Everything you need to know about Hull Fair – from the rides to parking

For thousands of people, it is one of the highlights of their year so the excitement is certain to be ramping up now with the return of Hull Fair this week.

In 2023, it will be 135 years since the travelling Hull Fair first made its stop in Walton Street, a relatively short span of time when a chartered fair has been an acknowledged feature of the city landscape for 730 years. Its attractions, along with its various locations, have moved with the times, from being the place to see wild animals, puppet shows, jugglers and illusionists to the state-of-the-art rides, food vendors and sideshows families have come to expect in the 21st century.

In keeping with tradition, the Hull Fair period, in its eight day-run (the Sunday is exempted), will always incorporate the date October 11, a hark-back to 1751 when a calendar change led locals to believe the “loss” of 11 days affected their fair. Today, people from all over the Humber region and beyond can rely on their beloved fair popping up to brighten the early days of October.

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The fair is the oldest of its kind and one of the largest travelling fairs in Europe, with over 250 rides and an array of attractions. It offers traditional favourites such as palm reading, waltzers and dodgems, combined with brand new and exciting rides added each year.

When is Hull Fair?

Considered the closing event of the UK’s showland season and brought to the city by the Showmen’s Guild, in collaboration with Hull City Council, Hull Fair 2023 is set to return from Friday, October 6 until Saturday, October 14. On the middle Sunday of its run, October 8, the fair will remain closed.

What time does it open?

Tradition dictates that the official opening takes place on the first Friday at 5pm, with the Lord Mayor of Hull, who this year is Cllr Kalvin Neal, performing the ringing of the fair bell. The fair will then remain open until 11pm, as per each night of the fair’s duration.

Opening times are noon on the two Saturdays and 2pm on all other days.

What rides will be there?

Ride owners and operators are always keen to bring the very latest attractions to Hull and sometimes choose Hull to debut a brand new ride. There are rides to suit adrenaline seekers, as well as the gentler, fun options to amuse younger fairgoers.

For this year, many of the old favourites will return to please those who revel in the familiar. Among the new heart-stopper attractions to appreciate, however, will be The Joker, courtesy of Graham Sedgwicks Funfairs. This is a “Freak Out” ride with the seats facing outwards, making it just that little bit more terrifying as those on board can see just how high they are going, as well as getting a great, if rather chaotic, view of the fair.

One newcomer will be a drop tower ride – the first at Hull Fair since the Power Tower of 2017. The Power Tower suffered a breakdown and never returned but the new ride will be considerably smaller, at 10m, compared to the last lofty offering at 56m.

Top Spin is an older ride that has not been seen in Hull for a number of years. The ride has recently been acquired by someone who wants to show it off at Walton Street once more.

Last year’s fair saw visiting ride Jet Force, one for speed seekers, and the 50m high Cityliner Observation Wheel, with 36 enclosed gondolas, dominating the skyline. Rowlands Funfair brought its No Limit attraction, with a trio of rotating carriages attached to a huge swinging pendulum, for the opening two nights, while a four-storey funhouse, called the Police Station, also made its debut.

What will rides cost this year?

The individual operators can choose what prices to charge their customers – some rides are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and will therefore be more expensive to ride. Last month, chairman of the Yorkshire Showmen’s Guild Michael Cowie said he was not expecting a big hike in prices for rides at the fair this year.

There had been concerns that the rise in inflation and energy prices over the past 18 months might force operators to increase prices. However, Mr Cowie said: “I am not expecting prices to rise this year really. There is a limit to what we can all charge before you get to the point when people simply can’t afford it.

“While we have seen our expenses rise over the last two years but so have our customers. We cannot pass all that on to them. We have to consider a ceiling to set or we will drive people away.”

What else is on offer?

Everyone’s favourites are expected to set up at the Walton Street fairground, from big wheels and helter-skelters for some good old-fashioned fun, to a host of sideshows where fairgoers can attempt to win fun prizes. Aside from the bingo and the other amusements, there is plenty on offer when the hunger pangs kick in.

Some people like to simply stroll around the fair, taking in the atmosphere while indulging in a burger or a hotdog, a wispy, sweet candyfloss treat or patty and chips with plenty of salt and vinegar. Like the rides, vendors are bound to have some new sweet or savoury offerings to bring to the fair this year.

Those south of the Humber may be familiar with foot-long fries but they will be a first for Hull Fair. The Grimsby-based Foot Long Fries company will be bringing its amazing snacks to the event.

They are like any French fry in terms of width but are a foot long and can come with a number of colourful dressings, some of which are even sweet. Another stall will be bringing whoopee pies – an American sweet treat which, despite being called a pie, is more like a cross between a cookie and a cake, being two slices of sponge with a sweet, creamy filling.

There will also be a bubble tea served from a converted horse box while another will be providing loaded hot chocolates, coffees and smoothies. Thoughts of the cost of living crisis might have to be ignored for the night as families encounter the many enticing stalls with their treats, balloons and light-up toys for sale.

Where to park?

Areas around Walton Street are affected from the middle of this week, with the arrival and setting up of the rides and stalls by showmen ahead of Friday’s opening of the fair, with Walton Street itself closed for the duration of the fair. Areas around Walton Street have resident-only parking zones; any spare spaces tend to fill up quickly during fair season.

Other temporary road closures have been announced for Lowther Street, Walliker Street, Granville Street, Sandringham Street and Pulman Street. Drivers are advised to use the Hull Park and Ride service that Stagecoach provides – the postcode for the Priory Park park and ride is HU4 7DY.

In previous years, there has been limited paid parking in West Park. When arriving on foot, people should be aware that there are a number of different entry points to the fairground, not just the what tend to be congested “top and bottom” of Walton Street (the approaches from Spring Bank West and Anlaby Road), including two or three entry/exit points from West Park.

Special Hull Fair buses are also laid on, serving key routes around Hull.