Wivenhoe May Fair cancelled for 2013

11:52am Thursday 1st November 2012 in News By Will Lodge

Flashback: Wivenhoe May Fair Flashback: Wivenhoe May Fair

ORGANISERS of the Wivenhoe May Fair have said the event will not run in 2013.

In a message posted online organisers said they and the volunteer team needed a break and would be taking a year off from the event.

Smaller community arts events would still take place, with more details being released in the New Year.

Suggestions that issues with policing and licencing of previous May Fairs were behind the decision were quashed in the statement.

Comments(7)

Sdapeze says...
12:35pm Thu 1 Nov 12

We owe the organisers a huge vote of thanks. This fair has become very popular, if not too popular. Let's hope it happens again some day, although bureaucracy nowadays is a very negative force that loves to stop events of this type happening.

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jammin says...
12:40pm Thu 1 Nov 12

**** shame

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romantic says...
1:02pm Thu 1 Nov 12

sdapeze, agree with you. I´ve been to most of the Mayfairs for the last 20 years or so and it has grown bigger, but still seems to work pretty well with a good mix of young, old and those like me who still think they´re young! Big thanks to all those who have made it happen each year, I´m sure it takes a lot of behind the scenes planning to make it work on the day.

I do hope local bureaucracies don´t put too many barriers in the way if and when May Fair 2014 starts being thought about, but it is what they are prone to do. The idea that the general public could organise something without having jump through hoops is anathema to their mindset.

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jammin says...
3:55pm Thu 1 Nov 12

I didn't realise d a m n would be considered a swear word. Maybe if I had spelt it dam.

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6079 Smith W says...
6:43pm Thu 1 Nov 12

Agree with Sdapeze & Romantic. There's been a steady attack on events such as this, ever since the 1994 Criminal Justice Bill. The truth is, the powers that be don't want communities coming together to organise their own entertainment. Only the official corporate entertainment is to be sanctioned, irrespective of the amount of trouble that spills onto Colchester's streets from the chain bars and clubs. It is, as Jammin says, a dam* shame.

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Im_Like_HELLO says...
8:14pm Thu 1 Nov 12

This is sadly demonstrative of such events in recent years -- instead of a targeting the minority of individuals concerned with disrupting other people's day out, a blanket excuse is made for increasing bureucracy and as such costs of policing etc. soar.

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Gideon Smythe says...
10:21am Fri 2 Nov 12

Im_Like_HELLO wrote:
This is sadly demonstrative of such events in recent years -- instead of a targeting the minority of individuals concerned with disrupting other people's day out, a blanket excuse is made for increasing bureucracy and as such costs of policing etc. soar.
As one of the organisers, I can tell you that you're wrong. We're not blaming any of those things.

It's very hard work putting on an event of this size when we all have jobs and lives away from it. We're tired and need a break. We've all got other projects that we want to pursue like radio,starting up a bakery, starting a family, new careers, studying and a range of other arts events.

We haven't even explored the costs for next year because we've decided not to put the event on but there is no doubt that targeting any minority that have attempted to cause trouble is one of the reasons for soaring costs. The two go hand in hand.

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