Fair, fayre and now fare!

Oh dear. I will join you.

Thanks GSM. It's good to know I'm not alone.

Me too. Pedants unite!

I think it is perfectly fair to eat Christmas fare at a Christmas Fayre or indeed Fair.
Alternatively you could just enjoy the nosh and mulled wine at a Christmas Market.

(British English) Fayre is an old spelling of either fair or fare that is sometimes used in (British English) to suggest something that is simple and traditional. Every year the school holds a summer fayre

Christmas fair, nooooooo!

It is quite simple
Fare is food
The other two Fair and Fayre are events in the open air. .
Ice Fairs on the Thames in Pepys’ day , Summer Fairs (also known at our London church as “The Agony in the Garden) Solstice Fairs, funfairs.
Indoor money raising events are known as Bazaars

The restaurants often attached to Premier Inns are called ‘Brewers’* Fayre’, so they wouldn’t agree with you, RosiesMaw, not that I’m saying they’re using the word correctly.

My big fat Oxford dictionary lists ‘Fayre’ as a “pseudo-archaic spelling of ‘fair’”, not ‘fare’.

Must say I’m glad that Gdcs’ school holds a Christmas Fair, and not the pseudo-archaic thing.

*my apostrophe - whether there’s actually one on the signs I couldn’t say, though you’d think that as a fully paid-up pedant I’d have noticed!

My girls' school held a Summer Gala.

The restaurants often attached to Premier Inns are called ‘Brewers’* Fayre’, so they wouldn’t agree with you, RosiesMaw, not that I’m saying they’re using the word correctly.
(No, they’re not)
My big fat Oxford dictionary lists ‘Fayre’ as a “pseudo-archaic spelling of ‘fair’”, not ‘fare
(I think I said that, Phew!)
I’m happy to say I prefer your big fat Oxford dictionary as the arbiter of spelling to Premier Inns!

eazybee phew!

That's me telt Marydoll.
I am glad of the pseudo-archaic explanation as it agrees with what I thought.

Grammaretto

eazybee phew!

That's me telt Marydoll.
I am glad of the pseudo-archaic explanation as it agrees with what I thought.

Oh Grammaretto, sorry! I wrote the wrong fayre/fair/fare!
I meant fare is a no, no for me. 🤣

I like the additional definition (wh I had not noticed before) that fairs are held in the open air, indoors they’re bazaars.

Markets usually also in open air and predominantly fresh produce. A Christmas market ought to have lots of greenery and food of some kind, not just toys.

Ha ha Marydoll i'm totally confused now
Probably anything goes, except an apostrophe.

I think of a fair as outdoor rides and goldfish in jam jars etc
A Christmas Fayre as tables selling Christmas ‘stuff’
And fare is something you pay on the bus if you forget your bus pass

How about using the word Fete - just to confuse

"Fayre" makes me cringe but I don't really know why. But I'd pay my bus fare to get to the Christmas fair where I might buy some Christmas fare....

Thankyou Scribbles fayre makes us cringe because it's phony archaic and thus sounds and looks pretentious.

Yet to other eyes and ears it probably tells them exactly what to expect.
Our town craft fair may be cancelled again this year due to insufficient stalls.

I have stopped taking part with my pottery as it's mostly Christmas knick knacks. and people come with pennies not pounds.

eazybee

My girls' school held a Summer Gala.

I always think of a gala as a Swimming Gala 😃 🏊‍♂️🏊‍♀️

We're having an outdoor Christmas market here.

There will be fresh produce but also crafts - how else do you describe an outdoor Fayre/Fair/Fare/Selling place for produce, crafts, hand-made toys decorations etc?

About to throw a spanner in the works. If the gala was selling only food, would that constitute a Christmas fare?

No, you can’t have ”a fare” (except on the buses) can you?
Wholesome fare, adequate fare etc but not “a fare “
Possibly in an abstract way “ An inadequate fare for the work they have to do”
Or perhaps “A Christmas fare to remember” meaning “food” in general.
Sometimes referred to as “faring” meaning food, nourishment
www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D7HijyAVHVDQ%26vidve%3D5727%26autoplay%3D1&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwj_4beanZuCAxV7WkEAHaNdBxUQyCl6BAgdEAM&usg=AOvVaw2WiasvJehdDxUrnBfEPu7Y

Scribbles

"Fayre" makes me cringe but I don't really know why. But I'd pay my bus fare to get to the Christmas fair where I might buy some Christmas fare....

Exactly!
That sounds fair enough.

‘Fayre’ makes me cringe too - why has it been an apparently obligatory description of a bazaar-type event for the last few decades?

Possibly in an abstract way “ An inadequate fare for the work they have to do”
Or perhaps “A Christmas fare to remember” meaning “food” in general.

I'm not sure you need the 'a' or the 'an' though to use it as a noun.

'Inadequate fare for the work they have to do' = 'not enough food to sustain them for the work they have to do'?

'Christmas fare to remember' = 'By 'eck, that were bl**dy good Christmas nosh' 😂

I agree too Grammaretto I can just about tolerate Fayre but Fare is completely wrong.