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The Peterborough Festival of Antiques, held twice a year at the East of England Arena and Events Centre (EEAEC) and previously organised by BE Events, has announced that it has been acquired by International Antiques & Collectors Fairs (IACF), organiser of over 40 antiques and collectables fairs throughout the UK every year. BE Events has worked closely with IACF to effect a smooth transition in the ownership and organisation of the event.

Recognised internationally as a flagship event, The biannual Peterborough Festival of Antiques features the EEAEC’s 9600m² indoor event space filled to capacity with individual vendors selling a colossal range of antique and collectable goods, as well as an extensive marquee village of traders filling the outdoor venue space.

With a permanent home at East of England Arena, the event has been able to take advantage of almost unlimited scope for expansion both indoors and out. Since starting at the venue in 1999, the Peterborough Festival of Antiques has grown year on year, to become one of the largest antiques events in Europe, and the Easter edition of the fair reliably attracts huge crowds of more than 15,000 over the course of the event.

The acquisition of the Peterborough Festival of Antiques by the IACF will raise the event’s profile even further. The IACF’s events attract more than 150,000 visitors and 60,000 traders to its events in Newark, Ardingly, Shepton Mallet, Newbury, Bingley Hall and Alexandra Palace every year.

Will Thomas, managing director of IACF, outlined future plans for the Peterborough Festival of Antiques saying, “This event makes an incredible addition to the IACF family of events, cementing our position as the UK’s premier antiques event organisers.

Thomas concluded, “We hope to build on Peterborough’s current success by increasing the number of trade buyers, by using our comprehensive database and extensive list of contacts. The fair’s current format and layout have proved very popular and we do not plan to change anything.”

Jason Lunn, EEAEC venue director, welcomed the news, saying “The Peterborough Festival of Antiques has gone from strength to strength at the arena, and this move by IACF underlines its importance to the national and international antiques market.”