Fair
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"We must remember the 'underground' of the ballad singer and the fairground which handed on traditions to the nineteenth century (to the music hall, or Dickens' circus folk or Hardy's pedlars and showmen); for in these ways the 'inarticulate' [masses of people] conserve certain values - a spontaneity and capacity for enjoyment and mutual loyalties - despite the inhibiting pressures of magistrates, mill-owners, and Methodists." --(E. P. Thompson 1963) |
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A funfair or simply fair (e.g., "county fair", "state fair") is a small to medium sized traveling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is traditionally held. The word fair comes from the Latin word feria, meaning a holiday.
In North America, a fair is sometimes called a carnival or exhibition, although in Europe and other parts of the world influenced by the Catholic church, a carnival is a procession usually held around Shrove Tuesday which is sometimes accompanied by a funfair, known in the United States as Mardi Gras. One strand of the medieval fair has diverged to become the agricultural show which often has a funfair attached. Increasingly, funfairs are appearing as additional attractions alongside any large gatherings of people such as major sporting events, music festivals, and civic celebrations.
See also
- Amusement
- Amusement park
- Amusement ride
- Beer festival
- Musée des Arts Forains ("The Funfair Museum", based in Paris, France)
- Canadian National Exhibition — one of the world's largest fairs
- Cannstatter Wasen
- Oktoberfest
- Traveling carnival
- World's Fair
