People of Cambridge! Be lured by the jingling of bells, the sounding of horns and the smells of delicious street food on 6 December, as Mill Road hosts its much-loved annual Winter Fair. Taking place between 10.30am and .30pm, the huge community bonanza sees the whole road closing to traffic to make way for over 120 market and food stalls, street entertainment, crafts and much more.
This will be the Fair’s tenth year, and it has flourished considerably since those early days, as chair of the Mill Road Winter Fair Committee, Andrew Philips, recalls: “The fair has come a long way from the original fair in 2005 when only 40 venues participated and cars whizzed up and down Mill Road. Now the road is closed to vehicles annually from East Road to Coleridge Road and opened to parades, eating and all kinds of activities taking place on this vibrant street.”
The Fair will launch officially with the colourful Winter Fair Parade, which sees 100 local people – from schoolchildren to professional musicians and performers – parade the length of the street to get everyone in the party mood. It sets off from Coleridge Road at 12.15pm and has a bicycle theme this year in honour of the recent Tour de France. It gets busy, so make sure you’ve already nipped in and grabbed your burger or falafel by then, so you’re ready to stand back and look on.
Food
Scores of Cambridge’s best-loved food and drinks companies will be represented at the Mill Road Winter Fair, from street food vans to chocolatiers and everything in between. Anyone in doubt that Cambridge is a cosmopolitan city need only look at the diversity of food on offer, including Greek food from Borakis, Indian home cooking from Cadwin Curries, authentic Keralan cuisine from The Rice Boat, GoGo Gogi Gui’s exciting Korean BBQ burgers and gourmet scotch eggs from This Little Piggy. Craft beer connoisseurs should hunt out Jolly Good Beer, who will be showcasing their latest and bestselling ales from some of the UK’s top small breweries. Lots of their beers are veggie friendly and gluten-free, too. Find Caffe Mobile for delicious fairtrade coffee and home-made cakes, or hunt down Cambridge Street Bakes for cute, seasonal iced biscuits and gingerbread houses. Meanwhile the Gourmet Brownie Company makes brownies in ten (yes ten!) different flavours. They also do gift jars (just sayin’). Then there’s the Gwydir Street Food Market, a must-visit for all foodies.
Music
Music is an enormous part of the Fair, and there’s a whole list of performers scheduled to join in on the day. Join Allotment for some acoustic fun, watch the Cambridge Morris Men or join in with the Cambridge Lindy Hoppers, who’ll be showcasing their energetic moves in Romsey. Favourite local duo Ain’t Misbehavin’ will be making an appearance, as will Fruity Clave, described as ‘a spicy little percussion ensemble’ and Cambridge rock royalty The Della Portas, who play music from the 60s to the modern day. We like the sound of The Misspent Ukes, who play anything and everything on ukuleles – and what could be more Christmassy than listening to the Cambridge University Brass Band with a cup of mulled wine? Cambridge 105 will also have stages at Donkey Common and Hope Street Yard, and if you don’t want to go home, the party continues at the Salisbury Club once the Fair has been packed away.
Children’s activities
Hear stories at St Barnabas, visit Santa’s Grotto and venture into a Winter Wonderland at Railway House (through the gate on the south side of the bridge, opposite HQ). Here, there’ll be games, music, refreshments and entertainment for kids. Then pop into St Philip’s, where there’ll be a mini craft market and lots of things to make and do – plus a puppet performance and free sweets! Budding scientists can watch explosions with CHaOS at the Salisbury Club, 11am-4pm. And anyone can join in with building a coin picture on top of the bridge after the parade until 3.30pm. If you have any loose change lying around, bring it along in the name of art and turn it into something beautiful. The aim is to build the words ‘Mill Road Winter Fair’ in coins, including the star logo.
Other highlights
Watch as firefighters from Cambridge Fire Station pull a 14-tonne engine down Mill Road to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity and the Burns Camps Charity. Takes place 10.45am from East Road. Cambridge Cheer Academy will be performing at Petersfield at 2pm; hear about life in years gone by on a Mill Road History Tour (11am-1pm); meet singing groups; dance; try out bikes and hear stories – whatever you’re into, you’re bound to find something inspiring. Don’t forget to browse the many craft and gift stalls: there’ll be several in the Donkey Green Marquee, the Co-op Car Park and Ditchburn Gardens.
Oh, and we’ll be in the Donkey Green Marquee too. Come and say hi – we’ll be giving out magazines and treats and we’d love to meet you!
