Strawberry Fair

Strawberry Fair is a local festival of music, entertainments, arts and crafts which has been held in Cambridge, England, since 1974. The fair is held on Midsummer Common on the first Saturday in June. It is open to the public and free and totally independent from any council-run events.

It was announced on 19 March 2010 that the 2010 Strawberry Fair had been cancelled by the organisers due to 'continuing hostility' from Cambridgeshire Police, who had appealed against Cambridge City Council's decision to grant the Fair a licence for 2010.After a year's hiatus, the fair continued in a new form, with a perimeter fence erected around the festival and searches to check for excess alcohol, drugs and weapons.

The 2011 parade was part of the UK Centre for Carnival Arts 'Carnival Crossroads' project and featured colourful costumes and samba bands. New to the 2011 fair was a Village Green area with traditional community activities such as re-enactment displays, It's A Knockout, fancy dress pageant and a grand finale. Other attractions were the Wigwam Stage, The Green Area, Kids Area, the acoustic and cabaret bar, and Colonel Maybey's Mechanical Menagerie a new 'steam diesel punk' area, in addition to around 300 stalls selling food and goods from all over. Entry to the fair was free. As in recent years (since 2004) the fair held a free 'film night' the previous day featuring short films made by local people. The fair has always had a strong following of alternative lifestyles and is one of the few free festivals left in the UK that attracts 'new age' travellers.

A range of musical genres are represented at the fair across several music stages. Local bands are predominantly selected to play; however those from further afield also feature. The local band competition also allows local musical talent to come forward and get a chance to play live on a stage in front of a live audience. Children are catered for by totally free and enclosed entertainments area that includes face painters, a family friendly cafe, a marquee full of activities like painting and crafts, storytelling and many other attractions. An Arts area also allows local art to be displayed and for visitors to the fair on the day to try their hand at something new.

The fair has been screening short films since 2004, but from 2010 a brand new event, the Strawberry Shorts (film festival), will have a focus on local Cambridgeshire talent with its Best New Local Filmmakers Competitive Programme. In addition, Strawberry Shorts will screen short films made by national and international filmmakers. The film festival also features a team of performance artists who take on traditional cinema roles including usherettes and popcorn sellers.

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