“The beauty of funfairs like Hull’s is you don’t have to spend any money.” So says showman Garry Leach who is excited to see the 732nd Hull Fair shaping up in Walton Street ahead of the official opening on Friday, October 9.
Garry, former chairman of the Yorkshire section of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain and now press officer for the branch, is conscious that with the cost of living crisis, many families will be having to pick and choose to make pennies go further when they visit Europe’s largest travelling fair. He said: “I don’t think the prices will be much different to last year – and there are still games you can have a go on at Hull Fair for £1.”
He said that the extreme rides were always going to be the bigger-ticket attractions but added: “The beauty of funfairs like Hull Fair is you don’t have to spend any money.
“You can come along for free and walk from one end to the other and enjoy all the excitement of the fair. How do you put a price on that atmosphere?”
Garry said the Walton Street fairground was shaping up well – “things keep appearing” – with some rides making their way from Nottingham to be set up in time for opening on Friday. “This year there are two rides that are 85m high and one that is even higher than that, it’s from Crow Leisure and I’m looking forward to seeing that one myself. There are six waltzers at Hull Fair this year.
“There are some people who are waiting to set certain things up but some of the really big rides need really big cranes and we need to be able to accommodate those first. But between the council and the Showmen’s Guild, we sort it out.”
Garry said there would be new versions of rides fairgoers might recognise and some new food offerings, including a “cake and shake” stall. “The showmen will always see something new on their travels that they think will fit in with the fair and the caterers will always innovate every year – you think there are only so many ways you can serve a sausage but someone will always come up with something different.
“The first ever cinemas were at fairgrounds and fairs originated from markets. They are always reinventing themselves.
“I was in Dusseldorf and I went on a VR (virtual reality) ride there. It blew me away; I’ve never seen anything like it.
“You have to wear goggles but you believe you are somewhere else completely.” Garry said he was hopeful of “great weather” for the run of Hull Fair as it was “a lot pleasanter” for visitors and prevented surges on nights when a better forecast was predicted.
He encouraged fairgoers to bring a mix of cash and cards to avoid any disappointment as at times last year, when lots of people were trying to make card payments at once, they struggled to complete transactions. Garry said most showmen had invested in Starlink to enable connectivity but it was “a good idea to have a bit of cash in your pocket”.
See the gallery of photos below from Hull Live’s Donna Clifford to see Hull Fair taking shape.