THE first week in May is usually the time when roads in Hereford close and cars are replaced by fair rides, but this year that's not the case.
Instead, the May Fair in Hereford will take place in August. Perhaps unsurprisngly, it has been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
But unlike 2020, it will at least go ahead. Herefordshire Council confirmed on Thursday that the fair will now take place from August 3 to August 5.
Over the years the May Fair has always had its mix of traditional ceremony, screams of excitement and the aromas of hot dogs and candy floss.
In Hereford, the event was originally called St Ethelbert’s Fair, and was started by a royal charter granted to Bishop Richard of Hereford in the 12th century.
Since the 1800s it has been a three-day event, and this year it will celebrate its 900th anniversary.
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It is still opened by a procession, followed by a ceremonial offering of 12-and-a-half bushels of wheat by the city’s mayor to the bishop as payment for allowing the fair to proceed.
Below is a selection of pictures from various May Fairs in Hereford over the past nine years.
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