Hull Fair opened for 2026 on Walton Street when Lord Mayor Councillor Maria Coward rang the traditional fair bell at 4pm. The fair runs until Saturday, October 17, and the first evening brought the practical realities with it: road closures, a drone restriction and visitors already weighing what they can spend.
Maria Coward rings 4pm bell
4pm marked the official start of Hull Fair, and the opening bell put the site into its busiest phase for the year. Hull Fair runs every day except the middle Sunday, giving visitors a fixed window to work around if they want the full visit rather than a single evening’s turn around the rides.
2026 also brought the usual operational setup around the fair site. A temporary airspace restriction for drones was put in place over Hull Fair and the surrounding area, with the rule applying to uncrewed aircraft only and not to crewed aircraft. The Civil Aviation Authority and the Secretary of State for Transport introduced Restriction of Flying Regulations under Article 239 of the Air Navigation Order 2016.
Garry Leach on pennies
Garry Leach, the former chairman of the Yorkshire section of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain and press officer for the branch, put the cost side in blunt terms. “The beauty of funfairs like Hull’s is you don’t have to spend any money.” He added that families would have to pick and choose to make pennies go further when they visited Europe’s largest travelling fair.
£10 and over was the top end for some rides, while others were priced between £5 and £9 or under £5. A new food spot was also selling toasties from £7 to £9, and a sign at the fair said cash only. That mix gives visitors choice, but it also means a family day out can move quickly from free entry to careful budgeting.
Walton Street and road closures
A number of road closures were in place around the Walton Street site, and Walton Street was set to be busy from the evening of the opening. Humberside Police and Hull City Council supported the drone restrictions, while counter drone equipment was deployed throughout the fair.
Donna Clifford was out and about at the fair, and a map of Hull Fair created by Funfair Funtime and shared by the official Hull Fair Facebook page helped set out the layout for visitors. The biggest immediate task for anyone heading there is simple: plan for closures around Walton Street, carry cash, and decide in advance which rides or food stops are worth the money before the queues and the prices do the rest.
