The Runaway Fair was set up today, Sunday, and will be open tomorrow, Monday.

I’ve been writing the same thing for nearly twenty years now … ‘It takes place one week after Abingdon’s Michaelmas Fair. It was once a hiring fair where farmworkers and servants who left their jobs after Michaelmas could find new work. By the late 1800s, the hiring aspect had faded, and now it’s a small funfair, mainly for children, through the afternoon and early evening.’

The world has changed in those twenty years – phones have become pocket computers with cameras better than cameras once were. Blogs can use bigger pictures because internet speeds are faster (from 2-5 Mbps then to 100-220 Mbps now). Banks, Newsagents, Photography, Clothes, Flower and Card shops have been replaced by coffee shops, cafés, nail salons, and men’s barbers.

The only change in twenty years of the Runaway Fair is that, to reduce traffic problems, it is now held only in the Market Place and not along the High Street.

There are many thousands of people — and plenty of dogs — who come to enjoy the funfair, some wide-eyed with excitement, others rather more long-suffering.

There are the stallholders running all sorts of games of skill and luck.

And the food vendors offering irresistible, if not exactly healthy, treats. How good is candy floss for you?

At every junction there’s a barrier and a parked vehicle to make sure no one can accidentally — or deliberately — drive into the crowd. One of the Town Council trucks can be seen at Conduit Road (along with a watchful cat).

There are the Police, PCSOs, and other security staff keeping an eye on things. Also seen here with the Police are some Street Pastors — there to offer a friendly presence, a listening ear, and practical help where needed.

There are the first aiders, ready to respond to the occasional bump or dizzy spell.

And behind it all, Bob Wilson Funfairs, who organise the fair under agreement with the Town Council. They even bring their own photographer and drone to capture the spectacle stretching from the end of Ock Street to the Market Place.

Everything is taken down with great speed once the fair closes, the lights are used to help as dismantling begins around 10:30 pm.

By the early hours, rides have folded away, trucks are loaded, and the convoy heads off to the next stop — the annual Mop Fair at Stratford-upon-Avon on 11 and 12 October, also run by Bob Wilson Funfairs.

By Wednesday morning in Abingdon, there will be little sign of the fair that filled the streets with colour and noise — just a few stacked barriers, a handful of out-of-date signs, and a lighter wallet. Children’s rides were around £3 this year, most adult rides about £5. Burgers and hot dogs cost £6, cheeseburgers £7 — though you could have picked up a burger for a lot less at the local takeaways which do undercut the fairground price.

The Monday of the Michaelmas Fair brought sunshine and blue skies — not the usual Abingdon Fair weather. Most of the big rides can be seen in the video above.

The fair is a huge event, filling the streets of Abingdon with rides such as the 40-metre-high Booster (above).

As the sun set, an orange glow spread over the town, and the fair grew even more spectacular — bright lights flashing, music and megaphone calls echoing, and crowds of excited visitors, especially the younger ones.

Much of the town centre closes to traffic for the fair, including Ock Street and the High Street from the Market Place. Its origins go back to the years following the Black Death of 1348–49, when justices of the peace set wage rates for the coming year at Michaelmas. Hiring agreements were made at the same time, giving rise to the Michaelmas hiring fair — a tradition that lasted into the early 1900s. Over time it evolved into the fun fair we enjoy today.

More pictures to follow on Tuesday when the moon will be full. It looked full on Monnday.

The set-up for the Abingdon Michaelmas Fair was well underway earlier than in previous years.

This is only the second year the fair has been opened on a Sunday. Traditionally, only the Fair Service and the Mayor’s official opening took place that day.

Last year’s Sunday opening was hampered by rain, but this year was different. Under blue skies, several food stalls and children’s rides were already open by midday, and by the time of the fair service at 3:30 pm, most of the fairground, apart from the Market Place, was alive.

The Fair Service, on the Market Place, was introduced by the Mayor, Councillor Rawda Jehanli, and led by her chaplain, Rev’d Georgina Bondzi-Simpson. Music was by Abingdon Community Orchestra. It included three well-known hymns, Christian prayers (one of them a Psalm, also part of the Jewish tradition), a Muslim prayer, and a piece of Self-Improvement Philosophy.

A good crowd gathered for the service. It ended with a blessing after which the Mayor officially opened the Fair. The Mayor, her cadet, and other attendees were afterwards treated to a free ride on the golden gallopers.

By then, all the fairground rides and sideshows were operating , and the Market Place, High Street, and Ock Street were filled with people enjoying what the fair operator, Bob Wilson’s Fun Fairs, billed as ‘Super Sunday Funday’.

Some of Abingdon’s restaurants, such as  Chaba Thai ,also joined in the fair, serving food from their outside pavement.