Dave Barsby – Fairground Enthusiast

I visited Dave on a sunny summer’s Sunday afternoon to find out more about his unusual pastime of being one of only 3,000 fairground enthusiasts in the UK. I have to be honest, I am one of those people who feels sick after spending 10 seconds on a swing, so fairground rides are not my idea of a good time. However, talking to Dave for an hour, I realised how little I knew about this fascinating British tradition, and its long-standing history.

How does one become a fairground enthusiast? For Dave, it started at age nine at his first visit to Loughborough Fair with his parents.

“There was this ride outside what was then Woolworths, this is going back to 1969-1970. It was a round ride, it had long arms coming off it, and a rocket at the end of each one, that held two people. Because neither my dad nor my mum would come on with me, I ended up going on my own. The idea is that you sit in this rocket and there is this lever that you can pull down and you go up flying in the air as it goes round. At the time, I was that short, I couldn’t reach the handle to pull down, so I ended up the only one hurtling around at the bottom at full speed. I heard Dad shouting ‘Pull the handle!’ and me shouting back ‘I can’t reach it!’ And that sparked something in my head, I thought it was brilliant, it all started then.”

Born and raised in Loughborough, Dave visited Loughborough Fair every year after that and, once old enough, started to follow fairgrounds up and down the country. He got to know show folk, artists and makers in the enthusiast community.

As an adult, Dave has collected beautiful working miniatures and models that light up, chime and move. His pride-and-joy is a 1964, fully-working, scale model of the Waltzer. This is his favourite ride and was painted by one of the professional fairground artists. Some other models are wooden, some metal, and some are even Lego. As an enthusiast of fairground history, he also collects historical picture books and has a chair specially decorated for him by a traditional artist.

Dave told me that like-minded enthusiasts meet at John Storer House, at the Loughborough Model Show, on the Saturday of Loughborough Fair where models, books and memorabilia can be exchanged.

Fairs have been held in Loughborough for centuries, the first official Charter was granted to the Lord of the Manor, Hugh le Dispenser, in 1221 by King Henry III. This means Loughborough fair recently celebrated its 800th Anniversary – for which a picture guide was created and published by The Fairground Society – this can be purchased from the society’s website.

Originally, Loughborough Fair was held on St. Peter’s Day in July. Since 1752, it has been the last fair of the season, held on the second Thursday of November each year, although in recent years, the fun starts off on the Wednesday evening. The season traditionally starts with the Kings Lynn Mart Fair in February.

Dave describes himself as a big kid at heart. What fascinates him most, he says, is the here today, gone tomorrow concept of fairgrounds.

“You can go to the fair on a Saturday evening, see the blaze of colourful lights, wonderful machines, and people are having a great time, having fun. Then you go back the following day at 7 o’clock in the morning, and there is nothing. It’s all gone, vanished into the night. It’s magical to me.”

Dave lives in Barrow with his partner Chris, and their two ginger cats: Yogi and Booboo.

Loughborough Fair 2024 will be held Wednesday 13th – Saturday 16th November.

Sarolta Batki