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Choose your own level of fairground excitement
The council's 2026 preview promised more than four hundred rides and attractions, from Waltzers and Dodgems to major thrill rides and a big wheel, plus traditional side-show games such as hook-a-duck and hoopla. With that much on offer, decide what kind of visit you're after before trying to cram it all in: a few family rides, an evening working through the biggest attractions, or a gentle wander with time to eat are all quite different outings. Entry to the fair was advertised as free, with rides, games and refreshments paid for separately. Check the current arrangements and individual prices when you get there — getting in isn't an unlimited-ride wristband. Read each ride's conditions before you queue, especially height limits, accompaniment rules and other restrictions. The ride list changes as the fair travels, so don't promise a child a particular ride just because it was in last year's photos.
The fair outgrew Nottingham's Market Place
Nottingham Local Studies Library's archive shows Goose Fair in the city-centre Market Place before it moved to the Forest Recreation Ground in 1928. As the old fair spilled into the surrounding streets, congestion became one of the reasons to find a new site. That clears up something that puzzles visitors: the fair is a proper Nottingham tradition, but today you'll find it away from Old Market Square. The archive's 1928 photograph makes a lovely companion to a modern view, showing how the fair's relationship with the city has shifted over time. Look at the structures, the open space and the crowd, rather than hunting for a medieval ancestor of every modern ride. What lasts is the gathering and its travelling entertainment; the machinery keeps changing. If local history is your thing, browse the archive before you go and let it add a layer to the noise and motion of today's fair.
Plan the bus or tram before the evening begins
Nottingham City Transport's fair information lists its Brown, Lime, Yellow and Purple Line buses as serving the Forest Recreation Ground, with city-centre stops on Parliament Street or Milton Street. Use the operator's current journey planner to match a route to where you're staying or arriving, then check the last useful bus back. Trams can be part of a Nottingham trip too, but 2026 showed why the event travel notice matters: strike action took services off on several fair days. That was a one-off, not a forecast for next time. Check NET's live service updates and the council's fair travel advice just before you set off. Arriving at Nottingham's main railway station? Treat getting across the city as a separate leg — the fair isn't on the doorstep. Save your stops in advance, and allow extra time to board when everyone decides to head home at once.
Make access and a quieter session part of the plan
The council's 2026 guide included Sunday sessions with less loud noise and bright lighting, for children and visitors with special educational needs and disabilities. A quieter session can be a very good reason to pick a particular day, but check whether it's running, and on what terms, in the next programme. It won't mean every ride suits every visitor, so ask the operator about boarding, seating and any specific needs before you queue. The same guide separated Blue Badge event parking from ordinary public parking: general visitor parking wasn't allowed on the fair site, and restrictions applied in nearby residential streets. Check the current access arrangements before travelling, especially if the distance from transport to an entrance matters to you. Agree a manageable route round the fair and a meeting point for your group. A little planning leaves you free to enjoy the rides you've chosen instead of spending the evening sorting out avoidable snags.
Leave room for the food and look after your belongings
The council's final-weekend bulletin names mushy peas and Cocks-on-Sticks among the fair's traditional food favourites, alongside plenty of other snacks and refreshments. So food is part of the fun, not just a pause between rides. Have a look round before choosing, and ask the stallholder directly about ingredients or dietary needs — at a busy travelling fair, every vendor won't offer the same information or take payment the same way. Keep your valuables secure as you move between stalls and rides, especially when you're taking coats off or reaching for your phone again and again. After the 2026 fair, the council reported that phones, wallets and a great many sets of keys had been handed in, and published a lost-property contact. If something goes missing, use the current official contact, never an unofficial social media account asking for your details. And agree how your group will find each other if a phone dies or someone wanders off for another snack.
Two city attractions for the rest of the trip
Nottingham Castle and the National Justice Museum make two contrasting daytime visits before an evening at the fair. The castle's official information describes museum galleries, grounds, art collections and the Robin Hood story, with cave tours booked separately rather than included in ordinary admission. The National Justice Museum fills the historic Shire Hall, with a courtroom, gaol and cells, its own ticketed visitor experience and some free exhibition spaces. Neither is part of Goose Fair, so check opening hours, access and admission with each one directly. Historic interiors can be trickier than a modern gallery if steps or tight spaces are hard for your group. Pick the subject that grabs you and leave enough time to eat and get to the Forest Recreation Ground afterwards. A city break can easily take in a museum and the fair — just don't try to tick off every landmark between the morning train and the last ride.
Plan your trip
STAY OVER
Make a night of it
Search places to stay in and around Nottingham. Add your dates once the organiser confirms the next one. Popular events can fill nearby rooms early, so check cancellation terms.
Find a place to stay on Booking.com ↗BY TRAIN
Nearest station: Nottingham
Plan the onward city journey to the Forest Recreation Ground with NET or Nottingham City Transport. Check event notices before relying on trams or park-and-ride.
Booking.com and Trainline links are affiliate links — what that means.
Where it is
Map pin shows the approximate area where the event happens. Open in OpenStreetMap ↗
Make a weekend of it
Odd things nearby
- Wirksworth Well Dressing 19 miles · Around the late May spring bank holiday weekend
- World Hen Racing Championship 21 miles · Usually the first Saturday in August, at the Barley Mow pub
- Royal Shrovetide Football 24 miles · 9–10 February 2027
Also in October
- Hastings Bonfire Hastings, East Sussex
- Derry Halloween Derry~Londonderry, County Londonderry
- Whitby Goth Weekend Whitby, North Yorkshire
- Golden Spurtle World Porridge Championship Carrbridge, Highland
Still to confirm before you travel
Check the latest dates, prices and travel notices before you set off. What happened at past fairs isn't a promise for the next one.
Go straight to the source
Independent research. The organiser’s own information always wins — we have not visited or tested the journeys.
