Swapfest: The Flea at MIT

Swapfest is back!!!

Posted: March 26, 2025
Thank you to all our vendors and buyers last year for making the third post-pandemic season run smoothly, despite the construction on the garage! Construction is clear, so we expect all floors of the garage to be available again. Swapfest's 2025 season will run as usual with the dates listed below. Our contact email remains swapfest@mit.edu.

[+] Previous Updates

Posted: January 8, 2025
Thank you to all our vendors and buyers last year for making the third post-pandemic season run smoothly, despite the construction on the garage! Event registrations have not been submitted yet, but pending that, Swapfest's 2025 season is expected to run as usual with the dates listed below. Our contact email remains swapfest@mit.edu.

Posted: April 22, 2024
Swapfest 2024 season is running as usual with the dates listed below. Our contact email remains swapfest@mit.edu.

Posted: December 7, 2023
Thank you to all our vendors and buyers last year for making the second post-pandemic season run smoothly! Event registrations have not been submitted yet, but pending that, Swapfest's 2024 season is expected to run as usual with the dates listed below. Our contact email remains swapfest@mit.edu.

Posted: February 18, 2023
Thank you to all our vendors and buyers last year for making the first post-pandemic season run smoothly! Swapfest's 2023 season will run as usual. Our contact email remains swapfest@mit.edu.

Posted: February 4, 2022
It has been a difficult road getting here, but the 2022 Swapfest season will run as usual! The wait is over--thank you to everyone who contacted us asking when Swapfest would come back. Our new contact email is swapfest@mit.edu.

Posted: September 7, 2021
Due to worsening public health conditions, we are disappointed to announce that the October 2021 Swapfest will also be cancelled. The MIT Radio Society continues to remain committed to bringing back the event next season, in 2022. Anticipated dates are available below. Please stay tuned for updates and do not send in preregistrations until our opening schedule is known. Thank you.

Posted: August 2, 2021
Due to delays beyond our control in obtaining the necessary permissions, it is with great regret that we announce that the September 2021 Swapfest is cancelled. We are continuing to work as hard as possible to bring back the event. Please stay tuned for updates and do not send in preregistrations until our opening schedule is known. Thank you.

Posted: June 10, 2021
Despite the recent relaxation in Covid-19 restrictions by Governor Baker, the club is still limited by MIT policies regarding events, visitors, and student group activities. We are closely monitoring the situation and will update this page once we have further information. We sincerely appreciate your continued interest and patience and hope that we will be able to safely resume hosting Swapfest soon. Please do not send in preregistrations until our opening schedule is known.

Posted: February 3, 2021
While we are still hoping to be able to resume holding the Swapfest event you all know and love this season, MIT has not yet announced its plans for allowing large events to return to campus. As a result, Swapfest will not take place until at least the summer, and we encourage you to continue to check this page periodically for updates - as soon as we know when we'll be able to reopen Swapfest, an announcement will be posted here. Please do not send in preregistrations until our opening schedule is known.

Posted: July 30, 2020
As MIT has announced that only seniors will be back on-campus with heavy restrictions in place, we have determined that we won't be able to hold Swapfest without excessive risk for the rest of the calendar year. Swapfest will (tentatively) pick back up on April 18 of next year, and anyone who submitted preregistration should have either recently received an email or will shortly receive postal mail returning their payment.

Posted: June 4, 2020
As Massachusetts is only in the first phase of its reopening plan, with large events still not allowed for at least several more weeks, and as MIT has not yet decided when groups may resume holding activities on campus, we're sorry to say that the June 21, 2020 and July 19, 2020 Swapfest meets are also cancelled.

Posted: March 13, 2020
Under new rules from MIT's Association of Student Activities, no student-organized events may be held for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester. Therefore, the May 17, 2020 Swapfest is also cancelled.

Posted: March 9, 2020
Due to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, new MIT policies prohibit the hosting of large public events until May 15. Therefore, we regret to inform the Swapfest community that the April 19, 2020 event is cancelled. Vendors who have purchased space for April's flea (including season pass holders) are eligible for a refund or credit towards a future event. Vendors may contact swapfest@mit.edu with any questions.

New in 2025: Preregister and Pay Online

This season, we are offering the ability to do vendor preregistration and payment online. The links to register for each month (and for a season pass) are listed below. We will of course continue accepting checks. There will be a small online processing fee for online preregistration due to MIT’s ticketing service provider. It also requires that you create a guest account with a valid email.

Online registration for a month closes on the 5th of the month, in keeping with our policy for mail-in registrations.

The online registration and payment system has a number of steps. You must select 1 Vendor Pass to show the option for Extra Space passes. Make sure you receive a confirmation email after paying. You can also email us to check that your registration went through.

Season Pass 2025 Online Registration
April 20, 2025 Online Registration – Preregistration closed Apr. 5, please come as a non-prepaid vendor if you have not preregistered (see FAQ below for instructions)
May 18, 2025 Online Registration – Preregistration closed May 5, please come as a non-prepaid vendor if you have not preregistered (see FAQ below for instructions)
June 15, 2025 Online Registration
July 20, 2025 Online Registration
August 17, 2025 Online Registration
September 21, 2025 Online Registration
October 19, 2025 Online Registration

2025 Swapfest Dates

The 2025 Swapfest season is expected to run as usual.

April 20
May 18
June 15
July 20
August 17
September 21
October 19

About Swapfest

The MIT Radio Society, in conjunction with the MIT UHF Repeater Association and the MIT Electronic Research Society, sponsors a Swapfest on the third Sunday of each month, April through October. This is a place to buy, sell, and swap amateur radio, electronic, and computer equipment. Hams and non-hams alike are welcome.

For more information, see the online copy of our Swapfest flyer (pdf, or text only). Print out a copy of the flyer and bring it with you for a discount on the buyer’s admission. Want to sell? Here’s an online copy of the seller’s registration form. Remember to send it in by the 5th of the month for the advanced seller discount. Still need more info? Email us (preferred) or leave a voicemail at 617-253-3776.

The Swapfest is held at MIT’s Albany Street Garage on Albany St between Main Streets and Mass Ave in Cambridge. The gate opens for buyers at 9am. There is a small admission fee.

Map

Printable version here

FAQ

How much does it cost to buy or sell?

See flyer linked above.

How large is a vendor space?

Each vendor space is one parking space in the parking garage. Most vendors park in the space and sell directly out of their trunk, then set up tables in additional spaces.

Do you provide tables?

No, we do not have the ability to provide tables. Some vendors sell out of the trunk of their vehicles directly or just arrange items on the floor.

How late can I preregister to vend at Swapfest?

Preregistrations must be mailed by the 5th of the month for which you are preregistering. If you are preregistering for multiple months, the registration must be mailed by the 5th of the first month you are registering for.

Did you receive my preregistration?

If you enclose a SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope), we will mail you a receipt back. If not, you can email us at swapfest@mit.edu to check if your preregistration has been received. We do not mail out vendor passes; you will receive those the day of the event.

I forgot to preregister, can I still vend?

Yes, you can come as a non-prepaid vendor, which many of our vendors do. Non-prepaid vendors go to the parking lot at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Albany St. around 6:30 AM, where they line up, fill out a “blue form” non-prepaid vendor registration given to them by a Swapfest volunteer, and pay for passes.

The prepaid vendor line has priority on entering the garage, so non-prepaid vendors pool in that parking lot until all of the prepaid vendors have entered the garage, at which point we release the non-prepaid vendors to go to the garage and set up.

Can I bring in helpers for my vendor table?

You can bring in as many people as you have purchased vendor spaces. For example, a vendor with one space can bring him/herself only, a vendor with two spaces can bring 1 helper, etc. Additional helpers pay admission as if they were buyers ($6 or $5 with printed flyer).

Does a digital flyer on my phone count for the $1 discount?

No, we count the collected paper flyers for accounting purposes. Everybody is given a free paper flyer to hold onto for the next time. If you are a vendor who will be traveling to other flea markets, feel free to ask us for a small stack of flyers to hand out or leave on your vendor table at those events.