St Giles Fair

Evolved from a 17^th-​century parish wake, St Giles fair is a yearly spectacle in the centre of Oxford. Every September excitement grows as bigger and better rides are added to the substantial collection of fairground attractions. Our Oxford teams love this annual event.

For two days in early September, after the summer tourists have gone home and before the students get back, the people of Oxford celebrate. I’m not quite sure what we celebrate but it is great fun. I no longer go on rides that swing you high in the air or turn you upside down but if you are young enough to enjoy that sort of thing then there is something special about catching glimpses of secret court-​yards, quadrangles and lawns behind the yellow walls of the colleges just before you are flung upside down again or hurled towards the ground.
For the more sedentary of us there are more traditional rides such as the wonderful merry-​go-​round and helter skelter. Or you can just wander around enjoying the sights, sounds (and it can be very noisy), smells and tastes (sugar cane as well as candy floss last year)
Rumour has it that the rides are longer in the afternoon before it gets busy.
If you aren’t going to the fair then be warned that all the buses that normally go along St Giles are diverted for 2 days and the road is closed to traffic.