BRIGG HORSE FAIR 2021 DRAWING NEAR

 

Brigg Horse Fair 2021 will be held tomorrow - Thursday, August 5 - on land adjoining the railway station.
Many spectators will be there for this free-to-attend historic event from 9am through to the afternoon while the horses are being shown to prospective buyers.
Members of the gypsy & traveller community have been arriving in Brigg and parking their vehicles and caravans over recent days.
Stalls selling horse-related items have become a feature of the fair in recent years, together with fast food and ice cream providers.
Brigg Horse Fair is not sanctioned by North Lincolnshire Council. Nor does the event feature in various event listings.
Insp Craig Leitch, of Humberside Police, said: “Brigg Horse Fair is a long established, having taken place annually for a number of years during the first week of August.
“Our local neighbourhood’s team will be attending the Fair to provide support throughout the event and to ensure those who attend have an enjoyable experience whilst engaging with local residents, business owners and visitors."
Last year, with Coronavirus emergency social distancing rules still in place, the Horse Fair was in doubt until the eleventh hour, but it eventually went ahead... with a smaller attendance than normal.
When the A18 still ran through the town centre, horses and their owners, potential buyers and many townsfolk used to gather near the White Horse pub, on Wrawby Street, while trading took place nearby.
This became increasingly difficult, in view of the rising number of vehicles passing through on the main road, and the fair relocated to the stockmarket area off Cary Lane/Barnard Avenue. Many fairs were enjoyed here from the 1960s through to the 1990s. But the market buildings were eventually demolished with Tesco's store being built on the site in the late 1990s.
One horse fair held in the early '90s saw only a couple of horses taken along and it was feared this might prove to be the last. However, interest then grew steadily - year by year.
Latterly, land off Station Road has been used, close to the auction market's metal shed and parallel to the fenced-off railway line.
Those attending on Thursday are advised to watch out for horses and traps travelling along Station Road and through the fair site.

PICTURED: Views from Brigg Horse Fair 2020.