Strawberry Fair
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A fair held on Midsummer Common in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The fair is open to the public and free. It is held on the first Saturday in June.
From the constitution, the purpose of the fair is:
"The object of the Fair shall be to hold a Fair, called Strawberry Fair, annually on Midsummer Common, Cambridge, on the first (1st) Saturday in June, for the benefit of the local community, particularly the children. The Fair shall have free entry and entertainments, including music and theatre."
The fair is run by a committee of local people from Cambridge who elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary each year in September/October to form a Steering Group. Sub-committees also operate in order to discuss specific areas of the fair's operation, namely Programming, Finance and Admin, Policy and Community, and Site. The heads of these sub-committees report back at monthly General Meetings - weekly closer to the fair - which provides accountability and allows for the approval (or otherwise) of proposals put forward by the sub-committees.
A range of musical genres are represented at the fair across several music stages. Local bands are predominantly selected to play however those from further afield also feature. Young performers are also given their own stage to showcase their talents. Children are catered for by an Ents area that comprises a circus tent, face painters, and many other attractions. An Arts area also local art to be displayed and for visitors to the fair on the day to try their hand at something new.
The fair kicks off at 11.30am with a parade through Cambridge city centre. Colourful costumes can be seen and a Samba band enjoyed. The arrival of the parade back on Midssumer Common at midday signals the official start of the fair. In recent years (since 2004) the fair has held a free 'film night' in the circus tent; short films made by local people are shown.
Approximately 1000 people volunteer their time to make Strawberry Fair happen, which is seen by the committee as one of its greatest aspects. These volunteers include members of the committee itself, stewards, an environment team, area co-ordinators, stage managers, backstage staff, stalls co-ordinators, and many people 'behind the scenes' that undertake hours of administration. The fair's security team are the only people who get paid.
Strawberry Fair is always looking for new volunteers to help the existing team and replace those that take a step back after several years of service.
The fair operates as a free event thanks to the efforts of all the volunteers who help every year. Income from the stalls that come on-site and the two bars that operate allow the fair to meet its infrastructure and overhead costs. Benefit gigs are held throughout the year to raise money. The local bands that play these gigs usually also play on the day of the fair. Strawberry Fair merchandise - including T-shirts, badges, programmes and posters - is also sold from Information Tents.
On 3rd June 2006, Strawberry Fair was the world’s first free festival with site wide free wireless Internet access[citation needed]. There was full wireless network coverage across Midsummer Common serving an estimated 80,000 people[citation needed] with television, radio, and Internet services over a mesh network.
