Every year, tens of thousands of curious shoppers flock to Brimfield to explore “America’s oldest outdoor antiques flea market,” according to Brimfieldantiquefleamarket.com
Brimfield, a town with a population of less than 4,000 people, draws in an estimated 50,000 visitors for its world-famous antique markets.
There are three markets throughout the year, each of which lasts six days — one in May, another in July, and a final showing in September.
Veteran shoppers may offer newcomers advice on which fields are the best to shop, where to park and the best times to visit, but others have thoughts about which show they think is the best to attend weather-wise.
Clay Smith, a Brimfield Flea Market regular, said in a Facebook post he always hears the same “it’s too hot in July” comments about the summer market, which runs from July 9 to 14, this year.
Smith argues, historically, the summer show is “the nicest week weather-wise, and many times the other two shows, the temps are actually as hot or hotter.”
Some marketers took to the Facebook comments with a range of thoughts on the subject, with some agreeing and sharing they think the September showings have been hotter than the July showings over the past few years.
One user said the September showings have even been more humid and suggested shoppers “simply plan ahead … keep hydrated … bring and drink plenty of water.”
After looking at weather archives from Weather Underground, a weather forecast network, data shows some of the September showings were hotter on average than the July showings, but not usually.
In 2023, the July showing had an average temperature of 81.8 degrees Fahrenheit and September saw an average of 84 degrees Fahrenheit during flea market week.
In 2022, July saw an average of 81.1 degrees Fahrenheit during flea market week while September saw an average of 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit — over 10 degrees cooler on average than the July event that year.
As one commenter pointed out on Smith’s post, in New England, “the weather changes from one hour to the next,” and people can “come up with excuses to go or not during any of the 3 shows,” but if they really want to go, they’ll come prepared.
Here is a listing of what the weather highs (Fahrenehit) have been during the Brimfield Flea Market showings from 2020 to 2024, as recorded by Weather Underground.
2024
| 2024 | Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Sat. | Sun. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| High | 77 | 68 | 64 | 70 | 56 | 62 |
| July | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| expected High, in Fahrenheit according to the National Weather Service | 88 | tbd | tbd | tbd | tbd | tbd |
2023
| Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Sat. | Sun. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| High | 63 | 69 | 76 | 81 | 78 | 64 |
| July | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| High | 83 | 87 | 83 | 78 | 84 | 76 |
| Sept. | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| High | 85 | 87 | 90 | 82 | 82 | 78 |
In 2023, September saw the hottest temperatures on average among the three showings. May had an average temperature of 71.8 degrees Fahrenheit. July’s average was 81.8 degrees Fahrenheit and September’s average was 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
2022
| 2020 | Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Sat. | Sun. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| High | 61 | 68 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 77 |
| July | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| High | 84 | 83 | 80 | 79 | 78 | 83 |
| Sept. | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| High | 62 | 67 | 72 | 77 | 80 | 72 |
In 2022, May saw an average temperature of 73.6 degrees Fahrenheit during its spring showing. July’s average was 81.8 degrees Fahrenheit — over 10 degrees higher than September’s average of 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
2021
| 2021 | Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Sat. | Sun. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| High | 59 | 61 | 65 | 72 | 75 | 73 |
| July | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| High | 66 | 81 | 84 | 87 | 85 | 70 |
| Sept. | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| High | 73 | 79 | 71 | 69 | 72 | 77 |
July had the warmest showing in 2021, though only five degrees warmer than the September showing. July had an average temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit and September had an average of 73.5 degrees Fahrenheit. May was the coolest at 67.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
2020
| 2020 | Tues. | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Sat. | Sun. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| High | 51 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 68 | 85 |
| July | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| High | 79 | 72 | 74 | 72 | 87 | 93 |
| Sept. | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| High | 81 | 78 | 79 | 72 | 66 | 71 |
In 2020, Septemeber’s average temperature during flea market week was 74.5 degrees Fahrenheit. While July was hotter on average, the difference was only 5 degrees, with July’s average of 79.5 degrees Fahrenheit. May was the coolest showing with an average of 67.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Conclusion:
Over the past five years, the July flea market week has been historically warmer with the exception of 2023. Since 2020, the May showings have consistently been the coolest out of the three.
However, it is worth noting that in 2020 and 2021, the average difference in temperature between the July and September showings was only five degrees. It is also worth noting that temperatures varied from day to day, and while the average showed July was warmer, September still had days that were hotter than other days during the July showings.
