It will come as no surprise to anyone that the annual Nottingham Goose Fair has been cancelled for 2020. There were numerous events cancelled throughout last year and the Nottingham Goose Fair will no longer be able to take place.
Why Was The Goose Fair 2020 Cancelled?
Covid-19 has had a massive effect on what we can and can’t do throughout the year. As well as a Stay At Home order put in place people were encouraged to work from, non-essential shops were shut and most forms of public entertainment were cancelled. Although many venues have reopened and many outdoor events have been able to take place, the expected visitor numbers for Goose Fair and the necessity of social distancing measures mean that it isn’t possible to allow this year’s event to take place.
In a press release, Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “The annual Goose Fair is Nottingham’s iconic event and making a decision to cancel this year due to coronavirus is a decision that the council does not take lightly.
“As with our other major events, we took the decision not to cancel the event earlier in the year, but to work with the Showmen’s Guild and our event partners to come up with potential alternative solutions to stage Goose Fair safely in the current circumstances.
“We know how well-loved the event is and what a boost it would have been for morale in the city. Unfortunately, due to the scale and popularity of the event, in the end this was not possible.”
William Percival, Chair of the Showmen’s Guild (Derby & Notts section), said: “We are obviously disappointed that the 729th Goose Fair can’t proceed as planned this year.
“As with other sections of the entertainment industry, fairground operators have been hit hard by the pandemic, with many not operating at all during this year. “We have been working closely with the council to consider potential options that would have enabled the safe staging of the fair, but following consultation with our members, we have jointly decided with the council not to proceed for 2020.”
Is The Goose Fair 2021 Going Ahead?
We’re pretty certain that it will be going ahead, although as the events of 2020 have shown, anything is possible. Currently the roadmap out of Coronavirus restrictions mean that we’ll be restriction free by October, which is when the event is due to take place. There is no official date announced as yet but it is expected that it will take place between the 6th and the 11th October.
Although there will likely be some Covid safety measures and social distancing in place, the event is set to be a good one – but then would you expect anything else from Europe’s largest travelling fair? There will be over 500 attractions on the Forest Recreation Ground, where the huge family event is due to take place.
When Has The Goose Fair Been Cancelled Before?
Although the event was cancelled in 2020, this is one of only a few times the event has not gone ahead. During World War 2 the event was adjusted a little and took place in the summer during daylight hours rather than the autumn evenings of October. It was cancelled in World War I however before that it took place for hundreds of years without a hitch. It was as far back as 1646 that the Goose Fair was cancelled before this – and much like last year, it was cancelled because of a contagious disease. The bubonic plague put a stop to any fair of the fair happening that year, but it took place as normal the year after.
There are differing opinions of how life will go back to normal and what events will look like in the future. However, one thing we can be sure of is that residents of Nottingham will be looking forward to the return of the Nottingham Goose Fair in a nod to life going back to some resemblance of normality. After a year of minimal family-friendly events taking place following the 2020 Goose Fair cancellation, there will be many hopes pinned on 2021 making up for it – and to be honest, if previous fairs are anything to go by it will be able to do that with ease!
