Why the Peterborough Doll Show Is Such a Special One
Tomorrow is Peterborough Doll Show day!
As I’m writing this, I’m surrounded by the last-minute preparations, checking babies, packing boxes and making sure everything is ready to load into the car before I head off for the show.
I’ve talked before about my very first doll show as an artist, and I’ve also written about [what to expect at your first Peterborough Doll Show]
So this time, I wanted to talk a little more about Peterborough itself, why this show is such a big one in the doll show calendar, and why people travel from all over to come along.
Peterborough is where The Doll Show began, and it has grown into one of the biggest and busiest dates in the doll show calendar.
And tomorrow, I'll be there with Willow Tree Reborns.
View the Peterborough Doll Show
The biggest Doll Show of the year
Peterborough is the original location for The Doll Show, and it remains a particularly important date in the calendar.
The summer Peterborough event is the big two-day show, giving visitors an entire weekend to explore the four large rooms filled with dolls, artists, traders, clothing, accessories and lots more.
The October show is a one-day event, but that doesn't mean there is any shortage of things to see.
Tomorrow's show takes place at the Holiday Inn Peterborough, with doors opening for VIP visitors from 9.30am and general entry from 10.30am. The show runs throughout the day, giving plenty of time to wander around, meet the artists and see all the dolls and accessories.
If you've never been to a Peterborough show before, you may be surprised by just how much there is packed into the venue.
Why people travel to Peterborough
One of the things I love about Peterborough is that it's not just a local event.
People travel from all over the country to come to the Doll Show, and when you're walking around the venue you really do get a sense that this is a meeting place for the wider doll community.
For collectors, it's a chance to see dolls in person that they've perhaps only ever seen online.
For artists, it's a chance to meet customers face to face and put faces to names.
And for people who are completely new to reborns, it's a chance to see just how much there is to the hobby.
For me, being able to meet people who follow Willow Tree Reborns online is one of the best parts of doing the shows.
I spend so much of my time in my home studio painting and preparing babies, so it's lovely to step away from my painting table and actually meet the people behind the names I see online.
Staying at the Peterborough hotel
The Peterborough Doll Show takes place at the Holiday Inn Peterborough - West, in Thorpe Wood.
The hotel is particularly convenient for anyone travelling from further away because you can stay at the same venue as the show.
The hotel has 133 bedrooms, on-site parking, a restaurant, swimming pool, gym and spa facilities, so there's plenty there if you're making a weekend of your visit.
Find out more about the Holiday Inn Peterborough
For the two-day summer Peterborough show, staying at the hotel makes even more sense.
You can arrive on the Saturday, spend the day at the show, enjoy the evening and then be right there for Sunday morning.
It really does feel more like a little doll weekend than simply a day out.
And even for the October show, there is something quite nice about staying over if you're travelling a long way.
Getting to the Peterborough Doll Show
Peterborough is also a convenient location for a national doll show.
If you're driving, the Holiday Inn is in Thorpe Wood and is close to the A1(M) and A47, making it accessible from a number of different directions. The hotel has a large on-site car park too.
And if you're travelling by train, Peterborough railway station is around 2 miles from the Holiday Inn, so it's actually quite close.
The hotel says Peterborough Station is approximately two miles away, with the journey from the station to the hotel being much easier by taxi than attempting the walk with luggage.
So whether you're driving across the country or travelling by train, Peterborough is a fairly straightforward place to get to.
And then there is the summer show...
Although I'm getting ready for tomorrow's October show as I write this, I already know that one of the things I'll be thinking about afterwards is the two-day Peterborough show in the summer.
There is something rather special about having two whole days.
You don't have to rush around trying to see everything. You can take your time, come back to something you spotted earlier, chat to artists and traders and simply enjoy being surrounded by people who love dolls as much as you do.
The 2026 summer Peterborough show ran over Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th June, showing just how different the two-day event can feel compared with the October one-day show.
If you've never been to the summer Peterborough show, it's definitely one to put on your list.
What makes Peterborough different?
I think it's difficult to explain the atmosphere of a doll show until you've actually experienced one.
You can look at photographs online, watch videos and follow artists on social media, but it’s very different when you’re actually standing there surrounded by dolls and meeting artists. And yes, I still get a little starstruck!
And Peterborough has that on a much bigger scale.
There are artists to meet, babies to see, outfits and accessories to browse, collectors to chat with and plenty of opportunities to discover something you didn't even know you were looking for.
For an artist working from a home studio, it's also a lovely change from spending so much of my time behind my painting table.
Tomorrow, I'll be setting up the Willow Tree Reborns table, bringing along my babies, accessories and plenty of things for you to look at in person.
So, I'll see you tomorrow!
If you're coming to the Peterborough Doll Show tomorrow, Sunday 11th October, please come and say hello.
Whether you've been following Willow Tree Reborns for years, you're already a reborn collector, you're thinking about welcoming your first baby home, or you're simply curious about what reborns are all about, I'd love to meet you.
I'll be there with my babies, ready for a day of chatting, cuddling babies and hopefully meeting lots of familiar faces.
And if you've never been to a Doll Show before, perhaps tomorrow will be the day you discover why so many of us keep coming back.
I'll see you at Peterborough!
