Upcoming funfairs in the UK!

Old Tyme Funfairs - Upcoming funfairs in the UK!

Old Tyme Funfairs love the winter. Halloween is drawing closer and so is Bonfire Night, which means there will be lots happening all over the country.

Below, we list 3 of the best October/November events happening around the UK and provide you with a little bit of information about how you can get there and what will be happening!

Halloween Half Term Fair Roundwood Park

25th October - 2nd November 2014

£1 Entry - Children under the age of 3 go FREE!

All rides are only 1 token each on Thursday and Friday and only 2 tokens on Saturday and Sunday.

Save 20% on your tokens when you buy 10 tokens for only £10 (full price £1.20 each).Major credit and debit cards accepted. Cash machines and cash-back available on site.Where? - Nearest postcode for Sat Nav: NW10 3SH

Richmond Bonfire Night
November 2nd 2014

Another part of Brent’s fabulous programme of festivals. A great family night out, superb fireworks display, and the addition of George Irvin’s fantastic funfair. Gates open at 4.30 p.m. and there will be Guy judging at 6.30 p.m. (we assume the stuffed, penny for the guy type and not all the men there!). Then the bonfire will be lit at 7 p.m. and the main fireworks display will be at 7.45 so come down for a superb night, lots to do, lots to eat and lots of fun. Where? -The Athletic Ground, Kew Foot Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 2SS


Brent Fireworks Night

November 5th 2014

Brent Fireworks night are always one of the highlights of the year with a spectacular display and lots of fun! With our selection of children’s rides and attractions, plus hot food to warm the cockles of your heart, or the heart of your cockles if you prefer it!

Where? - Roundwood Park NW10 3SH

History of the Chair-O-Planes

Amusement rides have thrilled people for many years and have been a thriller which has alleviated the gloom of life and given people a little excitement so that they can live their lives better and not in a stupor where they go through the regular cycle of home and work. It gives you a little bit of change from the regular routine of life and something which will keep you engaged. They are a primary feature of amusement parks and tend to spice things up a little bit. The history of amusement rides is also very rich as shown by the rest of this article.

The Chair-O-Planes ride, which is sometimes referred to as a Swing Carousel or Wave Swinger, is a fairground ride that is a variant on the carousel where the chairs are suspended on chains from the rotating top of the carousel. Whilst the rotation speed of Chair-O-Planes increases, the chairs are thrown outwards by centrifugal force. With some types of the ride, particularly on the Wave Swingers, the rotating top of the carousel also tilts a little, so there are other variations of motion.

Having come to a truce with Germany, it was from this point as well as America, numerous new rides in the 1920s arose. The forerunner of modern thrill rides was the Whip which was erected in the USA by W.F. Mangels Co of Coney Island. A few examples of this actually came across the pond to the UK, but the earlier versions of the ride were more to do with the Chair-O-Planes. Some of these rides were developed in England, but the vast majority were imported from Germany. Some of those were from Bohmann of Gotha, Saxony. The origins of the ride is unclear. However, this ride was there at the earliest amusement parks. In Idora Park in Oakland, California, in 1908, the ride was known as the Flying Swing, although there are some similarities with the ride being discussed in this article.

Loudoun Castle Theme Park in Scotland makes the valid claim that its moon shaped ride is 'The Plough', which is largest Chair-O-Plane in the world. The plough was called Apollo 14 and was under the ownership of the Bembom dynasty, which operated at the Ponypark Slagharen in Holland during the late 1970s. When it moved to Dreamland in England (known as 'Bembom Brothers'), it was recalibrated into a Chair-O-Plane and named it the Heatwave. At a point later on than this, Henk Bembom moved Heatwave to his newly built park Loudoun Castle, which was subsequently renamed The Plough and painted a vivid green colour.

The majority of the swing carousel rides in North America are situated at amusement parks. They are predominantly made by Zierer (where the ride is known as the Wave swinger), although a small fraction are made by Bertazzon (where the ride was entitled the Swing Carousel) or Zamperla (the ride is called Flying Carousel). If you would like to find out more please visit the link:

http://www.bertazzon-america.com/

The History of the Octopus Fairground Ride

The manufacturers of the Octopus Fairground ride were Lusse, Hayes and first came to prominence in 1937. There are around 75 in the UK and they are one of the most well-renowned rides across the fairground industry. They have a rich and long-lasting history and will always remain in the hearts of many people who love fairgrounds, across the nation..

The Octopus ride is logically shaped like one, with a rotating centre crank pin which pulls 8 arms up and down in sequence. It was popular in the UK in the post-war years and quite a spectacle in the moonlight. Although Lusse manufactured the machine, it appears that most machines they built were uprooted from their original location and moved to another one. More and more were built in time and the Octopus name was popular so things went from there. In the 1950's the Octopus rides became more decorated with some quite scary Octopi, adoring the rides with heavy tentacles causing danger and menace.

Hayes Fabrication started producing Octopus rides around 1959. Shorter arms meant a machine that was easy to maintain, something which Hayes grasped from an early stage. The machines were also erected with the classic pay-box feature. The Octopus was in demand in the UK until the 1980's where thrill rides took over. During the 80's, the Octopus became a safe alternative to some of the more thrilling roller-coasters and they even spread across the water to Ireland.

At the moment there are about 12 Octopus rides which travel the UK, 20 which are still going strong in Ireland, and another 10 which have been packed up. Carter's Steam Fair toyed with the idea of using it as a vintage exhibition, all perhaps with a slightly updated twist to it.

Essentially, the Octopus is a ride which has delighted many people and will always be popular among fairground lovers in the UK.

The History of the Ferris Wheel

In 2013 the Ferris Wheel, otherwise known as Big Wheel, celebrated its 110th birthday!! This a monumental achievement and one that we feel should be recognized!

Potentially one of the greatest inventions of all time, the Ferris Wheel was invented by George Washington Ferris, a civil engineer from Illinois, way back in the 1890’s. The very first Ferris Wheel was manufactured for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, costing approximately $300,000.00 to build.

The George Washington Ferris Wheel is still the largest wheel ever built, weighing roughly 1300 tonnes. Which in other terms is about a tenth of the weight of the Eiffel Tower - and we all know how big that is!

Standing over 25 stories high and holding over 1400 passengers, the very first Ferris Wheel was a thing of beauty and something to be marveled at. From the very top of the ride, passengers could see for 50 miles and it took approximately 20 minutes for the enormous wheel to make one full rotation.

After the Chicago World’s Fair, the George Washington Ferris Wheel was taken to the 1904 St. Louis Exposition for thousands to enjoy and witness it in it’s entirety.

Once the St. Louis Exposition had finished, the wheel was returned to Chicago and dismantled because it was just too expensive to keep the wheel in operation. The metal from the Ferris Wheel was used to build a large ship, the U.S.S Illinois, during World War I.

The Ferris Wheel we use today is much smaller and far less impressive but still provides hours of magic and fun for all who come to ride them! Old Tyme Funfairs use only traditional fun fair rides and modern stalls, and offer all of our services for hire.

If you would like to make an inquiry into hiring our fair ground rides for a special occasion, or large town event, you need only call us. One of our friendly ride managers will be able to help you and discuss your requirements with you today! Thanks for reading and we hope you have learnt something new!

May, June, Farming and Funfairs!

Well it’s been a hectic couple of months and Old Tyme Funfairs are still recovering from what was our busiest May/June period for a long time!

May saw our preparations come to a close as we made the journey over to Windsor for the Royal Windsor Horse show. This annual event is widely recognised across not only Britain but large parts of Europe too, so it’s one of the events we eagerly wait for, as Windsor brings together people from all corners of the globe. Horses and Jockeys get the chance to showcase their talents and compete in various different events, such as dressage competitions and show jumping too. We caught glimpses of the magnificent beasts as we always do and thank Windsor for letting us attend the show! Roll on 2015!

We barely had time to recover from the Royal Windsor Horse Show before we made the short trip over to Bedford for one of our favourite international events - The Bedford Kite Festival! This year we saw Chinese dragons, floating fairies and gliding pigs! - We guess pigs really can fly!

While the Bedford Kite Festival was in full flight we had other members of our large team attend the Surrey County Show on the 26th May which gave us the opportunity to meet some incredible people and enjoy an incredible line up. Despite copious amounts of rain, Surrey was still buzzing as hundreds attended with their entries for livestock, horses and donkeys, floristry, bees and honey, dog classes and poultry shows. Upwards of 40,00 people attended the show, which meant hundreds of children got to enjoy our rides and stalls alike. A massive thank you to Surrey County Agricultural Society for having us. You put on quite a SHOW!

With barely a day to catch our breaths, we then travelled to Suffolk for Suffolk Show 2014, which proved to be a massive success as always, as people flocked to see the animals, talk to their owners and climb on the agricultural machinery. Children that is. The new Farm Discovery Zone really achieved its target to gain more interest and it was continuously filled with people who wanted to try the activities and learn more about farming and food! Our rides were extremely popular at Suffolk Show too, as the attendance of children was incredibly high, probably due to the great attractions and lovely animals. We love you Suffolk!

At this point in time we were rolling into the start of June and had a few days for which to clean up our rides, perform maintenance checks and prepare ourselves for a busy few days of action in Cornwall. As we hit the 5th of June, gates opened early for the Royal Cornwall Show 2014, which played host to great farming and shopping action. We love going to Cornwall, taking in the fresh air and experiencing the true farming action. We always learn something new and get a great insight into the world of farming and Cornwall too. We’d like to say a warm hearted thank you to the organisers of the show who continue to support us and have us at the show! Without you, our calendar year would feel a whole lot different! Without you, we wouldn’t get to see Titan the Robot!

Hope to see you again next year in 2015! As we hope to see all of you!

DON’T FORGET TO PUT THE DATES IN YOUR CALENDARS BY VISITING THE WEBSITES WE HAVE LISTED BELOW!   

http://www.rwhs.co.uk

http://www.surreycountyshow.co.uk

http://suffolkshow.co.uk

http://royalcornwallshow.org

See you soon!!

From The Royal Windsor Horse Show To The Bedford Kite Festival

May is a busy busy time for us!

The year of Old Tyme Funfairs is always a steady one, until this point of the year when we sprint directly into organised chaos. Not that we’re complaining, we love this time of year, and what’s better is the sun has been shining gloriously over the past few weeks, putting smiles on everyone's faces.

On the 14th of May we had the pleasure of attending the Royal Windsor Horse Show which proved to be a massive success. The stands were packed and the horses looked in their prime as professional showman from all 4 corners of the globe performed in a number of different categories.

Unfortunately, we were busy manning the stalls and rides, so didn't have as much time as we would have liked to witness the beautiful horses in action, but what we did manage to see was a combination of technical excellence and sheer brilliance from everyone who participated.

One of our favourite events which we did manage to catch this year was the Alltech Grand Prix where a mixture of riders battled it out for the prestigious Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy. We were delighted when Robert Whitaker won as we had been following his progress throughout the show.

The crowds were as busy as they ever had been and we were very pleased to have been invited to the Royal Windsor Horse Show 2014. If we weren't too much trouble this year we would be thrilled to come back this time next year and experience what is sure to be another magnificent show.

If you enjoyed both our rides and the horses rides whilst at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, then please be sure to visit www.rwhs.co.uk where you can read up on all the events of the week and catch up on any of the events you might have missed. As well as this, Royal Windsor Hose Show have been uploading stunning images from throughout the show to their Facebook page which you can find at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Royal-Windsor-Horse-Show/141258379249206?fref=ts

Now that the Royal Windsor Horse show is over we will be turning our attentions to Bedford on the 24th of May for a 3 day kite show that brings together people from all over the world to compare and fly their fantastically designed kites. A lot of effort goes into not only designing kites, but making them too and we cannot wait to see some of the beautiful creations that people bring this coming weekend.

Thanks for reading our blog, and more importantly thanks to those of you who came to see us during the Horse Show! Maybe we will see some of you on the 24th of May in Bedford for the Bedford Kite Festival? We do hope so!

The Countdown Begins For The Royal Windsor Horse show

Less than 3 weeks to go!

With less than 3 weeks to go before the Royal Windsor Horse show kicks off, Old Tyme Funfairs have been making our final preparations to ensure all our stalls and rides are in prime condition ready for children and adults to enjoy. With a bit of spit shine and elbow grease, we have made sure every single carousel, stall and children ride is in tip top form.

The month of May is going to be a busy one as we prepare for a number of different events, first of which is the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Kicking off on the 14th of May, the Windsor Horse Show is a prestigious event, that showcases talented individuals in various different competitions, with categories that include, International Jumping, Driving, Dressage and Endurance Competitions with three evening performances on Thursday 15th, Friday 16th and Saturday 17th May. Old Tyme Funfairs are attending the RWHS for the full 5 days that starts on Wednesday the 14th of May and ends on Sunday the 18th of May, and we can’t wait to see the talented individuals from around the world showing off their skills.

Although it’s not all play for us as we will be offering our rides and services throughout everyday of the event before packing up shop on Monday.

No rest for the wicked though and from here we will be moving onto the Bedford Kite Festival that kicks off just 1 week after the Royal Windsor Horse Show finishes, on the 25th of May.

The Bedford Kite Festival plays host to some of the weirdest and wackiest kites that have been built all over the world, attracting people from all corners of the globe. We enjoy this event just as much as any other we attend, as well get to witness some stunning kite displays and meet people that have travelled miles just to attend.

Who know’s we might even give it a go ourselves?! What do you think of a Victorian Carousel Kite? - Might be a bit tricky to do.

 

To see what rides we will be taking on tour with us, go to: http://www.oldtymefunfairs.co.uk/old-tyme-rides.php

While you’re surfing the web, why not take a look at the Royal Windsor Horse Show and see what events they are hosting:

http://www.rwhs.co.uk/

Upcoming Events

Over the past couple of months Old Tyme Funfairs have been preparing ourselves for some prestigious events that are not far away from us. With the Royal Windsor Horse Show fast approaching we are delighted to inform you that the show will be flood free. There was some concern that over the recent months the high levels of water would create problems, but in more recent weeks the sun has come out to play and we are sure this years horse show is going to be as fun as in recent years! We can’t wait for the 14th of May!

May is sure to be a busy month for us as we are going to be attending 4 different festivals including the Royal Windsor Horse Show. After this we will be moving onto the Bedford Kite Festival where we had a lot of fun last year viewing kites from all over the globe, where we were pleased to meet kite flyers from America, Japan, Germany, France, China and even a member of the Bali Royal Family! The sun is sure to be shining and kites will be flying high in the sky which is something we truly enjoy watching, while kids and adults alike take breaks to enjoy our rides.

One of our favourite events of the year is the Surrey County Show which takes place on the 26th May and gives people the opportunity to view what real farming life is like. Combining entertainment, fun and food, Old Tyme Funfairs will be there providing traditional and fun rides for adults and children to enjoy throughout the day.

Towards the end of May and the start of June we will be moving onto the Suffolk Show and the Royal Cornwall Show which we will touch on more in our next episode, alternatively you can give us a call if you want to find out anymore about our upcoming events.

We hope to see you all on the 14th of May for the start of the Royal Windsor Horse Show!  

Getting Ready for Summer

Here at Old Tyme Funfairs we have been spending the winter months carrying out servicing on our vintage carousel to make sure it is in tip top condition for this years events. The vintage carousel is a very popular attraction and therefore we wanted to make sure it was looking as good as ever even down to a new coat of paint to ensure a completely genuine experience of a Victorian funfair and to make it look as good as new.

Our wonderful vintage funfair is already beginning to get booked up for this year and we will be making sure that we pay a visit to the usual country fairs that we attend to make sure we bring as much fun as possible to the event as well as allowing visitors to take a step back in to yesteryear and get a genuine Victorian funfair experience. We enjoy nothing more than seeing people enjoying all the fun of the fair and that is why we make sure that all our rides are as safe and taken good care of to provide a fun but safe experience for all involved.

Don't forget that our Victorian funfair is also available for private events and functions and make stunning additions to occasions such as weddings. The hire of our traditional fairground also proves to be very popular when it comes to corporate event, therefore if you are interested then make sure that you get in touch with us.

Happy New Year from Old Tyme Funfairs

Hello and Welcome to the brand new Old Tyme Funfairs blog. We would like to firstly start off by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and the very best wishes for a very prosperous 2014. We are very much looking forward to this year and providing a wide range of entertainment across the UK in the form of our excellent traditional fairground rides which prove to be very popular with people young and old.

We love nothing more than travelling the country with our fairground and seeing the joy that it brings to people. You can enjoy all the fun of the fair whilst taking a step back in time and enjoying an authentic Victorian fairground which has been featured on ITV's Downton Abbey. We can provide fairground entertainment such as rides as well as side stalls not only for fairs and country shows but we also offer our fairground for special occasions such as weddings as well as corporate events.

If you are interested in booking our traditional fairground that consists of rides such as the very popular merry go round, then make sure you give us a call to discuss any questions that you may have as we would be more than happy to help.

Hope you all have a very enjoyable start to January

From all at Old Tyme Funfairs