Bizarre Bazaar

This year’s annual event was not as impressive as previous years that I have attended. Didn’t feel very well that Sunday; the last day of the event, and was only present for maybe the ending 3 hours, at most. Me and my Mother walked through the vendor booths pretty quickly, skipping things we didn’t feel we absolutely needed to see. There was definitely more room to walk with it about to end, there were far less people there then than when I’ve gone on a Saturday morning. One perk about being there during the final hour, on the final day; a lot of vendors want to get rid of as much of their inventory as possible and give you great deals within the last hour down to 10 minute call mark.
All in all, this is still one of my favorite events and I will continue to attend every year as I have been doing so the past 3 years. It is definitely worth you coming to check it out. There is always something that will satisfy every type of person.

Elizabeth F.‘s review is right on point for this craft fair. Of all the craft fairs in Richmond, I can say that the Bizarre Bazaar is my favorite. It usually happens twice a year in the Spring and around Christmas time. I will note that you do typically see a lot of the same vendors show after show however they definitely do a good job of getting new vendors in as well.
The reviews mentioning the large amount of people that attend this craft fair are completely correct. I’ve tried everything, getting there as soon as it opens (where you will be waiting in a long line to file in), going on the first day during my normal work hours (still wall to wall people) and I’ve never found that exact right time to go so just get ready for the crowds!
My typical pattern is to write down the people I’m shopping for ahead of time so I don’t loose focus since there really are sooooo many vendors. Don’t forget to get a coupon online for 50 cents off and purchase your ticket online as that is so much easier than than having to wait in two lines and then shop shop shop! Cheers to RIR for serving boxed wine at the concession this year!

meh! Many vendors were obviously worn out by yesterday afternoon and it showed in their attitudes. While there were several lovely folks, a few bad apples… BB would do well to weed out a few people. I picked up several hundred dollars worth of gifts, but there were a few things I genuinely wanted, but refused to purchase from rude sellers. Next week I’ll go earlier, but the selection was great.

«The world is a goddamned evil place, the strong prey on the weak, the rich on the poor; I’ve given up hope that there is a God that will save us all. How am I supposed to believe that there’s a heaven and a hell when all I see now is hell.»
The Bizarre Bazaar or as I call it «The 4-​day Rape of Christmas» happens every year and all you need to know is WOMEN LOVE THIS SHIT! Oh yeah, and ‘confirmed bachelors’ who still live at home in their mid 40’s.
Fun Fact: Did you know the idea behind ‘The Walking Dead’ was inspired by someone attending this event in 2003? True story.
Wall to wall crap can be found here, it’s like a Oriental Trading catalog threw up all over the place. The mix of cinnamon, cedar, and loneliness will intoxicate you to new all time lows. Load up on Prozac and wear your comfy shoes, it’s going to be a long day.
I can tell you this, dear reader… if you’re into this sort of thing, you will love it… if you like people but hate crowds, well… you’ve been warned.

The Bizarre Bazaar is a wonderful Christmas show to go to! It provides a unique shopping opportunity where nonprofit organizations and charities can raise funds for their worthy causes. There are many things to be purchased at this event, from all sorts of crafts to fine foods. This event has been going on since 1975! There are four exhibition buildings that house over 475 exhibitors, both regional and national. What’s cool about the Bizarre Bazaar is that the holiday shopping helps raise over $ 75,000 for more than 35 different non-​profit organizations around Richmond.
They also host VCU Massey Cancer Center’s Opening Night Annual Shopping Spree. Over a half a million dollars have been raised for Massey over the past 11 years. All for a good cause! The Massey Opening Night Shopping Spree is held on Wednesday, the day before the Bizarre Bizaar is opened to the general public. For the first event at 5pm, the Merry Massey Patron level, tickets are $ 100. For the second event at 6pm, the Happy Holly Patron level, tickets are $ 40. At the Merry Massey Patron event, there are heavy Hors d’oeuvres available, from lobster cheesecake, shrimp cocktails, beef tenderloin, etc. There are also bars located throughout the exhibition halls during this event as well. They serve both white and red wine, soda, and water. I was fortunate enough to volunteer at this event with Unilocal Helps. I was «bartendering» at the event, and it was a lot of fun!
If you would like a re-​entry pass, they’re available for $ 1. Definitely a great deal, especially if you want to shop more!
There’s also another show in the spring called the Spring Market. Its held during the first weekend during April. I highly recommend going to either the Spring Market show or the Christmas Collection show. This is a wonderful shopping event where you can find lots of things that you cannot find at your local mall. Plus, its a great way to support local nonprofit organizations and charities!

Okay, I seriously love Bizarre Bazaar.
Since I moved to Richmond about five years ago, I’ve gone every year to both the spring and Christmas shows. I’ve also been lucky enough to go on Wednesday night for the Christmas show. For three of the years a friend and I volunteered with Massey Cancer as the funds for the entrance on Wednesday night benefits the group, and we’ve been able to take a sneak peak for when we went back that weekend to shop!
If you can afford it, Wednesday night is the way to go. Unless you have a lot of excess cash, it’s pricey — $ 105 to start shopping at 5pm or $ 40 to start shopping at 6:30pm. All the product is there, people are friendly and there’s food, wine, and drinks to help while you shop the four giants rooms! AND there aren’t any crowds. You can walk at any pace you want!
This year I actually won tickets off the radio and got to go Wednesday night to just shop and not work. It was great because we had no pressure and I had already made arrangements to go on Saturday, so this way I was able to get in for $ 1 then!
Note — get a reentry pass if you go any day other than Sunday. You pay $ 1 (put it away from the other money in your wallet just in case you might spend it), and you can come in to shop another day. I’ve had non-buyer’s remorse and regretted not having that pass and paid another $ 6.50 one year to get in a second time.
This year was another great haul! I got presents for everyone on my list (and some for me!)! I actually have one booth who remembers me every time. Seriously. If I’m not shopping with my mom (it’s a great mother-​daugher bonding!), she’ll ask me where she is…
Seriously, check it out. And go to the website to get the $ 0.50 coupon for admittance!

Christmas-​a-​polooza is an understatement.
The annual Bizarre Bazaar is an incredible collection of craft and gift vendors from up and down the east coast. From clothes, to specialty foods, to hand-​made just about anything, there is something here for everyone when doing some Christmas shopping. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring your own shopping bag as you tour three buildings chock full of holiday goodies.
But this event has gotten so wildly popular, the weekends have gotten too crowded to see much of anything. Next year, I will take off from work and go during the week!

If you’re a shop-​a-​holic, or if you love flea markets and art festivals, this should be on your annual calendar. It’s kind of a combination of all three things. I like buying handcrafted jewelry and pottery from local artisans and always find great stuff here. There are two big shows, one in early December with tons of holiday stuff and one in the spring with (you guessed it) lots of bunnies and garden stuff.
The shows are held at RIR (the raceway) and they’re huge, so wear comfortable shoes, bring your water bottle, and also something to haul your loot in. I have one of those rolling shopping carts from my New York grocery shopping days. You do have to pay an admission fee to get in, but for $ 1 you can get a re-​entry pass to go back on the next day.
I love that on their website it says they have three loaner wheelchairs (woo hoo!), so if you need to sit while you shop, I recommend BYOW (bring your own wheelchair).