please empty your brain below
that was well-timed, I'm going to Olympia today, thanks to a free ticket from British Gas, for weekdays only, and this is my only completely free day this week. Thanks for the warning about goody bags, which are nearly always disappointing, but I'm sure I'll see something of interest there.

amber | 27.03.18 - 7:10 a.m. | #

When you say "The Eat and Drink Festival has been running at Olympia since 2017", is that on a rather unimpressive annual basis, or continuously?

Ian | 27.03.18 - 7:18 a.m. | #

The Ideal Home event used to be at Olympia, I think they only moved to Earls Court after Earls Court 2 was built giving 2 halls at that venue.So the Home show has returned home.

John | 27.03.18 - 7:30 a.m. | #

There is something deeply reassuring knowing that the Ideal Home Show is still in existence.

DG's description and pictures of the show (and the availability of anti-lint devices) confirm that little has changed over the last 60 years.
Rather like warm buttered toast or the boat race, you just know that everything is STILL alright with the home counties world.

As John notes above, its home was always Olympia. As a child in the 60s, a visit also meant a trip on that odd little branch off the district line on ancient rolling stock.

MrMoanalot | 27.03.18 - 8:13 a.m. | #

So effectively you are visiting 'advertville', I get the impression that like the Boxing Day sales, the Ideal Home Show isn't the event it used to be (perhaps they go to IKEA), perhaps its only the Chelsea Flower Show that still has the cachet.

Still Anon | 27.03.18 - 8:15 a.m. | #

We went on a weekday evening about ten years ago. It was exactly as you describe. We spent £10 on a magic oven-cleaning cream, .... which is still unopened in the cupboard.

Liz | 27.03.18 - 8:29 a.m. | #

When did the Daily Mail start their sponsorship?

dg writes: In 1908. They started it.

Andrew | 27.03.18 - 8:31 a.m. | #

Was there anyone there with a problem chimp?

Huw | 27.03.18 - 8:40 a.m. | #

I took my first ever trip to the Ideal Home Exhibition yesterday.

Didn't really enjoy the Food and Drink bit, which felt like a massive overpriced Borough Market, £7 for a hotdog, I don't think so.

The downstairs bit was interesting, especially for ideas for projects at home - but the real value entertainment was at the smaller stalls around the edge of Olympia. As you say, chancers selling their wares with impressive patter and demonstrations.

All of that said, I did end up with the cleanest spectacles ever - I just need to remember the product that was used to clean them!

Matt Rutherford | Homepage | 27.03.18 - 8:59 a.m. | #

Was that drawing of Harry and Meghan on the icing done by the same person who did the illustrations for the 1970s classic, "The Joy of Sex"?

Plastic Man | 27.03.18 - 9:03 a.m. | #

It's probably a side-effect of my joint Scot-Polish ancestry, but *everything* is 10x better if it's free. It doesn't matter if I'd never pay 5p for it in reality, when it's free its value is literally immeasurable. Free food tastes better, free dishwasher tabs clean better, etc, etc...

Chz | 27.03.18 - 10:14 a.m. | #

I went to the Boys and Girls show at Olympia in the 60s. These exhibitions always seemed to have one of those swirling painting things which were fascinating to watch.

Cornish Monkey | 27.03.18 - 10:40 a.m. | #

That goody bag has the makings of a series:
"Adventures in 24 hour hydration".
"Cranberry and almond - a realistic alternative to Ant n Dec?"
"I self watered my plants German-style whilst I cruised the Circle Line".
...

You're welcome.

drD | Homepage | 27.03.18 - 11:21 a.m. | #

drD, the goody bag has shrunk somewhat since dg's visit, or I got a faulty one, it has neither of the cooking ingredients dg describes (corn coating and curry of some sort), instead I got a Carabao energy drink. Anyway I'm now home from my visit there, I had a filling lunch of free samples of cheese, chocolate, sausages...probably not a well balanced meal, but of course there's no calories in free samples. Otherwise it was mostly interesting but I haven't got room for a jacuzzi or a lifesize wooden horse. A financial advisor tried to get me interested in equity release, but I only listened to him because it was an excuse to sit down. It's about 10 years since my last visit to the Ideal Home Show, so perhaps again 1n 2028...

amber | 27.03.18 - 5:54 p.m. | #

My dad was always a sucker for the latest gadget at the Ideal Home, the one I remember best being a potato slicer that did just as good a job on your fingers. They rarely got used for more than a couple of weeks before being consigned to the darkest cupboard.

His Yorkshire care with money (except when buying pointless gadgets) saved him one year from an IRA bomb, which went off inside while he waited at the door for cheap admission at 5 o'clock.

Andrew S | 27.03.18 - 6:35 p.m. | #

I've just received an email for 2 free tickets for tonight, 5-9pm.

Anyone reading this wanting them, drop me a line and I'll forward the email.

Does anyone actually *pay* for tickets for this show or are they all cut-price or free?

Blue Witch | Homepage | 29.03.18 - 2:20 p.m. | #











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