Just over two weeks ago now, me and my boyfriend decided to take a trip to Hull fair. It was the last day it was on and we wanted to make sure we went as we had such a good time last year. We decided to go in the evening, even though it is open in the day, but there seems to be more of an atmosphere at night. It may have been less busy in the day, although saying that because it’s laid out over such a big area, you aren’t struggling to move as much. The worst part is probably the food section, and I should also mention you aren’t queuing for rides that long either. It was definitely colder last time compared to this time. October feels a bit warmer this year. Parking has never been an issue on the two times we had been to Hull fair, but I would recommend looking around for parking as where we had parked before it was £5 last year but they charged us £10 this year which was the single most expensive thing all night! I guess that’s what you get for parking a short walk away! It was also the tightest car park I have ever seen, but it was also guarded all night, so that was a reassuring thing. Anyways enough about the parking situation! I thought I’d give a run down on what to expect in case you decided to go next year!
Food
Lets start off with the food. The food is located at the front entrance and goes down in a line. There are a few places where all the rides are but if you want a variety then the entrance is your best bet. One downside is the amount of rubbish on the floors as most of the bins are just overflowing. Food stalls you can expect to see are Greek, noodles, fish and chips, burgers, sweets, donuts, Yorkshire pudding wraps, fudge, candy floss, chicken, footlong fries, pulled pork sandwiches and bratwurst. As I said food was probably the priciest part. To give you an idea, bratwurst were £7 each, donuts are £4 for 4, pulled pork sandwiches are £6 each, loaded fries £7, Yorkshire pudding wraps £8, churros £6, noodles from £5 and gyros £10 each. We went for bratwurst and if you don’t go for the ones with the stuffed cheese in, your missing out! For me the bratwurst were well worth the price but then other options for even basic noodles, seemed a bit overpriced but may of made up for it in taste. A lot of places take card as well as cash but I must admit depending on what area you are in the fare, some card machines weren’t working as they were struggling to connect so I would bare this in mind. If you are taking cash, I would also recommend you draw the money out before hand as there is nowhere to do this on site. There really is so much choice for food though, the hardest part is to decide what to have!
Rides
On to the rides. There are lots to do for all ages and they go from tamed to rides for the thrill seekers. There are plenty of family friendly rides for everyone to enjoy. I thought the rides were very reasonably priced, especially the ones for children. I won’t name all the rides as we’d be here for ages but ones you will find are fun house £3, rollercoaster £5, waltzers £4, dodgems £5 per car, ghost train £4, teacups £2.50, big wheel £5 – £7 as there is quite a few there, fusion £4, twister £2.50, vertigo £5, top spin £4, air £6 and carousel £2. They have the biggest wheel in Europe there which is what costs £7 each, with a photo opportunity as well if you wanted. Last year we really enjoyed the experience, however this year it felt more about taking peoples money and cramming different groups into the same pod, which was disappointing as last year the two of us got our own one. There wasn’t even a queue nor were all the pods being used as they were shutting them off. We then decided to go on one of the smaller wheels. I say small, they are still high, but we had such a better experience and was able to take pictures and just enjoy it. Both wheels went round 3 times, and I must admit it was a windy night, so every time it stopped the pods were rocking a fair bit haha. We also went on the dodgems which is a free for all, so when they stop everyone rushes to get a car, but they are so much fun and a ride that has you laughing the whole time!
Stalls
There is also a huge choice of stalls to win various different prizes on, such as hook a duck, archery, darts and penalty shootout. Some of them guarantee a prize, which I think is nice for little ones as they will always get something. Hook a duck I would say is one of the easiest games, and the archery and darts more of the harder to win. Unless they are your sport! The best time to go to win prizes though, is the last day the fair is on. So many people were walking around with huge teddys and a lot of stall’s shelves were empty, however that could just be because it was the last day. The stalls are dotted throughout the grounds, but a lot are grouped near the food, which is good if you don’t want to carry prizes around as you can play the games on your way out.
Overall I loved Hull fair, the atmosphere is great and most of the people working it are really friendly. It is quite noisy and loud, but I feel it just adds to the atmosphere. What more could you want than listening to throwback music, having that weird feeling when you’re on a thrill seeking ride and smelling hot, freshly made donuts. Speaking of music, there were a few wannabe Scooters on some of the ride operators mics shouting, “Are you ready?!” which is quite amusing. What does make the fair so unique though is, it is one of the oldest fairs still going and one of the largest with over 250 rides. It has evolved over time and one for everyone to enjoy. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for it next October, and we will be going again! Hopefully, next year, I will be able to persuade my boyfriend to go on more rides as he’s not a fan of heights!
Have you been to Hull fair before? What is your favourite ride to go on?
Amy x
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