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Our Bury St Edmunds Whitsun Fayre returns for 2021...

The hugely popular Our Bury St Edmunds Whitsun Fayre will take place in 2021, the organisation behind it has announced today. Directors of the Business Improvement District (BID) have agreed that – in line with current Government guidance – a scaled down version of the free event will be held over the late May Bank Holiday.

The 2020 Whitsun Fayre was cancelled due to the pandemic but, after studying the Government’s plans for easing restrictions based on medical and scientific evidence, the organisation feels some of the much-loved elements of the two-day event can take place on May 30 and 31.

Chief Executive of Our Bury St Edmunds, Mark Cordell, said: “Safety is our primary concern in agreeing that the Whitsun Fayre can go ahead, so it will be a little different this year and regrettably some of the attractions that have been part of it for the last few years, including the urban beach and mini-farm, will not be included this year.

“Instead, with a clear ‘hands, face, space’ message throughout, it will revert to more of a market and stalls based event, where it has always had its roots from around a decade ago when it was known as the Flower and Continental Market. We’ll be building on all the market aspects that we have introduced in the last ten years and can’t wait to welcome locals and visitors back.”

The Whitsun Fayre is one of a series of free events being planned by Our Bury St Edmunds for this summer. Motorsports East is expected to take place in July and the Our Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival is scheduled for August 29 and 30. As the vaccination roll-out continues, it’s anticipated that these will include more of the attractions seen at them in previous years.

Mark Cordell added: “These activities showcase Bury St Edmunds town centre at its best. Many of our businesses are currently preparing to re-open from April and there are a number of new businesses who will be opening for the first time. Holding events which encourage people to visit Bury St Edmunds and hopefully return again and again will bring back some of the normality that we have all missed in the last year.”