The information below is a description from the 2023 Fair to show what kind of things take place at the Fair.
At the 2023 Fair on Saturday 2nd December, Donkey Common will have a mix of food and drink, market and craft stalls, and Cambridge 105 broadcasting from there all day. Petersfield Green will also have food and drink, market and craft stalls, plus the mysterious, meditative labyrinth, and tai chi nearby.
Green Badge Guides with Mill Road History will run a 90-minute walking tour starting at 8.45am at the corner of Mortimer Road/Mill Road, and Friends of Mill Road Cemetery will run four tours, hourly from 11am. At Covent Garden, there will be film screenings in the ARU Drama Centre.
Ditchburn Gardens will have performances, stalls, mulled wine and of course the beautiful new arch courtesy of the Traders Association. Nearby, the Cambridge Mosque on Mawson Road will have activities, and the Salvation Army Centre on Tenison Road/Mill Road will host the Mill Road History Society and family activities, plus music in their courtyard.
Key events
9.00 Closing the road begins
10.30 Winter Fair begins
10.30 Fire engine pull, East Road to the bridge
10.30 Opening ceremony, Ditchburn Gardens
12.15 Parade, Salisbury Club to Petersfield
15.20 Final parade, the bridge
to Petersfield
16.15 Winter Fair ends
17.30 Roads fully open
The food fair will be based in the Gwydir Street Car Park. Nearby, there will be live music and family activities at St Barnabas Church, and more family activities with Cambridge Hands-On Science and Cambridge Storytellers in the St Barnabas Centre. There will also be activities in the Bath House and David Parr House.
A new addition this year is Mill Road Community Centre on Hazell Street (off Headly Street), with a variety of activities for all ages. The Argyle Street Housing Co-op by the bridge will once again host live music and stalls.
The Fair’s HQ will be in Mill Road Baptist Church, with a quiet space in the church itself. St Philip’s Church is planning a fabulous programme of indoor performances plus family-friendly events.
Cambridge Community Circus will run a circus skills workshop from 11am to 1pm in the Salisbury Club. A warm welcome awaits at Romsey Mill, where there will be a fabulous art show and festive activities for all the family.
Further afield, there are more treats and activities to be found at The Edge Café, Cambridge Central Mosque, Zion Baptist Church, King’s Church, The Cambridge Blue, and more.
Many of the restaurants, shops and businesses along Mill Road also take part in the Fair by staging their own events, providing special dishes and offers, or raising money for charity.
You can also see more information about events, stalls and buskers, plus this year’s leaflet.