The Committee

1. Takes note that Belgium and France have nominated Funfair culture (No. 02108) for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

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.

2. Considers that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

R.1:   Funfair culture is an itinerant way of life and involves the transmission of knowledge and traditions from generation to generation within the family circle. It is a unifying element for thousands of people, and the funfair constitutes an important event that provides an opportunity to get together with family and friends. The principal bearer and practitioner of the element is the funfair community. Knowledge and skills are passed down through generations within families, with children actively participating from a young age, learning the art of running attractions, maintaining equipment, and upholding the traditions of their forebears. On a larger scale, the funfair community is organized in international and national unions. Besides oral transmission of knowledge and skills, the attractions – an integral part of the funfair heritage – are also preserved, restored and used by the same family over several generations. The element brings families together and helps maintain a common culture. As a leisure activity, it also allows visitors to share intergenerational experiences.

R.2:   The element contributes to respectful dialogue and to the visibility and awareness of diversity and sustainable development. It promotes peace and social cohesion by creating a space for various groups and communities to connect. The element also helps to sustain the nomadic lifestyle of funfair communities in Europe while providing employment opportunities to seasonal workers, thus stimulating the local economy. Furthermore, the element promotes environmental sustainability by encouraging recycling and the renovation of resources. It also entails adapting to modern sustainability techniques in the transport, maintenance and preservation of the attractions.

R.3:   The nomination file lists several measures at the multinational level to strengthen coordination between the funfair communities and public authorities. The file also includes safeguarding measures to support the education of children from the funfair community, such as through the establishment of an educational strategy to provide a common base of knowledge, skills and culture. The States Parties have also included measures concerning documentation, research and awareness raising. The community representatives have formulated the proposed safeguarding measures with the support of experts, NGOs and researchers from different fields. The involvement of the community in the implementation of the safeguarding measures is highlighted.

R.4:   The funfair community was consulted and informed throughout the nomination process. In May 2019, a multinational steering committee was established to oversee the nomination exercise and coordinate it at the multinational level. The committee met regularly and resubmitted the nomination after taking into account the Evaluation Body’s recommendations to the initial file in 2022. Monthly meetings between members of the community took place in Belgium and France, with communication ensured through reports published in funfair journals and through the representative unions and social networks. Various letters of consent were submitted by members of the community, associations, cultural professionals and amateurs.

R.5:   The element has been included in several inventories in Belgium since 2014, and in France’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2017. The periodic reports of both submitting States submitted in 2021 contain information on the updating and periodicity of the inventories with the participation of the communities.

3. Decides to inscribe Funfair culture on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity;
4. Commends the States Parties for producing a good quality video that provided a detailed presentation of the element’s historical and contemporary context, and featuring the voices of the communities;
5. Further commends the States Parties for submitting an improved file that took into consideration the recommendations from the Evaluation Body in 2022.