The Birmingham, Alabama hamfest (Birminghamfest) was held March 3/4, 2023, in Trussville, AL, at the Trussville Civic Center. Trussville is a few miles northeast of Birmingham proper.
Setup started at noon Friday, and the show floor opened Friday afternoon at 4:00. There were a lot of vendors, and many boat anchors on display. The shopping crowd was light on Friday afternoon, and the show wrapped at 7:00.
The show opened again at 8:30 Saturday morning. By this time, most of the vendor tables were filled, and the crowd was fairly heavy until about 1:30. Major door prizes (nice ones) were announced after 3:00, and the hall was pretty much clear by 4:00.
This show is a good one to attend as a vendor or as a shopper. Lots to see, lots of vintage gear were evident. Licensing exams were Saturday, and various forums took place throughout the event. The room was spacious, though lighting did leave a lot to be desired. (Not the hosts's fault at all, it's just the meeting room design of the hall that's to blame.) Do carry a small flashlight if you want to see inside whatever you are buying.
Tables at $32 each are fairly expensive for a small hamfest, and if you want electricity, it's an extra $15. There is no testing table provided. If you want 110V at your table, bring an extension cord and a power strip. Gaffers tape or painters tape would be a plus for avoiding trip hazards. The host club did provide a cord and strip for us, but it sounded like maybe those were limited in availability.
If you rent three or more tables, some admission fees are comped. Outside of that, there are no vendor amenities that we saw. The concession stand had really good food (as in good taste, not heart healthy), and the $12 Philly cheese sandwich was hot and fresh. That sounds expensive (and it is), but compared to the expense and time involved in leaving the civic center, buying food elsewhere, and then returning, it's really not out of line.
The host club was very friendly, and they held up their end of the event well. If they would add a testing table and free coffee for vendors during the whole event, it would be truly top shelf hamfest for a vendor.
Local place to stay? After a failed AirBnB attempt, we stayed at the Trussville Quality Inn. It's been recently renovated, and the rooms were clean and comfy. Breakfast is included (continental breakfast with the typical hot waffle machine). Fresh fruit and good coffee rounded out the breakfast. The hotel staff, especially the lady taking care of the breakfast crowd, were several notches above what we expected. Total with taxes was just under $130.
Friday night dinner was Munoz Mexican Grill, which had good service and really good food. The place was packed, but we were still seated quickly and served well.
Will we be back next year? Absolutely. We really enjoyed this event.