Rainbow Park in Hunstanton will be celebrating World Fun Fair month

Hunstanton's Rainbow Park is one of the fairgrounds that will be celebrating World Fun Fair month this September.

The official celebration sees Future4fairgrounds working together with showmen from across the globe to celebrate this first ever month long campaign and Rainbow Park will be celebrating too.

World Fun Fair Month aims to unite showmen and bring people together from around the world to celebrate all aspects of the fairgrounds and the joy they bring to communities everywhere.

Showmen from the UK, Europe, North America, and Australasia are working together to ensure this extraordinary event will be truly global.

Colleen Roper, showman and owner of Rainbow Park in Sunny Hunny, said: "After a year of lockdowns and restrictions, with Covid impacting on everyone, there has been a distinct lack of fun in peoples lives.

"In September people will be encouraged to visit their local fair, wherever that may be, to enjoy a fun day out for the whole family.

"As part of World Fun Fair Month, fairgrounds everywhere will be holding special events that everyone will be invited to take part in."

World Fun Fair Month is a celebration not just of the industry but also of the people that share the unique cultural heritage as showmen.

The tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation, such as Henry Roper to his son John-Henry Roper and is intrinsically linked with the towns they visit as showmen.

Fairgrounds have been a staple of the community for centuries with many charter fairs dating back hundreds of years.

Among these, of course, is the famous Mart in Lynn, which has been proudly serving the people of Lynn for more than 800 years and has held a royal charter since 1537.

There are a number of Charter fairs in the UK which take place annually in September such as Bridgewater Fair, Neath Great Fair, Wisbech Statute Fair, Stevenage and Brackley Fair, but also many towns have small fairs in September that are equally important to the towns they attend.

Colleen said: "Wherever you are there should be an opportunity to visit a funfair local to you. Local communities will be encouraged to get involved in the fun.

"We are inviting local authorities to be proud of the fairgrounds associated with their towns and encourage local schools to celebrate their funfair that visits their village or town annually during the year by finding out about the history and the science of fairgrounds or turning their classroom into a fair for a day in September."

Future4fairgrounds are working closely with authors of a children’s book entitled “The Show Must Go On” published by Pearson. The aim is to distribute to as many schools as possible in time for the return to school in September.

Colleen said: "The book will make sure our unique and often misunderstood community is represented positively on every schools library shelf.

"This book is extraordinary, portraying a subject that has never been covered before in this way, raising awareness of our community, in a positive way from the ground up.

"There will be World Fun Fair Month merchandise and material, such as flags, books, and decorations available which will be given out to schools and local authorities to ensure this is truly a community celebration."

The celebrations will also raise awareness of the importance of protecting fairgrounds in the wake of the devastating pandemic. During the pandemic, many fairgrounds across the world were cancelled and showmen have endured huge financial losses and uncertainty as a result.

However, World Fun Fair Month represents a fantastic opportunity to recover by reminding people of all the joy a fair brings to the town and welcoming families back for a fun day out.

Colleen said: "We are hopeful World Fun Fair Month will become an annual event. It was first registered by Future 4 Fairgrounds, a grassroots campaign group in the UK dedicated to promoting the travelling fairgrounds community.

"Future 4 Fairgrounds was founded in September 2020 by six 'lady showmen', as a result of the issues they were facing due to the impact of the pandemic and represents the travelling fairground community across the UK.

Future 4 Fairgrounds said:“We are so excited to announce the first ever World Fun Fair Month this September. By working with showmen from all across the world, we will be raising awareness of the importance of fairgrounds with communities everywhere.

"Fairgrounds have been bringing joy to people around the world for centuries, and we cannot wait to celebrate all the fun of the fair with you.”