Downton Cuckoo Fair
Countdown to The Cuckoo Fair – Saturday 3rd May 2025
The first cuckoo has been heard across Downton, signalling we’re getting close to the Cuckoo Fair! The fair will be open from 10am until 4.30pm, and with well over 200 stallholders and food vendors, entertainers and local businesses, we very much look forward to welcoming all our visitors to the fair, which helps raise vital funds for local good causes. To help you enjoy your day, please read the important points below:
Visitors
If you are driving, car parks are provided by local causes raising much needed funds. Please bring £10 cash to pay for parking as the car parks don’t take card. Alternatively, why not get the bus? The X3 will drop you right by the edge of the fair. View the maps and find out more information on our dedicated page, How To Get To The Fair.
Please bring cash to spend at the fair, as the mobile networks sometimes slows down enough to impact our stallholders’ card machines. There may be times they are unable to accept card payments and there are only two cashpoints in the village, which may see long queues or even run out of cash completely.
We recommend furry friends are left at home, as the fair can be very busy with limited shade or water in hot weather. Please do not leave pets in vehicles or the police will be called.
If you need somewhere to cool off, our excellent local pubs do fabulous food and drink, and are all dog-friendly, although they are also likely to be busy.
Why not download our Cuckoo Fair Day Leflet, kindly sponsored by Batt Broadbent Solicitors, which contains a map of the fair and the entertainment programme.
Stallholders
Please bring copies of your paperwork and arrive by 8am (7.30am for the Memorial Gardens), after this time you may not be able to access your pitch to unload and will need to pay for a public car park. The road will be closed from 8.30am after which no vehicular access will be permitted. Please have a look at our full information on Preparing for the Fair. If you have a card reader that can support offline payments, consider enabling this and having a second carrier’s SIM active, as mobile networks slow down with more people using them simultaneously. Don’t forget to bring enough change to cater for cash purchases!
Residents
Thank you for your support hosting this event in our village. We understand there can be some disruption, but it really does help support charities, groups and businesses in and around the village, and we hope you also enjoy the fair! The Borough will be closed from 8.30am until 6pm to allow the fair to take place, with barriers in place and no vehicle access permitted (except for emergency services). For residents directly impacted by the closure, the Cuckoo Fair pays for a parking space in the car parks which are accessible all day – please see our Information for Residents.
Security
There will be vehicle barriers and security on site throughout the day, as well as a medical team. If there are any problems, please speak to security, visit the information tent, or find one of the Cuckoo Fair team. Security and Cuckoo Fair team members will be clearly identifiable, please beware of imposters. Find out more on How to Enjoy The Fair.
We look forward to seeing you, we hope you have a great day, and thank you for supporting the fair! We are also delighted to thank Toomers Ltd for their very generous sponsorship of the 2025 Cuckoo Fair.
Information
In 2022 the Fair returned after a 3 year break. In 2019 was our fortieth anniversary with a cavalcade of Downton minis and opening by the mayor of Salisbury. In 2018 we welcomed an over 20,000 visitors to our fair, with more than 250 craft, gift, homeware and food and drink stalls on the greens and in marquees along The Borough. The Downton Cuckoo Fair offers fun for all the family including rural craft demonstrations, Punch and Judy, clowns, fairground attractions (no inflatables) in the Memorial Gardens and a produce market in the car park behind the Co-op. The perfect day out in Wiltshire!
We have a wide range of entertainment during the fair including Maypole, Morris & traditional dancers, street entertainers, Downton Brass Band, and a host of live music being performed at key venues throughout the Fair. Click for more information
There is also a wide selection of food and refreshments, along with facilities for the disabled – see our On Site Facilities
Some other events are held over the weekend – see the Weekend Programme NB most of these are held by other organisations so please direct all questions and queries directly to them
There are ample car parks available, run by voluntary organisations and charities, with mini-buses running a Park and Ride service from the Barford Lane car park. To make the most of the your visit to the fair see the ‘Visiting Us’ menu options above.
If you want to add our event to your Listing/What’s On website then please see the ‘‘Fair Use’ Policy by Third Parties eg Listing Websites’ on https://cuckoofair.co.uk/web-site-usage
Frequently Asked Questions
General
If you are a fair visitor you can still contact your favourite exhibitors and help them with their custom during this difficult time by having a look at the stall holder A-Z directory https://cuckoofair.co.uk/details-of-stallholders-produce-market
The Downton Cuckoo Fair is held on the Saturday of the first Bank Holiday in May. This is usually the first Saturday in May but sometimes can be the last Saturday in April.
In 2025 the Downton Cuckoo Fair will be held on the 3rd May 2025.
