Performers at the 2014 Great Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California

A Dickens fair (also Dickensian evening, Dickens Christmas fair, Dickens fête or Dickens festival) is a weekend or multi-day gathering open to the public which attempts to recreate a Victorian English setting reminiscent of the novels of Charles Dickens. Events may be outdoor, indoor or a combination of the two. Many are Christmas-themed, a reflection of the enduring legacy of Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.[1] The fairs generally include costumed participants, musical and theatrical acts, and art, handicrafts, food and drink for sale.

Characteristics

Dramatic and musical entertainment, artisan demonstrations, dancing, parades, and lectures or discussions on literary or historical topics may be part of the events. Costumed entertainers often impersonate characters from Dickens' novels, as well as historical figures such as Queen Victoria.

Origins

The first known Dickens Fete was arranged by the Rev. F. J Mills during July 1897 in the English seaside town of Broadstairs.[2] Broadstairs also lays claim to the longest running Dickens Festival, The Broadstairs Dickens Festival, founded by Captain Miles Conway Robson in 1937[3] and celebrating its 86th year in 2023. Unlike most British and American Dickensian fairs which take place in December, Broadstairs Dickens Fete is usually held in the second or third week of June.[4]

History of the fairs in the United States

A performer dressed as Jacob Marley at the Dickens Christmas event in Skaneateles, New York

Ron Patterson and his wife Phyllis started the first "Renaissance Pleasure Faire" in southern California in 1963, making it an annual event beginning in spring 1966.[5] Five years later they initiated a fall renaissance fair event in the San Francisco Bay Area with a harvest theme. These traditions took root locally and spread across the country.[6] They then launched the Great Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco, an indoor event, in 1970.[7] This has also inspired similar events across the U.S.

Contemporary Dickens fairs in England

Beginning in the 1980s, the English town of Ware began hosting a Charles Dickens themed carnival during the first week of December to welcome the arrival of Santa Claus.[8] The 25th Dickensian Evening was held in 2019.[9] Townspeople wear Victorian costumes, local businesses and volunteer groups run food and gift stalls to raise money for charity, actors perform a short open-air play such as A Christmas Carol, a craft fair is held in the drill hall, a nativity scene is unveiled in St Mary's church, a choir sings Christmas carols in the churchyard, puppeteers and street musicians entertain the public, and fairground rides and games are hosted in the town centre.[10][11] The highlight of the evening involves the mayor turning on the Christmas lights, and leading a procession featuring costumed performers and dancers, horse drawn beer wagons from McMullen's Brewery, the town crier, carnival floats, and marching band(s).[12][13] The 26th Dickensian Evening was relaunched in December 2022, after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.[14] The Dickensian Evening of 2023 took place on December 1.[15]

The commercialised American approach was later exported back to England; a warehouse-based theme park, Dickens World, opened in Kent, England, in May 2007.[16][17] It closed on 12 October 2016.[18]

Other towns that organise yearly Dickensian fairs in December include Whitby, Lostwithiel, Tavistock, and Weymouth, Dorset.[19][20][21] Whitby's Dickensian evening is unique as it incorporates steampunk and gothic horror themes.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Zavoral, Linda. "Annual Dickens Fair chases the Scrooge away". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "The Dickens Fete at Broadstairs". Westminster Gazette. 6 July 1897. p. 5.
  3. ↑ "The Dickens!". The Thanet Advertiser. 18 April 1939. p. 2.
  4. ↑ "Welcome to the Broadstairs Dickens Festival website". www.broadstairsdickensfestival.co.uk.
  5. ↑ Thomas, Peter; Kember, Michael; Sneed, Richard J (1987), The Faire: Photographs and History of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire from 1963 onwards, The Good Book Press, OCLC 26491008.
  6. ↑ Rachel Lee Rubin (22 February 2014). Well Met: Renaissance Faires and the American Counterculture. NYU Press. ISBN 978-1-4798-5972-6. OCLC 940886737.
  7. ↑ Lipsky, Jessica (2016-12-15). "What the Hell Is The Dickens Fair, the Christmas Tradition in Daly City?". Thrillist. Group Nine Media Inc. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  8. ↑ Ware Tourism
  9. ↑ "25th Ware Dickensian Evening".
  10. ↑ Mohan-Hickson, Matthew (Dec 2, 2017). "All the best pictures from Ware's Dickensian Evening". Herts Live.
  11. ↑ Elton, Danielle (Oct 24, 2019). "12 magical Christmas markets in Herts you won't want to miss this year". Herts Live.
  12. ↑ "Ware's Dickensian Evening 2009".
  13. ↑ Wales, Huw (Nov 22, 2017). "Here's why you should be excited for Ware's Dickensian Evening". Herts Live.
  14. ↑ "Dickensian Evening is Back for 2022!". Sep 8, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Issue details - OD/2326 Road Closure - Ware Dickensian Evening". democracy.eastherts.gov.uk. Nov 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ Swift, Simon (2007-04-18), "What the Dickens?", The Guardian, London.
  17. ↑ Addley, Esther (19 April 2007). "High times aboard the sewer boat ride to the slums". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  18. ↑ Pyman, Tom (12 October 2016). "Popular tourist attraction closes as staff 'told of redundancies via social media'". Kent News Online. KOS Media, Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  19. ↑ "Dickensian Evening at the Fort :: Nothe Fort Weymouth". nothefort.org.uk.
  20. ↑ "Dickensian Evening". Tavistock.
  21. ↑ "Dickensian Evening : Lostwithiel". www.lostwithiel.org.uk.
  22. ↑ "Made in Whitby Christmas Festival 2023: Live music, market and Dickensian entertainment at Whitby Brewery".
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