Our first major move was erecting a massive 9 x 30 meter marquee to house 10 giant vats. Anyone familiar with British weather knows that relying on a clear sky is a dangerous gamble, so securing a spacious, covered layout proved to be worth its weight in gold when managing the fantastic crowd that turned out over the weekend.
Curating the fish was a mammoth undertaking in itself. We carefully selected over 500 Koi across a wide spectrum of prices, qualities, and varieties specifically chosen so every visitor could find something to love. We even brought in a few massive beauties directly from Japan measuring at 65cm-plus—a rare spectacle that gave our hobbyists a treat they seldom get to see up close.
However, moving over 500 high-grade fish out of the comfortable ponds they are accustomed to into temporary event vats is a massive operation—and a constant source of worry. The protocol had to be military-precise. Every single fish was quarantined and treated prior to the event, and, as is standard for any proper Koi show, starved for two full weeks beforehand to limit ammonia levels in temporary, unfiltered waters. Transferring that many fish puts the Koi under a real element of stress, and truth be told, us right along with them! Because Koi love to test their jumping skills when introduced to new waters and surroundings, every vat had to be securely netted overnight. On top of that, we had to have a mountain of equipment constantly on hand at every station: aerators set up throughout all the vats, transport bags, boxes, oxygen tanks, measuring bowls, and nets ready for instant action.
Then came the unpredictable twist: the weather turned out to be VERY HOT. Combine the sudden heatwave with moving the Koi into new vats on Friday alongside unfamiliar companions from different ponds, and you get a recipe for some very… active fish. By Friday night, the Koi got quite frisky, triggering an absolute frenzy of spawning activity overnight!
The Saturday
Saturday morning was an emergency “all hands on deck” situation. We would have genuinely struggled without our incredible team of volunteers who jumped straight into action. It was a race against the clock—running massive water changes, skimming eggs out of the vats with nets, and doing everything humanly possible to clean up before opening the doors. Outside, a huge line of incredibly patient customers was waiting to see what was inside, and we can’t thank everyone enough for their patience while we sorted out our unexpected morning drama! Once the doors opened, Saturday turned into a thrilling, whirlwind day where we did our absolute best to attend to every single guest.
The Sunday
Sunday offered an hilarious contrast. Between the ongoing spawning and a World Cup match the night before that clearly left quite a few visitors nursing sore heads, people arrived a little later in the day! This gave us a bit more breathing room to handle the morning clean-up without a crowd waiting outside to storm the marquee.
Auctions & Koi Judging Allan Tate
Beyond the aquatic drama, we wanted to make this an event with a difference, packed with non-stop excitement across both Saturday and Sunday. Our raffles went down a treat on both days, with prizes including top-tier Saki-Hikari food, automatic Koi feeders, exclusive merchandise, and a grand prize worth a staggering £500! We also put on traditional Japanese-Style Koi Auctions across both days featuring 12 special Koi—the bidding was so contagious that even our hard-working volunteers couldn’t resist having a dabble! Adding immense prestige to the weekend, we had the honour of hosting world-renowned Koi judge Allan Tate as our special guest. Allan spent the weekend inspecting the fish and letting visitors pick his brain for expert advice on quality and potential.
Clayton Morris
We were also thrilled to welcome a couple of very special guests during the event! Clayton Morris spent both days filming content and capturing incredible video footage of the weekend. His exceptionally talented work will be featured on his upcoming YouTube Channel, Beneath The Surface. We’ll be featured on there sometime in September—he captures truly amazing footage, so it’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for when it launches!
Sam Gornall
We were also honoured by a visit from Sam Gornall! Sam competes at the top tier of the Mini Challenge Race Series in the JCW Mini Challenge Racing. We’ve been immensely proud to be his sponsor throughout his racing career—be sure to check out his journey on his website at samgornallracing.co.uk.
Trade Stands
We also expanded our showground with dynamic trade stands and live demonstrations. Our lineup included Saki-Hikari nutrition and Set In Stone Granite Creations, who debuted a brand-new range of granite plaques featuring stunning Koi artwork. We were also joined by Nero Wire Art Bonsai Trees, who drove all the way from Kent to showcase their hand-crafted wire art. As the only Koi retailer in the UK in collaboration with them, it was brilliant to show visitors the different stages of crafting these trees into breathtaking displays of colour. To top it off, Acorn Woodcraft put on live chainsaw wood carving demonstrations, turning raw timber into detailed owls and wildlife sculptures right before our eyes.
Mother Hubbard’s
And, of course, to keep everyone refreshed and fueled throughout the entire weekend, Mother Hubbard’s brought along the BEST butty van in town, which certainly went down a treat with the crowd!
Our Appreciation
Overall, what an incredible event. We welcomed so many new faces from afar alongside our loyal regular customers, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, even our guest judge Allan Tate was delighted with how it all turned out.
Bringing the Open Weekend back after seven years was a mammoth task, but seeing the koi community come together made every stressful, egg-skimming minute completely worth it. From all of us at The Oaks Koi Farm, a HUGE thank you to everyone who visited, bid, bought raffle tickets, and to our amazing volunteers who went above and beyond. We couldn’t have done it without you!
