Burton is set to be overwhelmed by the smell of hot dogs, candy floss and doughnuts next month as Statutes fair will return to the town, despite the three-month closure of St Peter's Bridge while major work takes place.
Many residents were concerned the popular funfair would not return to the town, but organisers have now confirmed it will be taking place on Monday, October 2 and Tuesday, October 3.
The fair is run by Pat Collins Funfairs, a company which has been organising fairs across the country since the 1880s.
Michael Harris, director of operations at Pat Collins Funfairs, said he is excited to be unveiling a new ride at this year's Statutes Fair in Burton.
The 38-year-old said: "We're really excited to introduce our new ride, Freak Out. It's very similar to Pandamonium at Drayton Manor Theme Park in the fact that a pendulum swings riders upside down.
"We can't wait to come back to Burton. The area has so much history with fairground rides, mainly Orton and Spooner, a Burton firm which built fairground rides and is famous across the globe.
"Every year they would build a new ride and preview it at the Statutes Fair in Burton. The rides were even blessed by the church. Because of all the history attached to it, we always love to come back to Burton."
Ashby's Statutes Fair took place in mid-September and thousands attended the five-day event, which had attractions for all ages, such as the teacups and carousels for kids and the waltzers and bigger rides for grown ups.
There have been concerns about the number of people attending this year's Statutes Fair in Burton with the closure of St Peter's Bridge. However, organisers are hoping that it won't have too much of an impact on the fair.
When the rides arrive, High Street, Lichfield Street, New Street and Burton Market Place will be closed off to traffic, but parking will still be available at car parks across the town.
The history of the Statutes Fair in Burton
Burton's Statutes Fair, as it is today, is the modern version of an event which has been taking place in the town for centuries. It began roughly 800 years ago as a hiring fair, where labourers would come to seek work for the coming year, and has morphed into the amusement fair which now comes to the town every year.
It has almost always taken place in or around the Market Place, and always on the first Monday and Tuesday after the Christian festival of Michelmas. It has been run by Pat Collins Funfairs for almost 140 years. The fair attracts thousands of people to the town each year, but it is not a happy event for everybody.
In 1892, a petition was submitted calling for the fair to be moved from its traditional home, and fresh calls have been made for that to happen several times in the past decade.
In 2005, the Statutes Fair committee at East Staffordshire Borough Council considered whether to scrap the fair or move it out of the town centre. Neither option was taken up.
