A little guide to one of my favourite Antique/Vintage Fairs - Ardingly - part of the International antique and collectors market group. They run 7 markets around the country and luckily the closest for us is this one which happens to be the largest Antique Market in the South of England. It's absolutely huge with up to 1700 wonderful stalls from all over the UK and Europe. The fair is run several times a year on a Tuesday and Wednesday - the next few dates are 22nd/23rd June and the 27th/28th July 2021. https://www.iacf.co.uk/ardingly
It's my absolute favourite way to spend a day, and you will need a whole day to explore all the stalls on offer. Ardingly runs over two days and costs £20 entrance on the first day which is full of trade buyers and £5 the following day (free if your going for a 2nd day). If you have a shopping list or are looking for something in particular I recommend going on the first day. Just be ready to queue with all the trade buyers if you arrive first thing! From 10am you'll more or less be able to walk straight in. It'll be busy, but it's really well spread out with a mixture of inside and outside stands (all adhering to covid rules & restrictions right now of course). If you're not going for anything in particular and just want to spend a nice day browsing I'd recommend going the second day. There is still a lot of stock to browse and buy and you are more likely to get a good deal. Parking is free, as are under 16's and you can take your doggies. Another tip - you can withdraw cash there in case you don't take enough on the day (most stall holders only take cash). There are also a lot of food and refreshment stalls to chose from.
I can't put in to words what a wide range of things you can find here, from Fine Art and collectables to giant green dinosaurs! There are a lot of European Decorative items which I am always on the look out for, and on my last visit I noticed there was a lot more vintage clothing stands with some really beautiful items. I don't just buy items for Cherry Vintage here, but a lot of my favourite pieces of furniture for our cottage have come from Ardingly too. It's impossible to come away empty handed (or in our case without something strapped to the roof of the car!)!!
