The three ages of fairground vehicles

Wed, 18 Feb, 2026 at 07:30 pm UTC+00:00

Horton Social Club | Chipping Sodbury

The three ages of fairground vehicles
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Bright lights, loud music, the sweet smell of candy floss and the sound of laughter – this is what we all bring to mind when we think of a traveling fair. But this is not how it started.
This evening, Wizz Stearne will give us an insight into the 3 vehicles of the fairground – horse, steam and internal combustion.
Travelling fairs began from about 1200 and we’ll learn how markets became fairs, and the importance of the Charters.
Then there’s the golden age of steam, and the innovation this brought with it and the development of the gallopers – How they started, engineering breakthroughs and how it led to the evolution of other machines on the fairground that we know and love today.
Moving onto to internal combustion - the challenges and logistics of moving a large entertainment venue from site to site. Wizz will tell you her stories of living with a traveling vintage fairground, the highs and lows, the unique experiences, and how an Old Tyme Fair is still traveling today.
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Horton Social Club, Horton, South Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, Chipping Sodbury

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