Great Yarmouth Easter Fayre returns to delight families in town centre
GREAT Yarmouth's traditional Easter Fair will return to the town centre next week - with about 100 rides and attractions over four action-packed days.
The seasonal celebration, which dates back centuries, is expected to draw thousands of people to the Market Place, Fullers Hill and Brewery Plain car parks, between Thursday, April 25 and Sunday, April 28.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council is running the fair, in conjunction with the eastern counties branch of the Showmen's Guild.
Among the rides and attractions planned this year are dodgems, bungee trampolines, bumper boats, rodeo bulls, carousels, a haunted house, a fun house and hook-a-duck. There will also be other fairground fun, including candy floss, toffee-apples and doughnuts.
While the rides for young children will be open from noon on Thursday, April 25, the event will kick-off properly with "Reduced Prices Rides Night" that same day, from 4pm through to 11pm.
Cllr Mary Coleman, the mayor, will officially open the fair from the dodgems in the Market Place at 4pm, when she will hand over the ceremonial Charter Key for the duration of the fair to the chairman of the Showmen's Guild.
The gold-embossed ceramic Charter Key was made by Ernie Childs, of Great Yarmouth Potteries, in 2008 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Royal Charter granted to Great Yarmouth by King John in 1208.
The fair will continue on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, between 11am and 11pm, and on Sunday, April 28, between noon and 6pm.
Cllr Coleman said: "Organised by the borough council, the Easter Fayre is a centuries-long tradition in Great Yarmouth, and is a really fun way for families and friends to celebrate Easter together in the town centre. As mayor, I am proud to be officially opening this seasonal highlight for our borough and I look forward to handing over the ceremonial Charter Key to the Showmen's Guild in order to get the fun underway."
Car parks and highways - temporary arrangements
Fullers Hill car park will be closed all day on Wednesday, April 24, with Brewery Plan and Market Place car parks closing at 3pm to enable the event to be set up. People are asked to remove their vehicles by those times. From 5pm on Wednesday, April 24, to 11pm on Sunday, April 28, there will be a temporary road closure on The Conge, from the Brewery Plain entrance down to where it joins Priory Plain.