Downton's Cuckoo Fair CANCELLED for 2024

The Fair's been running every year for the last 40 years

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 27th Nov 2023

Downton's Cuckoo Fair won't be going ahead in 2024, with organisers announcing it's being cancelled.

The fair, which has run for the last 40 years, is facing escalating costs, with expenses for a 2024 event projected to rise by four and a half thousand pounds.

2023's fair saw a footfall of 18,000 people, making it the largest un-ticketed event in Wiltshire.

Joanna Ramsay Horbury, the fair's communications manager, says it will be missed and is a major part of the village calendar.

"Everyone's very sad," she said, saying that the responses to the social media post reflect it's stature in the local community.

"To some people it's even bigger than Christmas! Having the Cuckoo Fair and coming along to it is part of their family traditions," Joanna added.

Joanna told Greatest Hits Radio that more volunteers are needed for the preparation phase.

"We had a recruitment fair in September and we had 12 people come forward then," Joanna said, with a further six saying on social media that they too would be keen to get involved.

However, Joanna says many of those only happy to help out around the time of the fair, rather than months prior.

"There's lots of technical things we need to cover off regarding contracts, so we need experts to come forward.

"Unfortunately, we are only a team of 12 and its a big, big undertaking to make the fair happen."

Asked what changes could be made, Joanna said they've looked at a "variety" of options, including increasing car parking prices, but says ticketing the event isn't possible.

"There's so many access points for the fair and we wouldn't want to lock the down the village so we could contain people.

"We also want to mindful of what the purpose of the fair is, it's a village fair, it's for the village and its an opportunity for local organisations to raise funds, but also to bring entertainment to the village.

"We just need to work out what that looks like going forward."

Joanna added that the community will be asked how they think should appear in the next 40s, as a slight format change is needed to keep the fair sustainable and high quality.

"We're going to work hard over the next year to look at how the fair can come back stronger and, if things are kind, we look forward to welcoming people back in 2025."

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