The annual Uppingham Lent Fair will be taking place this week, with a mix of fairground rides, games, food, and fun for the whole family!

Uppingham's annual Lent Fair begins today, Tuesday the 8th of March 2022. The fair will run until the 12th of March 2022 and will be open from 6pm until 9:30pm, with an early start time of 4pm on Wednesday and 2pm on Saturday.

The event has been organised and run by Holland Amusements for over 100 years and is protected by Royal Charter, which means that a monarch has granted an organisation with independence, asserting its permanence.

This is why the fair has been able to go ahead for so many years, run by the same organisation, with some involved stalls and sellers attending regularly since the 1960s.

While many ask why the fair goes ahead when the weather is unreliable, the purpose of the fair is to celebrate the six week period leading up to Easter in which people often denounce indulgences, called Lent.

This celebration always commences the day after pancake day or Shrove Tuesday, which is why it takes place in February or March every year. This year, the fair will be starting only seven days into the fast. Often it is called a mid-Lent festival for this reason.

Lent is not exclusively observed by Christian worshippers for prayer, with many non-church goers also taking part in the 40 day test of will in which they give up some of their favourite things such as unhealthy foods and fizzy drinks, luxury items, and most commonly, chocolate.

In more recent years, the fair has simply been advertised as Uppingham Fair to encourage visitors and ensure that guests know it is an event for the whole community.

Uppingham Town Council encourage visitors not only to attend the fair, but to explore the local area and the cafes and shops on offer in their beautiful market town too.

Feel free to send us your photos of the fair and we will be sure to share them on our social media.

Alternatively, keep up with other events taking place in the local area on our What's on page or by following us on Facebook where you can see our weekly round-up of fantastic local events.