Craft Fairs in March/April 2018

I made a decision not to do any craft fairs this year, to take a break and concentrate on making and selling online.

I'll still be visiting a few though, to check them out as possible venues for the future and to review them on here. I'll be reviewing them as both a potential seller and customer, looking at the venue, facilities, number of stands, customer numbers and demographic, quality and diversity of crafts, whether goods are handmade or not, and the general atmosphere of the event.

The first one I plan to visit is the Contemporary Textiles Fair at Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington. It starts on Friday 16th March, open in the evening from 6-8.30pm, and 10-5 Saturday & Sunday 17th/18th March.

"The Contemporary Textiles Fair 2018 brings you over 70 stands featuring the best contemporary textiles in the UK. This annual event is almost unique in its focus on textile artists and makers, unencumbered by suppliers and other craft disciplines. Our exhibitors show and sell a vast range of contemporary textiles, from needle-felted wool portraiture, to silk-knitted garments, stitched mixed media canvases, to geometric weaving."

 I've thought about selling at this event for the past couple of years, but wasn't sure whether it would work for me or not, so it will be interesting to see what it's like.



Other events in March/April that I've sold at previously, and might do again, are the Lancing College Craft Show on Saturday & Sunday 7th/8th April and the Farmers & Makers' Fair at Architectural Plants, near Pulborough, on Saturday 31st March.

Both of these are 'handmade-only' events, so there shouldn't be anything bought-in or mass-produced, and sellers/goods are carefully curated and checked by the organisers when booking.

I've sold at Lancing College for a few years, mainly at the October Craft Shows, and really enjoy it there. It's well-organised, friendly and usually quite busy. It's certainly one that I'd consider doing again.

Architectural Plants started their Farmers & Makers' Fairs last year, with the first one in September 2017. I had a stand there and did very well. It was busy, with a good visitor demographic, and had obviously been well-advertised. They followed up with a Christmas Fair in December, which I didn't go to, and they have three more fairs planned for 2018. I hope to visit at least one of them to see how they're doing now, and whether they're still as well-attended as the first one.