Fairs and Markets

STAYING in the United States, but in the warmer climes of the South, Palm Beach, Florida, is becoming a busy place for art and antiques of all types.

SOME months ago I reported that Reindeer Antiques from Northamptonshire were planning a Reindeer Antiques Centre. That is now up and running and officially opened to the public on January 2.

HAVING had to drop plans for a fill-in fair between Swinderby and Newark at RAF Wymeswold, Jaguar Fairs will now launch one at the Lincolnshire Showground instead.

NOW firmly established as a truly international forum for ceramics, the sixth annual New York Ceramics Fair returns to the National Academy of Design Museum, 1083 Fifth Avenue from January 19 to 23 with a $75 preview evening on January 18.

THE Westpoint Antique and Collectors Fair will revert to being a two-day event when it kicks off Devon County Antiques Fairs 24-date programme for 2005.

LAST year Fran Foster launched her new event, the National Fine Art & Antiques Fair, at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre and, from January 19 to 23, it returns to the Forum, which is arguably the most popular of the NEC’s many halls for antiques fixtures.

ESTABLISHED in 1976, the annual West London Antiques Fair is traditionally the first quality fair of the year and a sure sign that the trade is well and truly back in harness after the seasonal break.

CARMARTHEN’S own Towy Antiques Fairs ended the year on a high note with good sales across the board at their Christmas Carmarthen Antiques & Collectors’ Fair, held at the local showground on December 11 and 12.

CONSOLIDATING his comeback, Reg Cooper, who now operates as Caminade Antiques Fairs, encountered a bit of old-fashioned fair wars skulduggery at his second Oxfordshire Antiques Fair, held from December 10 to 12 at Heythrop Park.

AFTER 43 years, the annual Original Miami Beach Antique Show is a world attraction but, despite its longevity, it still rings the changes, as you will see at this year’s staging from January 20 to 24 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive.

WEST Midlands Police have arrested three people from Birmingham in connection with the theft of Staffordshire figures from the Antiques for Everyone fair after the items were spotted on eBay.

LAPADA will return to The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse for their 2005 Autumn Antiques and Fine Art Fair following last month’s inaugural event there. It will again be organised by Ingrid Nilson.

NEXT spring Caroline Penman launches a new fair at Chelsea Old Town Hall in King’s Road, London SW3. It will be called The King’s Road Antiques Fair and will run from March 11 to 13.

DMG Antiques Fairs have put up £350,000 for a new building at the Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground and secured the venue for another 20 years.

JAGUAR Fairs say they will launch an event to fill the gap now created between the Swinderby and Newark fairs.

DMG Antique Fairs have reconfirmed their commitment to the new three-day format Newark fairs for 2005. Acknowledging that many people had voiced strong views that had not gone unheard, managing director Jason Franks emphasised dmg’s long-term commitment to the fair in terms of promotion and investment linked to a weekend slot.

CLARION Events, organisers of the Olympia Fine Art and Antiques Fairs, have successfully completed a £45m management buy-out from their parent company, the Earls Court & Olympia Group (EC&O). They emphasise their continued commitment to the antiques fairs.

AS certain as Autumn’s falling leaves, the scam fair guides have come out of the woodwork once more to trap dealers in the run-up to the Winter Olympia fair.

NEXT year’s Watercolour and Drawings Fair will move to a new venue, the Royal Academy rooms at 6 Burlington Gardens, London W1, where it will run from February 3 to 6 with an opening evening preview on February 2.

NEXT year Arthur Swallow Fairs’ International Antiques and Collectors’ Fairs at RAF Swinderby will be held almost a full week before the Newark fair.