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Home > Fair > Cornwall’s traditional honey fair

Cornwall’s traditional honey fair

By Caroline King - September 24, 2018Posted in : Fair, Food & Drink

Callington Honey Fair 2016

Town Crier Competition at Callington Honey Fair

When: 3rd October 2018

Where: Callington, Cornwall

£: Free

What is it?

The 40th annual Callington Honey Fair will take place on Wednesday 3rd October in Cornwall.  The fair is organised by the Lions Club of Callington, and has become one of the largest fairs in Cornwall.

Around 100 stalls will line the streets, and the town hall will be filled with honey and honey products, as various competitions take place.  The town hall will also be serving cream teas (with honey of course).

Local bee keepers will be displaying their live bees and honey products, and competing for honey awards.  The fair usually features a lively mix of music, street entertainment, rides, displays and stalls. The highlight of the event is the popular ‘Teas with the Bees’ at the Town Hall, where visitors can sit and enjoy a cream tea with the bees.

This year there will also be a trail of Honey Fair shop windows, a children’s art competition and family entertainment in the evening.

Honey themed competitions include the best light, medium and dark honey, the best ‘Joy of the Hive’ themed crafts, the best homemade mead, and the best sultana, apricot and honey cake.

The fair has been taking place since 1978 when local businessman John Trewithick decided to resurrect the event which originally began back in the 13th century.  In 1267 Henry III granted a number of market charters to help fund the re-building of Westminster Abbey, permitting Callington to hold weekly markets and an annual fair.  The Honey Fair itself became properly established in the 19th century when fairs of this kind were common in towns across the South East of Cornwall.  The Callington Honey Fair is now the last remaining fair of this type.

More info: callington-tc.gov.uk/callington-honey-fair-2018, www.cbka.co.uk/callington-honey-fair and callingtonlions.org.uk/honeyfair

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Tagged With: Cornwall events, Family events, Free events, South West

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