Coming Up: 2011 Brimfield Antique Show
A co-worker–and Boston native–recently told me about this massive antique show in Brimfield, Ma, located just over an hour out of the city. It runs several weeks throughout the year but the last show for 2011 will be held next week, September 6-11.
I plan to attend the event but since I have never been before I can only share the information that is provided by the show organizers. So here are the details:
- The Brimfield Antiques Show began in the 1950’s and has become the largest and best-known outdoor antiques show in the country.
- Running along Rt. 20 for a distance of perhaps a half-mile, the Brimfield Show is a huge, vast undertaking, filled with thousands of dealers over the course of the week, selling everything from the finest antiques to ‘yard junk’, requiring a day or two to see everything there is to see.
- During show-times, the town’s population balloons to over 250,000 visitors and over 5,000 dealers for the 6 days the Show operates.
- A few of the Fields require an entrance fee on the initial opening, usually $5.00-10.00, which tends to be waived later in the day. Most fields do not have any entrance fee, and generally, you can move freely from field to field.
- Most dealers opt to show their wares inside large and comfortable tents, and all fields are contiguously located next to each other, so seeing everything is an easy stroll.
- There is almost always plenty of parking available, at $6.00 – 8.00 in the middle of town, a bargain in itself. Also, in the middle of the show, the New England Motel hosts the largest and most popular food court with a wide variety of food booths to satisfy every taste.
- By far the largest inconvenience to the whole show is the traffic getting into and out of town, which can range from none to over 8 miles of backup. Traffic is unpredictable, and often determined by the weather. For quicker access into the show, take Exit 8 on the MA Pike, (Rt. 90) through Palmer onto Rt 20 East to Brimfield. Directions are posted at the toll booths.
I personally can’t wait to spend an entire day scoping out all the vendor’s items. Here is a list of the vendors that details the days and hours they will be out selling their antiques. If you have any more questions check out the FAQ’s section of the website. Also, I recommend reading this informative and well-written/photographed blog post about the show to give you an idea of what to expect.
Below is a map of the vendors.
Also, check out some videos shot at the show in the past. This one features the dealers and the one below talks with buyers/collector.