Hull Fair Exhibition

The Hull Fair exhibition is running at the HuFree Gallery in the Western Library, from Saturday 3 October to Saturday 21 November 2026. It's a photography show dedicated to one of the city's biggest traditions, and it's open throughout the autumn, so you've got plenty of time to get over there.

The work comes from two photographers, Carmina Ripolles and Ian Trowells, with contributions from HU3 locals. Together they've put together a mix of archive and contemporary images of the fair, so you'll see it as it was and as it is now, rather than just one version of it. Having the local HU3 voices in there too gives it a bit of a community feel, which fits, given how much of the fair is about the people who show up every year.

If you're not from around here, the fair itself is one of the largest travelling funfairs in Europe and has been a fixture of the city's calendar for centuries. It goes back to 1279, when a royal charter from King Edward I gave Kingston upon Hull the right to host an annual fair, which started out as a traditional market. It's still deeply rooted in the city's heritage, and much of that comes down to the food stalls that everyone remembers: candy floss, toffee apples, patties and fresh doughnuts. The exhibition gathers those images of the fair across the years, from the old archive shots to more recent ones, and puts them alongside the contributions from the HU3 locals.

It's a long run, from 3 October through to 21 November, so you can drop in whenever suits you. You'll find it at the HuFree Gallery in the Western Library.