This community event offers an unbeatable atmosphere plus feasting, crafts, music and family-friendly fun. (Images by Adam Cash)
Cambridge’s most lively neighbourhood, Mill Road, welcomes back its annual winter shindig this month, offering a day of colourful community fun for the whole family from 10.30 to 4.30pm.
Kicking off at Ditchburn Gardens with an opening ceremony led by the Mayor, the event takes over the whole of Mill Road and many of its side streets, offering a food market, a busy line-up of music performances, family activities and plenty more besides, from theatre performances to circus workshops.
“Wrap up, eat lots and stock up on Christmas gifts”
“If you’ve been to the Mill Road Winter Fair before, you know how unbeatable the atmosphere is on the day,” says Marisa Crimlis-Brown, one of the Fair’s organisers. “The smells of baked and barbecued foods, the amazing crafts for sale and the huge range of diverse entertainment. Of course, the best part is being able to stroll down Mill Road without spotting a car for hours! It’s a real community event and a great showcase of what Mill Road is all about for those who’ve come from further afield to check out what all the commotion is about!”
“The Fair is a microcosm of the rich diversity which is Cambridge,” adds events manager, Jonathan Mills. “It’s also the best way to meet new people and enjoy free entertainment – personally I’m looking forward to interacting with the roaming Pivotal Players, and I also want to make my own Ukulele with TUB-Ukulele Project!”
So wrap up, eat lots, stock up on Christmas gifts and enjoy the fun! Here’s what’s in store.
KIDS
Little ones certainly won’t be getting bored at this year’s Fair, with lots of family-friendly fun taking place throughout the day at various locations. There’ll be kids activities, cake and a bouncy castle at Romsey Mill, whilst the Cambridge Museums will host a Make and Create winter special at the Salisbury Club. At the same venue, CHaOS (Cambridge Hands-On Science) will present an array of fun, interactive science experiments – perfect for inquisitive kids. Children will also go wild for the traditional Chinese Lion show and all its colour and theatre, set to take place outside the Co-op at 1.45pm.
CAMBRIDGE CHRISTMAS PUDDING RACE
Get set for the first-ever Cambridge Christmas Pudding Race, taking place on Parker’s Piece during this year’s Mill Road Winter Fair. Sponsored by Cole’s Christmas Puddings, based just down the road in Great Chesterford, the race will help to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Opened by the Mayor at 11am, the race will see teams of six take to an obstacle course whilst carrying a Christmas pudding for the chance to be crowned Christmas Pudding Royalty 2015! Search Cambridge Christmas Pudding Race on Facebook for more info.
ARTS
As ever, there will be lots of chances for Cambridge to show off its creativity at the Mill Road Winter Fair. Check out Thinking Outside the Box, a unique art installation that combines film, theatre and visual art to provide an insight into the lives of those involved with Total Arts – an arts group for young people with additional needs. Takes place from 11am to 3pm at the Salvation Army Centre.
Elsewhere, old and young can enjoy tales spun by some of our city’s finest raconteurs as the Cambridge Storytellers regale crowds with their favourite yarns at the St Barnabas Centre, with sessions at 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. There’s a busy day planned over at the Bath House too, with craft stalls, freshly cooked soups on offer and an art exhibition by Pick ’n’ Mix: a collective of artists from different backgrounds expressing themselves in a variety of media.
Be sure to catch the Pivotal Players street theatre group, who’ll be performing Futures for Sale – Candidates for a Better World. This show, part of the global Festival of Change and ArtCOP21, will see seven actors presenting six visions of the future… which will you vote for?
“Taste your way around the cream of the crop at the Winter Fair this year”
Also creating art with a conscience will be Kay Barrett and her team over on the patch of grass where Mill Road meets East Road. Stop by from 10.30am and witness the creation of a magical labyrinth, to be illuminated with tea lights after nightfall, which will raise awareness of the work of Jimmy’s Night Shelter for the homeless and the organisation Link-Up, whose slogan is ‘homeless not helpless’.
EATS
The Mill Road area is famous for its fantastically varied food: from the great indy coffee shops and cafés to the international supermarkets where the shelves are laden with intriguing ingredients from every corner of the globe. Taste your way around the cream of the crop at the Winter Fair this year, which as always will present a delicious treat every few feet. The main foodie hotspot is the Gwydir Street car park, which will host stalls from Steak & Honour, Cadwin Curries, The English Spirit Distillery, Guerrilla Kitchen and Azahar Artisan Spanish Food, as well as GoGo Gogi Gui, The Lick, Rocking Raw Chef and Mr Cake.
Down the road at the Great Eastern Street car park, pick up freshly baked artisan pizzas from Fired Up Pizza and chocolatey treats from Gourmet Brownie Ltd. Or head to Donkey Green and warm up with a coffee from Caffé Mobile then grab a piece of something tasty from Tom’s Cakes or the Ely Fudge Company.
On St Barnabas Road, there will be Keralan-inspired cuisine from Rice Boat and vibrant veggie food from The Wandering Yak, whilst the Carpenters Arms pub will be pitching up in a tent to serve tasty home-made pies. You can also check out two newbies making waves on the local street food scene: Holy Schnitzels and Rösti Strasse. Finally, outside Bharat Bhavan you’ll find South-East Asian street food from Jalan Jalan, and Warming Your Cockles will be serving up delicious drinks (their luxury hot chocolates are a must!), as well as cakes.
TUNES
Walking up and down Mill Road on Fair day always yields a variety of aural delights, with the event acting as a lively showcase of local musical talent. Bop along to the Cambridge University Brass Band, enjoy the Americana bluegrass musical stylings of Lodi Pickins, take in some rock ’n’ roll covers by The Flying Aces, and have a boogie with the brilliantly named Misspent Ukes, who’ll be taking on all sorts of songs on their trusty ukuleles. There’s loads more music on offer too, from the hillbilly blues of Banjo Nick, to the lively folk rock of Flaming June – check out the programme for the full line-up.
ACTIVE
There’s lots of chances to eat, drink and be merry at the Mill Road Winter Fair, but if you fancy breaking a sweat, there’s plenty to try, too. Flex your way through a free yoga taster session at The Bodywise Studio (Gwydir Street), from noon onwards, or try out a new two-wheeler with Cambridge’s all-ability cycle project, You Can Bike Too (outside Cycle King). Over on Mortimer Road, watch and join in a tai chi session with the Taoist Tai Chi Society, or try your hand at juggling, spinning plates or mastering a diabolo in a circus skills workshop with Cambridge Community Circus (opposite Al Amin).
Cambridge Edition is a proud partner of Mill Road Winter Fair.
Images by Adam Cash
