Funfair culture
Inscribed in 2024 (19.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
© Alexandra Rice, 2023 Every year, from February through November, the funfair community travels around following a set itinerary, returning to the same places each year. Hosted by local authorities, they install their attractions in a public space, where they stay anywhere from one day to several weeks. Attractions include food stalls with confectionery and fries, games of skill and chance, and traditional and modern rides such as carousels, ferris wheels and roller coasters. During the season, they live as a family community in mobile homes set up on the fairgrounds. The funfair community runs the attractions and entertains the participants, who come to enjoy the rides and delicacies or to stroll through the lively streets. At the end of the fair, the funfair community takes down the attractions and moves on to the next town. Dating back to medieval fairs, funfair culture is a way of life that is still very much alive today in France and Belgium and across Europe. Parents and grandparents are involved in the education and transmission of knowledge and traditions to children, who participate in the tasks from a young age. The attractions – an integral part of the funfair heritage – are preserved, restored and used by the same family over several generations. The itinerant lifestyle relies on a strong solidarity between members of the community and beyond.
