Appleby Horse Fair 2025: Everything you need to know

Appleby Horse Fair is underway in Cumbria.

The 249-year-old fair attracts around 10,000 Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people and over 30,000 other visitors every year and began yesterday, Thursday June 5 and runs until Wednesday June 11.

It’s an event that is billed as the biggest traditional Gypsy, Roma and Traveller fair in Europe, and is commonly likened to a large family gathering.

While the fair is not an organised event – there are plenty of traditional activities to watch, market stalls and more to visit over the weekend.

Most of the action takes place from Thursday to Sunday – but some festivities do continue until the Wednesday.

What happens at Appleby Horse Fair?

There is no set programme of events at the fair and no charge for attending – but there are several traditional activities visitors can spectate.

Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people come from across the UK and wider world to attend the fair – and bring with them their horses and traditional wagons.

The horses are washed in the River Eden in the centre of the town nearly every day of the event and are also trotted up and down the flashing lane on most of the main fair days.

A market also takes place on the fields from today to Sunday where goods are sold including tools and hardware, clothing, china, horse goods and more, some of which are traditional to the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community.

Additional market stalls are also held in the Public Hall from Thursday to Sunday as well as in the market square in the town centre.

Fortune tellers and palm readers also attend the event and live music goes ahead. Horses are often still traded at the fair.

A co-ordinated welfare awards project is also held each year, awarding horse owners for well looked after animals.

Where can I park?

There are several car parks near the site of the fair.

There is free on-street parking in Appleby town centre for two or three hours and parking discs are available from most shops and the tourist information centre.

There is also parking available at the football field on Chapel Street, Appleby Railway Station and during the fair at Appleby Castle and Appleby Grammar School.

The closure of Broad Close Car Park, due to ongoing flood recovery work in the town, means that there is a reduced amount of off-street parking available.

This is likely to cause additional pressure to on-street parking and the council’s civil enforcement officers will be in Appleby to prevent contraventions of on-street parking restrictions.

The average cost of parking in the temporary car parks in and around the site of the fair is £10 per car, per day.

The access bridge to Holme Farm car park is closed to allow for a safety inspection. Alternative access is now signposted off the B6542 (the westbound slipway road for the A66) above Appleby Grammar School.

Some disabled parking spaces will be available adjacent to the Moot Hall in the centre of town. Disabled parking discs are valid for all on street parking in the centre of town.

Those wishing to park up closer to the field are asked to speak to police on duty.

Parking for coaches is available at:

Appleby Grammar School on Saturday and Sunday. To book a space, call 017683 51580.
Appleby Railway Station. To book a space, call 0791 368 1939.
Appleby Castle. To book a space, call 07593 661 7775.

How can I get there by public transport?

People are encouraged to attend the fair by train where possible.

Appleby station is a 10-minute walk to both the site of the fair and the town centre. The station is on the Settle to Carlisle line.

Bus services to Appleby during the weekend of the fair are limited and some of the scheduled bus services may not be running into the town.

People are asked to check with Appleby tourist information centre for up-to-date information.

Will there be traffic management in place?

A number of new measures introduced for 2024 that were effective and well received are being reintroduced for this year’s fair and future fairs.

These include:

30mph speed restrictions in Appleby to reduce traffic speeds in heavily pedestrianised areas where motorists would normally be able to travel at higher speeds.
A one-way traffic restriction on the Boroughgate side road in Appleby, restricting southbound traffic.
A no parking restriction along the U3219 at Murton.
Bunding alongside the A685, between Kirkby Stephen and Winton, to address safety concerns caused by limited visibility for motorists and the associated risk to encampments.
A temporary pedestrian guardrail installed alongside the new footway on the road known as ‘Flashing Lane’ to improve pedestrian safety.
Temporary traffic calming measures on the approach to The Sands to address concerns about the excessive speeds of some horses and sulkies.
Clear signage deterring jumping on and off moving vehicles.
Restriction measures introduced at Appleby Leisure Centre car park, maintaining residential access, but preventing illegal overnight parking.

A post review has also been carried out which has resulted in some locations in the surrounding areas of Appleby being identified as tolerated areas for encampments that will be left unposted.

Will there be toilets?

Most of the car parks will have portable toilets in them or nearby.

In the town there are public toilets in the entrance to the Public Hall and Broad Close car park.

There is a disabled toilet next to the tourist information centre and there are also plenty of portable toilets down by the river in the town centre and up at the Market fields and on Fair Hill.

The railway station also has limited toilet facilities.

Where can I get cash out?

Cash machines can be accessed at the Post Office, Spar and Co-op in the town.

Should I bring my dog?

People are strongly discouraged from taking dogs to the fair.

The RSPCA and several other animal welfare charities attend the fair each year and strongly urge people to avoid bringing pets as horses can get spooked by dogs and dogs can get trampled by horses.

In previous years the RSPCA has had problems with dog being left in cars/caravans/awnings, all of which can get hot on even cloudy days.

The temperature in enclosed spaces like these rises quickly, causing heatstroke and death.

The RSPCA is working with Cumbria Constabulary on a zero tolerance approach to this and where dogs are found in cars they will be removed.

Where they are found to be suffering or their needs not being met the RSPCA will seek to prosecute.

Selling dogs or birds at the fair is illegal and people are also strongly urged not to purchase them.

Are any safety measures in place for the fair?

Safety measures will be in place across all aspects of the fair – from traffic calming, to animal welfare, and policing.

The Multi-Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group (MASCG) was established in 2008 to ensure agencies attending the event work together to share skills and knowledge to support the fair.

The group is chaired by Westmorland and Furness Council with support from representatives of the Gypsy and Traveller community, Cumbria Constabulary, the RSPCA, the Environment Agency and other agencies.

It has has established good working relationships with the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community as well as local residents in Appleby and the surrounding areas to improve the fair each year.

People are also being urged to avoid attempting to board, or jump from moving vehicles at any time.

Traffic calming for horses, improved signs and a new footway will all also be in place for this year’s Appleby Horse Fair thanks to £340,000-worth of funding.

An extensive policing operation is in place for the fair.

he constabulary said policing measures will be in place before, during and after the 2025 event, with the aim of boosting safety for all attending the fair.

Gold Police Commander for Appleby Horse Fair, Detective Superintendent Dan St Quintin, of Cumbria police, said: “The policing operation for each Appleby Horse Fair runs for 12 months.

“As soon as one fair ends and everyone has headed home, the policing operation for the next fair starts, beginning with the building of the intelligence picture.

“This extensive intelligence picture is built from what we learn from each Appleby Horse Fair policing operation, as well as the intelligence we gather from other forces – not just our neighbouring forces but police across the country and beyond.

“This intelligence picture is invaluable and drives the actions of our officers as they seek to make the fair as safe as possible, including by targeting a minority of individuals who may seek to travel to Cumbria with criminal intent and spoil it for the vast majority.

“Police forces know who they are which is why we work so closely with them and take appropriate action on what they tell us.

“We will not hesitate to act against anyone from any community who comes to this event believing they can commit offences – as demonstrated by the significant number of arrests we have made at recent horse fairs.”

In 2024, the Appleby Horse Fair policing operation resulted in more than 100 arrests, with around a quarter of those related to road safety – primarily drink and drug drivers.

What if I have concerns about a horse or other animal?

Eight animal welfare charities work together on the Appleby Horse Fair Equine Welfare Project – RSPCA; Redwings Horse Sanctuary; Blue Cross; World Horse Welfare; Bransby Horses; The British Horse Society; The Donkey Sanctuary and The Mare and Foal Sanctuary, come together for the Appleby Horse Project each year.

The RSPCA is sending 39 staff and volunteers to this year’s Fair; Redwings Horse Sanctuary is sending nine; Blue Cross is sending seven; World Horse Welfare is sending seven; Bransby Horses is sending five; The Mare and Foal Sanctuary is sending four; The British Horse Society is sending two; The Donkey Sanctuary is sending two. There will also be three vets from private practices attending, a farrier, a master saddler and harness maker.

There will be a vet station at Salt Tip Corner where assistance can be sought for any animal that needs it between 10am and 4pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

An engagement team, based at the red NEWC tent on Salt Tip Corner, will highlight the importance of horses always having access to water and owners offering their horses water immediately after exercise.

With very few exceptions horses at or on their way to Appleby must be accompanied by their passport.

New rules introduced from July 1 2009 mean that all horses born after that date must have a passport and microchip by December 31 in the year in which they are born, or 6 months after birth, whichever is the latest.

These rules apply to horses travelling from Northern Ireland, Eire or any other EU country.

If you sell a horse you must give the passport to the new owner at the time of sale.

Any horse found straying at the fair, or taken into possession by the police, may be difficult to return to its owner if they are unable to produce a passport or other document that may help to establish rightful possession.

Where can I buy and drink alcohol?

The licensed premises in the Appleby and Kirkby Stephen areas who open prior to and during the fair have agreed to operate with restricted hours where premises will open at noon, cease serving at 11pm and close at 11.30pm.

Off-licences have agreed to restrict their opening hours till 10pm daily during the period of the fair and will not sell beer or cider in glass bottles.

The off-licences are:

Spar at Murgatroyds Garage on North Road in Kirkby Stephen.
Spar on High Street in Kirkby Stephen.
Co-op on Redmayne Road in Kirkby Stephen.
Spar on Boroughgate in Appleby.
Co-op on the Sands in Appleby.

On-street drinking will only be allowed to take place on The Sands area of Appleby whilst there is a road closure in place from noon to 6pm.

The Sands is a large area and will provide a safe environment for those who wish to enjoy a drink purchased from the Grapes Inn.

Following the cleaning and reopening of the Sands, alcohol consumption will not be permitted in the street.

There will be no other areas where on street drinking will be permitted. Any licensed premises which have a beer garden will have a wall or a barrier to define the limit of the drinking areas.

If you do take your drink outside of the licensed area you may find that the licensed premises staff will request that you return to the licensed area.

A Public Spaces Protection Order was introduced in 2018 by the local authority covering Penrith, Alston, Kirkby Stephen and Appleby which allows the police to deal with street drinking likely to cause anti-social behaviour.

People are asked to be aware that those who try to consume alcohol outside of licensed areas may have their alcohol confiscated by the police.

Are any pubs open?

There are several licensed premises and pubs open for this year’s fair.

Licensed premises have voluntarily agreed to stop alcohol sales at 11pm. They have also agreed to ensure that their premises are cleared by 11.30pm – this will give customers a satisfactory amount of time to finish off their drinks comfortably and leave the premises.

Police may visit the licensed premises at 11.30pm to ensure that all customers leave the premises safely.

Open pubs include:

Kirby Steven

Engine Shed – open for residents only until June 8
Sports and Social Club – open – last orders 10pm, stopping serving at 10pm
Black Bull Inn Nateby – normal business
Kings Head Ravenstonedale – Residents noon-11pm, non-residents noon-10pm
Black Swan Hotel – residents only
Bay Horse Inn – closing at 10.30pm daily
Berry, Grape and Grain – open as normal
The Wilding (New Inn) – residents only June 5 to June 9

Appleby

Midland Hotel – fair timings from noon to 11pm
Grapes Inn – fair timings from noon to 11pm
7enty1 – closes 9.30pm
Bo Jangles – normal opening times
Masons at Long Marton – open noon to 11pm
Stag Inn at Dufton – open noon to 11pm
New Crown at Bolton – closes at 10pm
Sandford Arms – closes at 11pm
Three Greyhounds at Great Asby – open noon to 11pm
Mobile bar, Clickham – Thurs June 5 to Sat June 7 noon-10pm, Sun June 8 noon-4pm
Travelling Man Festival

Closed pubs include:

Kirkby Steven

L’al Nook – closed from May 25
Pennine Hotel – closed from June 2 to June 9
Upper Eden RUFC – closed
Kings Arms Hotel – permanently closed
Black Bull Hotel – closed from June 2 to June 10
The Old Forge – closed from May 28 to June 9. Private event being held during the fair
Golden Fleece, Brough
Outfitters, Brough – from May 19 to June 12
Fat Lamb Inn
New Inn, Brough – from June 3 to June 9