In no particular order, a combination of research and votes of the 10 best worldwide flea markets & antique shows…
USA
The 127 Corridor Sale, Jamestown, TN
Also known as the World’s Longest Yard Sale, he 127 Corridor flea market stretches along hundreds of miles on the highway between Jamestown, Tennessee, and Gadsden, Alabama. Over 2,000 vendors – ranging from families selling goods on their front lawns to professional vendors who rent an empty lot, park, or field – sell antiques and oddities.
Daytona Flea Market, Daytona, FL
More than a thousand booths vend all kinds of interesting items. Among the expected flea market finds, you may spot some alligator heads, concrete garden statues, high-tech golf equipment, and neon fountains. The flea market is in full swing from Friday through Sunday, year round.
Shipshewana Flea Market, Shipshewana, Indiana
Located in Indiana’s Amish country, hundreds of vendors sell everything from fresh fruit to locally handcrafted furniture. The market began in 1922 when farmers participating in the town’s livestock auction sold miscellaneous items in a parking lot. The flea market takes place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between May and October.
The All Night Flea Market, Wheaton, Illinois
One night a year during the third week of August, after the sun sets, thousands of flashlight-toting bargain hunters descend upon the town of Wheaton to search hundreds of stalls purveying old and new merchandise. They have only until morning to find their bargains, when they go home bleary-eyed and shopped out. Some say it is the most fun they have ever had a flea market.
San Jose Flea Market, San Jose, California
The San Jose Flea Market, in existence since 1960, is one of the world’s largest. Close to 10 miles of treasure-filled paths and corridors showcase arts and crafts, comic books, jewelry, shoes, fishing supplies, tools, auto accessories, furniture, and antiques. Expect lots of food carts and snack bars. The quarter-mile Produce Row Farmer’s Market is legendary. The flea market takes place Wednesday through Sunday.
Brimfield Outdoor Antiques Show, Brimfield, Massachusetts
More than 5,000 antiques and collectibles dealers sprawl across 23 former farm fields at Brimfield’s popular flea market, making it the largest in New England. You name it, this place has it: furniture, pictures, new and secondhand clothes – all at rock bottom prices.
Rose Bowl Flea Market, Pasadena, California
The Rose Bowl Flea Market, featuring more than 2,000 vendors, is hands-down Los Angeles’s largest secondhand marketplace. This is the place to find pop culture artifacts – a Monkees lunch box, Barbie camper, or Wheel of Fortune pillow, perhaps, with surfboards, record collections, lawn art, and who knows what else. The flea market occurs the second Sunday of every month.
France
Marche Aux Puces De Clignancourt, Les Puces de Saint-Ouen at Clignancourt 48, Paris
Paris is flea market heaven, and the mother of all flea markets is Marche aux Puces de Clignancourt. Dating back to 1920 and boasting up to 3,000 stalls, this daily flea market purveys everything from jewelry, chandeliers, fabric, and paintings to musical instruments, vintage postcards, and eclectic French collections.
England
Bermondsey Market, Long Lane and Bermondsey Street, London
Bermondsey Market, one of London’s main antiques markets, attracts dealers from all over and is a mecca for serious collectors. Each Friday the dealers set up their stalls at dawn. Be there early before most of the best bargains become long gone.
Argentina
San Telma Flea Market, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The frenetic San Telmo Flea Market centers on Calle Defensa between Avenue Independecia and Avenue San Juan, with most of the action on Plaza Dorrego. You will join throngs of people searching for a deal among the many stalls overflowing with antiques, trinkets, costume jewelry, vintage movie posters, and artwork.
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