Summer fetes

We have an annual SeaFest weekend, with parade, car show, musicians, etc. No carnival type rides other than a bouncy castle for little ones.

The Sunday is celebrated on the waterfront, with a kids fishing derby, build and race your boat, kayak tug of war, etc. It's good fun, but yes, it takes a lot of volunteers to organize.

My town still has its own annual show, with livestock, dog show, vegetable and produce competitions, even the best fairy garden on a plate for children, which I remember doing as a child myself. All our local villages have their own version too. We must be old fashioned.

Yes witzend I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. When we were younger, we helped with these things. Now we’re retired, there’s no one to take our place as everyone is so very busy, seemingly, from both parents working full time and no one has time to spare. Sad really.

Calendargirl

Garden fetes, Christmas Markets, Summer Fayres, Town Galas with Float Parade…..

All these types of community events, which we remember with nostalgia from years ago, they all need teams of willing volunteers to make them happen.

And that is what’s missing nowadays. Very few people want to give up their time to help, but all expect everything to just ‘happen’, they like to come along for a couple of hours on the day, but that’s it.

Also why scout groups, WI’s, parish councils, PTA’s etc etc, can’t attract anyone to run these things.

A lot of the sort of women who used to organise and help run these things, are now rather more likely to be working than they once were.

Garden fetes, Christmas Markets, Summer Fayres, Town Galas with Float Parade…..

All these types of community events, which we remember with nostalgia from years ago, they all need teams of willing volunteers to make them happen.

And that is what’s missing nowadays. Very few people want to give up their time to help, but all expect everything to just ‘happen’, they like to come along for a couple of hours on the day, but that’s it.

Also why scout groups, WI’s, parish councils, PTA’s etc etc, can’t attract anyone to run these things.

Oh yes I still miss a proper Hospital Fete! Me and my friends would be in a fever of excitement, the possibility of winning something, anything from guess the buttons in the jar, the name of a dolly or the REAL deal- the Fancy Dress Competition!
One year I'd made myself into a (stupidly awkward and misshapen) Oxo Cube and was so envious of one friend whose Mum made her a lovely belly dancer outfit with all those little sequins & jiggles on......

If you want it back then getting involved in doing so is a good start, ‘someone’ has to organise these events.
Our local carnival was today, it’s involved a group of people giving up a lot of time and energy to do so, it looked very successful.
Maybe put it out on your local FB group, contact Parish Council and other bodies?

I grew up in a rural area and, while most of the villages had an annual flower and produce show, I can't recall any galas or carnivals.
However, when my daughter was young, we lived just over the borough boundary from Dagenham and we all loved the annual Dagenham Town Show.
It was huge, attended by tens of thousands of people and there was just about everything you could want in a gala - Dog shows, flower shows, novelty animal acts, motorcycle displays, classic vehicle shows, trade stands and exhibitions, music and performing arts, junk food and street food, all the fun of the fair. It was brilliant - until the council decided in 2012 that it wasn't profitable and put an end to it.
That couple of days every year probably did more for neighbourliness and community cohesion than any other single thing.

I no longer live in that part of the country but I understand there is a campaign group at work who aim to bring back the show. Good luck to them, I say.

Where I now live, in a small town, we don't have a gala or carnival as such but there are several "Summer Sundays" each year with music on the Green, food and drink and various traders. A good place to be with a sunhat and a deckchair on a fine (but not too hot) afternon.

My local town had their annual Carnival last Saturday with a procession with floats from local schools and companies. It doesn't seem to have changed much over the years. They cancelled the Dog Show as it was too hot but otherwise all the stalls and games are much as they used to be. You are not being unreasonable to want your old fete back. I would feel like you in the circumstances. A good idea to try a school fete.