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.
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.
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]
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.
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 28th Dickensian Evening is scheduled to take place on December 6 2024.[15] [16]
The commercialised American approach was later exported back to England; a warehouse-based theme park, Dickens World, opened in Kent, England, in May 2007.[17] [18] It closed on 12 October 2016.[19]
Other towns that organise yearly Dickensian fairs in December include Whitby, Lostwithiel, Tavistock, and Weymouth, Dorset.[20] [21] [22] Whitby's Dickensian evening is unique as it incorporates steampunk and gothic horror themes.[23]