The AILO Christmas Bazaar is the highlight of our year as we make, collect, mend, clean and polish items that will be of interest to our many customers who have recognized our uniqueness over the years. The days we are open to the public give tangible evidence of our spirit of giving, and we are so happy to welcome back our “regulars” and meet newcomers in an atmosphere that is full of fun, laughter, music and hope.
For the last five years we have held the bazaar at the Tepidarium del Roster in the Giardino dell’Orticoltura, but now we have opted for a different type of location as restoration work is due to start there in October. This year we will be at the Ippodromo racecourse in the Cascine.
A bright new beginning, the racecourse will be open to all to come to see our eclectic variety of merchandise, vintage and new clothing and accessories, jewellery, toys, books, Christmas decorations, handmade items, and to take part the famous White Elephant, where you can find everything from the weird to the wonderful. The lottery boasts prizes from designer collections, jewellery, top-notch restaurants and gift hampers. And don’t miss the refreshments, including mulled wine and brownies, plus a choir singing Christmas carols and songs.
The races are also running on Saturday, November 22, and one or more races are being named in our honour, with the AILO Cup being presented to the winner by our president Judi Roselli.
This is the 50th edition of AILO’s Christmas Bazaar and we are proud that we have been able to fund projects from over 350 local charities over these years. The 2025 Donation Day ceremony was held at the Palazzo Vecchio and we made donations to nine different charities.
AILO’s Christmas Bazaar is open from 1 to 6pm on Friday, November 21, and 10am to 6pm on Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23
