last Dorking fair for this year is on 15th November. 07952 689717; dovehousefineantiquesfairs.com;@dovehouseantiquesfairs

Matthew Adams’ dreamy vintage fashion fair Frock Me! has beenrunning since 1997 at Chelsea Old Town Hall and Kensington Town Hall. Get your fashion fix via the lovely Instagram account, where beautiful archive images of sartorial elegance are posted. 020 7503 9171; frockmevintagefashion.com; @frockmevintagefair

Richard and Susan Galloway have been organising quality antiques and fine art fairs in some of the country’s finest stately homes for over 20 years, including Scone Palace near Perth, Duncombe Park in Yorkshire, Arley Hall in Cheshire and Holker Hall in Cumbria. Having cancelled most events for 2020, we eagerly await their return. 01423 522122; gallowayfairs.co.uk; @gallowayfairs

These fun and colourful flea markets in the capital are right up our street and continue apace for now. If all goes to plan, there will be a Hackney Flea Market on 5th December and a Hackney Flea-Mas Market on 19th December both at Abney Hall, Stoke Newington, London.hackneyfleamarket.com;@hackneyfleamarket

The fairs and markets hosted by IACF are some of the biggest in the UK and most are held on large outdoor sites, which has meant many could still go ahead within Covid guidelines. The organisation’s key fairs and markets are Ardingly and Newark, but there are also IACF events at Shepton Mallet in Somerset, Peterborough, Newbury and north London. This month, the Newark fair is on from 3rd to 4th December.01636 702326; iacf.co.uk;@iacfantiquefairs

Emma and Oli Jones have been running the Shrewsbury Flea at the West Mid Showground in Shropshire since 2015 and have recently taken over Oswestry Antique & Collectors fair at Oswestry Showground close by. Their events were still able to go ahead this autumn with Covid guidelines in place – the last fair of the year is Oswestry on 14th–15th November. 07584 357808; josevents.co.uk; @events_jos

Angela and Donny Mann run antiques, collectables and vintage fairs at Lingfield and Brighton racecourses every month. They had to bring in cancellations but Lingfield, which is in Surrey, is scheduled to go ahead on 22nd November and will hopefully enjoy its first 2021 date on 31st January. 01293 690777; lovefairs.com; @lovefairs

Two antiques and vintage fairs are run by Madison Events – a monthly fair at The Weatherley Centre in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire and a quarterly event at Wyllyotts Theatre in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. They both have about 40–50 dealers.01480 382432; madisonevents.co.uk;@madisoneventsuk

This antique, collectables and vintage fair is held most months in the medieval St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich. Unable to host fairs at the moment, the organisers plan to return bigger and better in 2021 with their first fair scheduled for Saturday 13th February. 07921 707116; norwichbrocante.com

Caroline Brown has been running vintage events in and around Yorkshire since 2007. The Saltaire Vintage Home & Fashion Fair is the best known, but she also holds the Leeds Vintage Furniture & Home Fair several times a year and a Seaside Vintage Fair in Whitby in July and October. She’s hoping to kick off 2021 with an event in Saltaire in January, so do keep checking. 07985 181120; roseandbrownvintage.co.uk; @roseandbrownvintage

The So Last Century events held in Beckenham, Catford, Croydon and New Cross in south London are run by friends Alison Davis and Alan Old, who started the markets in 2015. Their events at the Mansion at Beckenham Place Park are incredibly popular and they’re hoping to go ahead with the So Last Century Christmas Vintage Market at the venue on Sunday 13th December.solastcenturyfair.co.uk

Held early mornings on the second and last Tuesday of every month at Kempton Park Racecourse and known affectionately as ‘Kempton’, this famous antiques market run by Edward Cruttenden is a fun and fast-paced selling frenzy. It currently meets Covid criteria and therefore is continuing its regular dates – the last event of the year is Tuesday 8th December. 01932 230946; sunburyantiques.com;@sunburyantiques

Daryl Bowen’s fabulous vintage fairs are held at The Assembly Rooms in Chichester every month. To adapt this year and make proceedings Covid safe, the event was moved outside into the building’s historic portico and it is hoped the Vintage & Very Nice Christmas Market Bazaar will go ahead on 27th–28th November. vintageandverynice.co.uk;@vintageverynice

Vintage trader Karen Stuckey has taken over from Cary Whitley to run the Wanstead Vintage Fairs in the beautiful Grade II-listed Wanstead United Reformed Church in east London. The market takes place three times a year and Karen hopes she’ll be able to go ahead with the Christmas fair on Saturday 19th December, which will mark the fair’s 10th anniversary. wansteadvintage.com;@wansteadvintage