THE famous funfair is back in Prospect Park just in time for the Easter Holidays … fresh from its TV appearances, and with some new features for 2022, including silent fireworks.
Carters Steam Fair opens on Saturday, April 9, and is open until Sunday, April 24.
This is the first full touring year for Carters since the covid pandemic, with 15 stops planned. Reading is the first and last on the list – the team will be back in October.
As ever, the Steam Fair is full of vintage rides suitable for all, from toddlers upwards. Each attration dates from the 1890s to the 1960s, and include dodgems, and the famous British Galloper Horses.
The rides have featured in films such as Paddington 2 and Rocketman, and TV shows including Worzel Gummidge and Call The Midwife.
Alongside the rides there are rare vintage vehicles which are used to pull and power the fair, all of which have been restored and painted by hand using traditional signwriting techniques.
The fleet includes classic 15 British vehicles made by Foden and ERF, Attkinson two Scammells. Many transport enthusiasts travel from all over the UK to see this rare vintage fleet in working order.
A traditional part of a visit to the fair are the free firework displays held on the Saturday nights.
This year, Carters is working with Illusion Fireworks to put on two low noise displays and a ‘silent’ firework display on Saturday, April 16, at 9pm.
They hope this will be enjoyed by anyone with sensory issues that may usually avoid the noise of an outdoor firework display.
The fairground art continues to be a social media sensation in its own right: fans around the world watch fairground owner Joby Carter paint the iconic lettering styles by hand on Tik Tok and Instagram and more than 6,000 copies of his book, Signwriting Tips, Tricks and Inspiration, have been sold since it launched during the pandemic.
Popular culture is reflecting the growing popularity of fairground art and fancy lettering: Joby’s hand-painted lettering was recently commissioned by Jools Holland for his latest album Pianola.Piano & Friends.
Over the winter months, Joby and his team have been busy faithfully recreating the artwork of acclaimed fairground artist Fred Fowle on the Lightning Skid ride so it is ready for a new audience to appreciate.
The new rounding boards now mention ‘J Carter and Daughters’ in reference to John Carter and his daughters. He was the founder of the fair, who sadly passed away after a battle with cancer in 2000. His son Joby and family have been touring the fair in his honour ever since.
New this year is its token system. All rides and sidestall games require these new tokens, made from recycled plastic. Anyone who has tokens leftover from previous visits can exchange them for their equivalent value at the main token booth.
Rides cost £3 per person, but a value ticket, booked online, offers 12 rides for the price of 10.
Joby Carter can’t wait to open the gates to the fairground.
“It’s great to be kickstarting our first full tour since the pandemic and I’m excited to set up the fair at Reading,” he said.
“We’ve been busy over the Winter restoring artwork on the rides and repainting our vintage vehicles.
“I encourage anyone visiting to take a close look at the lettering and artwork at the fair- it has all been done by hand using traditional signwriting skills and techniques – no computers or fancy software programmes.
“Stand next to our brightly coloured trucks with huge lettering over 1 meter high and see if you can figure out how we manage to paint it all by hand.
“Over the years we’ve been touring the fair I estimate that we’ve spent over £250,000 on gold leaf alone.
“We love it when we see our visitors appreciating the effort we take to keep the fair looking so good – please take photos and tag us on social media.”
For more details, log on to www.carterssteamfair.co.uk
