Today, for one day only, Pinner Fair took place. The fair (funfair) at Pinner was established in 1336, so that makes Pinner Fair in its 688th year. The annual fair was granted a Royal Charter in 1336 by king Edward III. I went to check it out after work as I had never been before and was not able to go the past few years when I learned about it due to workloads. The fair is always held on a Wednesday in late May, and it coincides with the schools being off so that families can go and enjoy and spend the whole day here. The fair opens at 10am and closes at 11pm.
The word "fair" comes from the Latin word "feria", which means "a holiday". Historically, these would fall on special occassions or religious events, and the fair was a time for people to enjoy different attractions, shows, and features. The fair was a traveling show, similar to a circus or a carnival. As technology developed with steam and then electricity, the rides became more popular. Today's fairs contain a lot of different types of rides and games where people can shoot an arrow or pellet gun to win a prize or hook a prize on a fishing line. There are also a lot of different vendors to buy food from. Cotton candy (known as 'candy floss' in England), popcorn, candy apples, sweets, pork sausages/hot dogs, burgers, and fried food tends to be sold.
I had a wander down Pinner High Street, and the fair was very busy in the late afternoon and early evening with many people enjoying their time.
I had a slushie.
People who played some of the games had a chance to win a big prize in the shape of a Highland cow, puppy, or bear.
Cotton candy was a popular treat that a lot of children were enjoying. I find it too sweet myself.
But I did have some salted popcorn.
For just a one day event, there were a lot of rides. Everyone was having fun.
The High Street contained rides and vendors lining down the street, which then went on both directions on Marsh Road up to the end with the roundabout and up to the first section of the parade of shops in the other direction. I was actually impressed with how large the event was with a huge number of different rides, haunted houses, games, and more.
Doughnuts are a very British fair tradition, and I had some fresh doughnuts made.
For people who are not vegetarian and can eat beef and pork, there were a lot of options for food. There were a few other options that I noticed, such as Greek food and also Indian food and snacks (pani puri and paneer chili).
I actually had the chili paneer with rice, which was served in a plastic takeaway container. It was very good, but there was not any place to sit down and eat it (which is why I guess the hot dog/sausages and hamburgers in buns are so popular at these events for people who eat them), so I went to the park and had it there before the walk back home.
Overall, the Pinner Fair is a good community event and brings out a lot of people to enjoy their day. It is a tradition that is still very much strong in this village and has evolved over nearly 700 years into the modern age.
Other events in Pinner that I have covered on this blog:
Leave a comment