Nottingham's biggest autumn fixture has come and gone for another year. The Goose Fair took over the Forest Recreation Ground on Gregory Boulevard for ten days, running from Friday 25 September to Sunday 4 October, and once again proved why it is one of Europe's largest travelling funfairs, with more than 400 attractions for all ages and free entry throughout.
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The opening ceremony set the tone. Lord Mayor Cheryl Barnard rang the silver Goose Fair bells, joined by a performance from the Djanogly City Academy choir and a reading by poet Sheldon Chadwick. For families who find the noise and lights overwhelming, the fair ran SEND sessions on both Sundays, 27 September and 4 October, from 12:00 to 13:00, offering a quieter hour without the loud music and bright lights.
On the ride front, 2026 pushed the heights. Elevate 85, standing at 85 metres, was the tallest ride ever to visit the fair, and Skyfall, the 80-metre portable drop tower, returned after its 2025 debut. Psycho, a looping ride that spins and swings its passengers, joined the line-up alongside Joker Breakdance and Apollo 13, a 180ft standing ride reaching speeds of up to 80mph and voted best new ride in 2024. The regulars were all there too: Atmosfear, Matterhorn, Starflyer, Magic Mouse, Aerospace, and the big wheel, plus the Waltzers, Dodgems, Gallopers and the Cake Walk, the only ride still running from the fair's time in Old Market Square in 1927. Hook-a-duck, hoopla, darts and basketball filled in the gaps between.
Food was a big part of it, with mushy peas and Cocks-on-Sticks alongside Greek, Caribbean and Chinese stalls, while the Homemade Café and Forest Sports Zone stayed open through the event. Getting there was the one thing that needed planning: NET industrial action meant the tram did not reach The Forest stop on 26 September, 27 September, 2 October and 3 October, with normal service only resuming on the final Sunday. During the week, trams ran every 8 to 10 minutes, and a NET Family ticket covered up to five people for £12 on weekends and after 16:00 on weekdays, or £15 on weekdays between 06:00 and 16:00. A single bus fare was £3, with NCT and Trentbarton group tickets at £10 and £18.90 respectively, and there was no general public parking at the ground, only Blue Badge parking at £10 a car. Lime and Dott e-bikes and e-scooters were available, and it was about a 30-minute walk from the city centre.
None of this is new, which is the whole point. The fair is estimated to have started in 1284, more than 700 years ago, when it was a cattle and trade fair famous for its cheese, with the name coming from the geese brought from the Lincolnshire fens to be sold in Nottingham, up to 20,000 of them for the Michaelmas dish. It sat in Old Market Square until 1928, when it moved to the Forest Recreation Ground because it had simply run out of room. It has survived a bubonic plague epidemic in 1646, both world wars, and the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, and it is one of a handful of UK fairs still carrying the Goose Fair name, alongside Tavistock, Colyford and Ovingham. Queen Camilla patronises it, Nottingham City Council organises it, and in 2024 it drew 493,200 visitors. It is a lot of history for a ten-day fair, and it is already counting down to next year.
Published Date
18 October 2026
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