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Record Fair for Belfast?

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  • 09-05-2009 5:41pm
    #1
    Tea Spoon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 55 ✭✭


    Vital I believe still run the almost weekly Record Fairs across Northern Ireland in venues such as Ballymena, Newcastle, Cookstown, Londonderry etc. The highlight of the season used to be the quarterly fairs in Maysfield Leisue Centre, Belfast which was a 2 day event and attracted a huge amount of buyers and sellers alike. Sadly the last one was held in June 2004 shortly before Maysfield shut it's doors for good. Since then Belfast has not had a record fair at all.

    I put the suggestion to someone from Vital a couple of years ago of bringing a fair back to Belfast but the argument was that there was no suitable venue at the right price.

    I believe that one on the scale of the previous ones would draw a huge crowd and there are plenty of potential venues these days where one could be accomodated. We are the only major city in the UK and Ireland as far as I can see that do not have such an event. This is surely a situation that needs to be put right.

    I welcome other people's views on it.


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    #2
    Finksy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭Finksy


    I remember the fairs at Maysfield. I tried not to miss any of them. There was also a fair in Bangor and another in Newcastle that I went to, but they were nowhere near as big as the Maysfield fair. I was in Newcastle last year and I saw signs for the record fair there on the street. It turned out that they hadn't been taken down and the fair had been held earlier in the week at the tourist board building.

    I can't believe that a venue can't be found in all of Belfast. Let's face it the hall at Mayfield was almost too big for the number of dealers that were there.

    Since all the shops that sold rare/collector's items are now gone in N. Ireland (as far as I know) this would be a good way for dealers to sell straight to collector's. Generally people who go to fairs are looking to spend money on records. Why not give collector's in N.Ireland a chance to buy these items instead of dealer's putting them on eBay to sell to the highest bidder? Of course dealer's probably make more money doing this. eBay probably has a lot to do with the decline inf record fairs in general.

    The only argument against fairs being held again would be what I already mentioned. The shops that were selling rare items are all gone. Is there market for rare vinyl/Cd's in N. Ireland anymore? I spoke to one dealer that said that the public in N. Ireland can't really comprehend paying 50.00 or more for a 7" single for example. He said he's be rich if he had a pound for every time he heard the phrase "How much? there's only 2 songs on it".

    Maybe you'll have better luck next time if you see the guy from Vital or whoever still run's the other fairs. Maybe a one off fair would be a good idea to see how it goes.

    You brought back some good memories with your post.

    Take Care


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