Families enjoy the fun of the fair as Witney Feast gets under way

As soon as the school day ended, hundreds of families headed to the Leys to enjoy the traditional fair, featuring over 60 rides and attractions.

Emily Wilson of Bob Wilson’s Funfairs, which has managed the fair for 75 years, said: “Witney is a highlight of our ‘back end’ run of fairs without a doubt.

“We have got the weather and we had a couple of hundred people at the Gallopers service last night. It was a lovely evening.

“We’ve got lots of new and exciting rides including some of the things we can’t get into St Giles because they’re too big.”

Rides at the fair cost £6 for dodgems, £3 for kids’ rides and £6 for the bigger rides.

Ms Wilson said the cost of living crisis affects the showmen “the same as everyone else”.

“The price of fuel, wages, food have all gone up. The showmen are in the same category as everyone else,” she said.

But she said the prices had certainly not put anyone off going to last week’s St Giles Fair in Oxford which they also run.

“No, no, no. St Giles Fair had more people come than ever,” she said.

“You don’t have to spend anything at all,” she said. “You can just take in the atmosphere. The atmosphere on the Leys will be electric.”

With a reputation for being the county’s largest fun fair, there are a mix of traditional rides such as the waltzer and dodgems but also white-knuckle rides such as the 55-metre-high flying chair ride Star Flyer which gives a view over Witney and the surrounding area.

There is also Space, Superstar, Extreme, Jumping Frogs, Dominator and Stargate.

And for children there are fun houses, trampolines and spinning teacups as well as the traditional Gallopers carousel.

“Just as the nights start closing in, it’s a delight to be able to light up The Leys with a spectacular array of rides and attractions,” said Ms Wilson.

“We have got a better light display than Blackpool Illuminations. We are hoping that the fair will be very, very successful.”