Nottingham City and County residents and those living in the sorrounding areas of the prized Robinhood locality must brace themselves for more fun and exciting moments as one of the biggest entertainment gatherings in the East Midlands, the Goose Fair, is back this summer for a staggering ten days nonstop on the bounce.
The number of new visitors to the city’s entertainment shindig, according to the City Council, is expected to be much higher than last year.
The organisers, Nottingham City Council and the Showmen’s Guild have announced that Goose Fair will once again be held over ten days in 2023, between Friday 29 September and Sunday 8 October.
In a statement the two organisers say the decision follows the successful staging of the fair over ten days in 2022, which saw an extra 130,000 visitors in comparison to the five-day event in 2019.
Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Planning at Nottingham City Council, said: “Nottingham’s Goose Fair has been staged annually since at least 1284, and so it’s great to see that it will return in 2023 for a ten-day event.
“This longer period will allow opportunities for more local and regional visitors, increase the city’s economic uplift, and enable new and impressive rides and attractions as well as returning favourites. We look forward to welcoming the Showmen’s Guild back for another fantastic event for all the family to enjoy.”
Over half a million visitors came to Goose Fair last year from across the region, helping to generate a significant economic uplift for the city. This included visitor spend and local event suppliers and companies, who provided the visiting showmen with goods ranging from catering supplies and consumables to accommodation.
In reaching this decision, it was recognised that a ten-day fair does impact on local residents and some businesses in and around the Forest Recreation Ground. The council will work with those affected to seek to mitigate some of the concerns raised during last year’s fair.
James Curringham, 36, a father of teenaged two girls and a younger boy, of Commercial Road in Bulwell said: “I am excited and worried at the same time. We will surely have a lot of fun but thst means spending a lot of money especially on the kids.
“All the same bring it on. We have to compersate for the lost times during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.”
Roselyn Mashingaidze, 45, a Zimbabwean naturalised British of Basford Road, and a mother four, said she can’t wait for the next edition of Goose Fair.
“I and the kids are looking forward to go on the rides and play the games. I work a lot and this (Goose Fair) will create an opportunity for me to bond with the kids. I will book an annual leave for this,” she said.
The environmental impact of the event, both on the city’s carbon neutral ambitions and more locally on Hyson Green, has also been considered. Showmen’s Guild members attending the fair will now pay a 3% levy on the site fees, to help the event become more sustainable in future years.
With over 250 rides and attractions and thrills aplenty for all ages, the fair is one of the largest travelling fun fairs in Europe, and Nottingham city’s biggest event in its annual events calendar.
No decision has been made on the length of the fair in future years.
William Percival, Chair of the Showmen’s Guild Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire branch, said: “We’re pleased to welcome this good news after the success of the ten-day fair last year, which worked well for the showmen, the council and local businesses in Nottingham.
“We’re grateful to the council in allowing us to bring an extended fair for a second year, and hopefully it will be as successful as it was in 2022. We’d like to thank the council’s events team for the work they’ve done with the Showmen’s Guild to make this possible.”
“Nottingham’s Goose Fair has been staged annually since at least 1284, and so it’s great to see that it will return in 2023 for a ten-day event.”
Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis
Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Planning at Nottingham City Council
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