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Bromley Pageant - this Sunday but....


Peter C

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As this is one of the biggest classic car and autojumble events in the south east, I was tempted to make an appearance. However, having just checked the organiser’s website, I noted that the entrance fee for an adult is £17. I’m not skint but that is taking the piss a bit. Factor in the cost of fuel to get to and home from Bromley and the event is costing me over £30 before I’ve indulged myself in the autojumble.

I’m oout.

 

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I agree £17 is a bit much. This show seems to have got stale over recent years and I haven't enjoyed it as much as I used to. Too many stalls selling non car related tat and too many lines of (to me) nearly new cars. Just seems to have generally lost its mojo. Plus if it's a hot day (ok prob no chance of that this year) there's nowhere to take a break from the sun. Yes and it creates horrendous traffic queues.

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14 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

In theory, there is a 2005 cut-off. I've not been for at least nine years, but will be there with the Fox and a HubNut stand. Planning to get there for 7am...

Bril! In that case despite my whinging above I might go.....

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43 minutes ago, skoda_fan said:

I agree £17 is a bit much. This show seems to have got stale over recent years and I haven't enjoyed it as much as I used to. Too many stalls selling non car related tat and too many lines of (to me) nearly new cars. Just seems to have generally lost its mojo. Plus if it's a hot day (ok prob no chance of that this year) there's nowhere to take a break from the sun. Yes and it creates horrendous traffic queues.

Exactly this.

I went last year and was very disappointed with the modern stuff everywhere,lack of any genuine autojumble and the prices seemed inflated.

The Enfield pageant is ten times better.

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2 minutes ago, Joey spud said:

The Enfield pageant is ten times better.

ENGLEFIELD Green pageant is this weekend for any of you west Surrey, Middx lot. Free entry, properly local-style classic car show with at least 7 cars in attendance and another year goes past where none of them are mine :D, small beer festival, falconry, cake tent and it's going to be a beautiful TWENTY ONE DEGREES CELCIGRADE!!!111ONE

https://www.englefieldgreen.org.uk/fair/programme.php

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I was considering going but also clocked the entrance fee of £17 yesterday, the last time I went it was decent but probably 8 years ago now on a wet Sunday so the queues weren't bad. 

IF I was to go I would be aiming to get there really early.. however..I most probably will not.  

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I'll be there on DW's HubNut stand with the 11.  I've never been to this show before, despite it being only a few miles from me.  I think crowds plus boiling hot weather have put me off in the past.  I'm currently getting over a chest infection/heavy cold thing, so if it all becomes too much I might just have to slope off and fall asleep under a tree for a few hours!

 

 

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I'm sitting in Belfast City Airport back to Blighty for this. Yay. Top tip is to pre-book online for the one make car parking. Something like £12 including entrance for car, driver and passenger (cannot remember the exact price as my Dad booked). It has been a bit up and down quality-wise, but i enjoyed the last couple of years.

Edited by The_Equalizer
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20 hours ago, Amishtat said:

I haven't been to this for years, it always used to be a good day out but unless you're there good and early be prepared to sit in one hell of a queue to get in

I should add that you can dodge the queue quite easily by going via a place called Petts Wood and then down Southborough Lane. This brings you out on the A21 (where the queue will be) but only a couple of hundred metres from the entrance to the show. 

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I used to enjoy going to this, but last time I went was probably about 15 years ago. In the early days of the Datsun OC we were actually organised enough to get ourselves a stand:

4051707169_e147ff5ab9_o.jpg

Bromley Pageant Datsun OC 1995 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

I recall some mild tutting from an official as we had four cars on the stand not the permitted three.

Autojumble used to be excellent, got some great brochures there.

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I would go to the pageant every year when I lived around the corner but I went again a few years back and it just didn’t have the same vibe as it seemed that a lot of the cars were just max power rejects with stereos booming and I can have that free from my neighbours lol.

I would still give it a go for £12 for a car but at £17 each it’s a bit strong so will give it a miss and last year I was just out for a drive around Ninfield ( Hooe) in East Sussex and stumbled upon a great little car show so will see if that one is going this year.

So for me now it’s just the Bexhill 100 and Bodiam car shows plus Hooe if it’s on.

 

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There's a big wood right next to Norman Park, with a load of mountain bike trails running through it. Do they position a person with a high viz by all the holes in the hedge, I wonder? Unfortunately I'm going for a mate's birthday lunch in Chislehurst tomorrow but am tempted to 'go for a mountain bike ride' afterwards if it finishes early enough.

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I will be there, although I am borrowing Dad's MX5 mk1 as I don't enjoy motorways in the 2cv. I have been going for 20 odd years, and used to work it in the past. I will agree that it did loose it's way a bit for some years, but I have heard that Kelsey publishing now own it again. I know in the past that they put a hell of a lot of work into it, whereas the (then) new owners seemed to just see it as another show and not really care very much. This may be unfair, but seemed to be a fairly common view amongst people I spoke to. We will see what this year brings.  

I will be the slightly odd chap with awful shirt, poundland sunglasses and rylanesque beard!  ( I wonder why I am single!)

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6 hours ago, Rave said:

There's a big wood right next to Norman Park, with a load of mountain bike trails running through it. Do they position a person with a high viz by all the holes in the hedge, I wonder? Unfortunately I'm going for a mate's birthday lunch in Chislehurst tomorrow but am tempted to 'go for a mountain bike ride' afterwards if it finishes early enough.

In the past, yes they did, because I had the "pleasure" of this job one year. While it was quite amusing slyly watching people walk through the woods, and then appearing as they reached the fence, it also meant a lot of abuse from people who thought that they shouldn't have to pay! More recently they just secured fencing over any gaps.

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Haha thanks for the info, I'll not try it then. It's not so much that I think that I shouldn't have to pay to stand around in a park looking at cars, I just don't think I should have to pay 17 quid. I guess if it's popular enough to cause a tailback on the A21 then there must be enough people out there who do think that it's a reasonable price.

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22 minutes ago, EssDeeWon said:

Is that the carpark or part of the actual show?

It's the one make parking and normally some club stands. One half of the show and usually the more interesting bit (for me at least). Far more gaps than previous years.

Edited by The_Equalizer
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6 hours ago, The_Equalizer said:

One plus note, Kelsey are handing out free copies of...

Yes they were. Annoyingly I had previously bought a copy. They were also handing out the Show Guide, which was more like a mag than a guide, and worth having, and also Classic Car Buyer. So yes, I went after all and have to say I enjoyed it more than anticipated.

Highlights: Plenty of interesting vehicles to drool over. Great food from the Greek food stand. Some genuinely interesting stuff in the ring eg the classic car loan scheme, the MX5s, and of course HubNut with an eclectic selection. Nice to see him there even though I didn't get a chance to chat as he always looked pretty busy. Bought some fine merchandise from his stand though. Nice weather without being scorchio.

Lowlights: Too many stalls selling tat (as before). Yes, swathes of empty space in the one make parking. Too much of the motorbike display team fella whose (overamplified) voice drove me to distraction.

Verdict: Worth going after all. Not perfect, but better than previous years...a good day out to be fair.

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