The information below is a description from the 2022 Fair to show what kind of things take place at the Fair.
There’s a lot going on at this year’s Fair! Some of the wonderful attractions are described below but be sure to look out for much, much more on the day!
The spots below are shown in order from East Road to Coleridge Road. You can also see a map of the Fair, showing each location.
The Labyrinth
Kay Barrett will be continuing the tradition of making a candlelit labyrinth on Petersfield specially for the Winter Fair. Kay says: “The labyrinth is a great symbol of community and will be available for walking from about 11am. Folk of all ages and speeds are welcome! Slow and meditative, fast and fun, anything goes.” If you would like to help with the labyrinth-making, come along to Petersfield at 10.30am. We’ll be using corn to make the lines of the labyrinth on the grass. It’s a fun team activity and takes about 30 minutes. At dusk, we’ll light the labyrinth with tea lights in jam jars. If you would like to help with the candle lighting, please come at 3pm. For more information, contact Kay at [email protected] or check out her blog at www.kayspathway.com
Mill Road History Tour
Start: 8.45am at the junction of Mortimer Road and Mill Road. The tour is led by Green Badge Guides and the route is accessible to all. Price £12 on the day, £10 if booked in advance; children under 16 free. Book via [email protected]. A donation will be made to Mill Road History Society.
Come and find out about the local people who lived in Mill Road: stories of the mill, murder, pubs, the workhouse, intrepid women on camels… and much more. After the arrival of the railway, this street was a place where you could get everything, from birth to death. Learn how to uncover the hidden marks previous inhabitants left behind – and perhaps share some memories of your own.
Fin Boys
Cambridge’s first Oyster Festival! Join us at No.2, where we’re planning a party packed with incredible seafood, demos, and of course all the oysters! Learn how to shuck oysters like a pro, discover some gorgeous food to grab n go, get merry with local beers, and fill up on hot lobster rolls! 11-3pm, don’t miss out!
Films at ARU Drama Centre
Cambridge Film Projects are proud to present a celebration of cinema to accompany the Mill Road Winter Fair. We have programmed a range of films to bring the big screen experience back to the heart of Mill Road in the Covent Garden ARU Drama Studio, just a stone’s throw from the site of The Playhouse, Cambridge’s very first purpose-built cinema. The programme will be:
- 12-2pm: Family Short Films. Pop in for a rolling programme of short films. Experience animation, silent comedy and other gems of the screen.
- 2.30pm: The Oil Machine (PG), 82 mins. This new documentary will be released in UK cinemas and community venues throughout November 2022 and beyond, coinciding with this year’s COP27 climate conference. The Oil Machine explores our economic, historical and emotional entanglement with fossil fuels by looking at the conflicting imperatives around North Sea oil and gas. This invisible machine at the core of our economy and society now faces an uncertain future as activists and investors demand change. Is this the end of oil?
- 4.30pm: ARU shorts programme. A collection of short films created by Anglia Ruskin Film Students.
- 5.15pm: Le Mépris (15), 103 mins. Working with his biggest budget to date, Jean-Luc Godard created a sublime widescreen drama about marital breakdown, set during pre-production on a film shoot. Starring Bridget Barddot, Jack Palance and Fritz Lang, shot in eye-popping Technicolor and adapted from a novel by Alberto Moravia, the film plots a screenwriter’s suddenly fractious marital relations during filming in Italy of a production of Homer’s The Odyssey.
Cemetery Tours
Friends of Mill Road Cemetery are offering two tours of the Cemetery. Meet at the Mill Road entrance to the Avenue of Limes. Maximum Number: 16. The tours will follow main paths so are wheelchair and buggy friendly.- 11.30am-12.30pm: History, People and Nature, led by Diana Cook.
- 2-3pm: All about the Women, led by Mary Naylor.
Cambridge Mosque (Mawson Road)
Meet the staff, team Imam Q&A opportunities, light refreshments, etc.
Ditchburn Place
We will be offering a range of indoor stalls including cakes, soups, hot drinks, tombola, and raffles. Outside in the front garden will be our mulled wine stall and our catering team will be providing a hot food stall. A small amount of seating will also be available. Our toilets will open to the public for a small charge.Cambridge Storytellers at St Barnabas Centre
Stories for children at: 10.30-12am, 1.30-2.15pm and 2.30-3.15pm. All ages welcome, accompanied children and families. We will be in the comfy St Barnabas Centre, close to other activities for young people. Feel free to bring snacks or your lunch, come and go as you need (at the end of a story). We look forward to seeing you!Lifecraft (Bath House)
Lifecraft are hosting an Open (Gingerbread) House, 10.30am-4pm.There will be craft activities, a teddy bear toss, mental health information and hot drinks, including non-alcoholic spiced apple juice. All our activities will be free or with a donation of your choice so everyone can join in.
We also have toilets (including an accessible loo), but we are asking people to “Spend a penny, give a penny” to help us cover the costs of providing the facilities.
Railway House
Once again, the residents of Railway House will be offering activities for children, including Santa’s Grotto, Bouncy Castle and Guess the Name of the Bear. Find us next to the bridge at 128 Mill Road between 11am and 4pm.St Barnabas Church
We are opening up our building for soft play and inflatables. We’ll also have free tea and coffee, and space for people to come and sit in the warm. There will also be busking and choirs outside and we’re giving away mince pies, candy canes and Christmas decorations!
Yoga at The Bodywise Studio
Take a break from the bustle of the Fair, relax, warm up and stretch. The Bodywise Studio on Gwydir Street is delighted to invite you to drop in for a yoga class. Come just as you are, mats etc provided.
- 11am: Strala Yoga, move with ease and softness, with Rémi of flow-life.uk
- 12 noon: Strala Yoga, move with ease and softness, with Gwen of flow-life.uk
- 2pm: Yoga to invigorate, inspire and connect, with James of the Cambridge Yoga Project
- 3.30pm: Face Yoga, with Jill of Rockin it
Open Studios
A group of Open Studio artists in streets off Mill Road are opening their studios from 11am to 4pm over the weekend of the Fair, hanging out the familiar yellow flags. There will be a warm welcome if you wander down to see:
- Alison Litherland, 25 Sturton Street. Abstracted seascapes in oil; atmospheric imaginary landscapes; local sketches in charcoal.
- Binnie and Simonetta Macellari, 20 Sturton Street. Landscapes and still lives in oil and mixed media
- Rosemary Catling, 10 Gwydir Street. Mainly figurative painting and prints. Themes of water and ephemerality. Paintings available as cards and prints.
- Nathan Huxtable, 8 Gwydir Street. Travel is often the starting point for my work. The heightened sense of alertness when moving from place to place lends itself to collecting images; mental, photographic and later with paint.
- Jonny Church, 11 Upper Gwydir Street. Semi-abstract paintings inspired by mountains and wild seascapes.
- John Tordoff, 38 Norfolk Terrace. Urban landscapes in mixed media and collage.
- David Bennison, Box Café, 47 Norfolk Street. Multiple viewpoints to produce intangible landscapes.
- Gallery 9, 9 Norfolk Street. Eleanor Breeze, Izabela Imiolczyk. Kieran Priest, Sara Parodi, Ann Piecha and Peter Hawksby.
The Cambridge Blue
Father Christmas and his reindeer will be back at The Cambridge Blue during the Fair from midday with a free gift for every child. Our toilets, including an easy-access one, will be available for all visitors.
St Philip’s Church
St Philip’s will have tea, coffee and hot chocolate, and craft activities available all day. SING community choir will be performing at 3pm and there will be a Christingle Service (the one with the oranges and candles) at 4pm.Hidden Heritages
Hidden Heritages is an intergenerational oral history project, with diverse South Asian communities in Cambridgeshire. It commemorates two 2022 anniversaries: the 50th anniversary of South Asian expulsion from Uganda, and the 75th anniversary of partition and independence. Join us for a Community and Launch Event, 1.30-3pm, at Ross Street Community Centre, for a book and photograph display, as well as family tree activity. We will launch our family album and short film, showcasing what the project has achieved. Please book here: https://hiddenheritagescambs.eventbrite.co.uk/.
Art Exhibition at Romsey Mill
Topping the sparkling MRWF tree, the art exhibition at Romsey Mill features 17 local artists. You will also find family-focused activities and refreshments at the charity café, all accessible on the ground floor of Romsey Mill.
Cambridge Central Mosque (Mill Road)
We invite you and your family to Cambridge Central Mosque for guided tours, a science and art exhibit, delicious food, storytelling for children, Q&A with our Imams, call to prayer demonstrations – and so much more!