Egremont Crab Fair’s plucky organisers are ready and waiting to open the fair tonight despite the wet weather.
While the county is facing some heavy rain and flood warnings today, the Crab Fair committee said it is well prepared to manage the weather.
Committee secretary Ian Curwen said the team have prepared in advance to keep tonight’s entertainment rolling and that there are options for people to stay dry while enjoying the festivities.
Ian said no changes are currently being made to the weekend’s overall timetable of events and that the weather forecast is predicting improved weather in the town tomorrow.
Tonight will mark the official opening of the fair with Dancing in the Street, which will start at 5pm on the Main Street stage at the bottom of the town and will feature several acts.
Ian said: “We’re ploughing ahead and we have contingency plans in place to make sure things are safe.
“Two years ago we had very similar weather and we’ve got a great a great selection of performers on this year to keep people entertained, even if they are a little wet!
“In 2023 it rained all evening and people still always come down, there’s almost that British spirit with people laughing and making the most of it.
“The acts will start at 5pm as planned along with the fair, we’ve got lots going on and the rain won’t dampen that.
“You might just see a few more umbrellas and cagoules and things like that.”
Pubs including the Wheatsheaf, Blue Bell and King’s Arms will also be open for people looking to get drinks and sit down in the warm out of the rain in-between acts.
Ian said the team have also prepped the stage well to cope with poor weather.
He added: “There are a couple of things we learnt in 2023 relating to the Main Street stage and placement and the stage we have now is better than the one we had two years ago, so various thing like that will help.
“It might as well be Kendal Calling really, it’s the same vibe as how often they get rain there.”
While the Met Office is predicting some heavy rain in the town today, the weather is currently set to turn cloudier tomorrow.
Ian said that no changes are being made to the timetable of events today or on Saturday and that plans are in place to make sure everything goes ahead tomorrow on the Crab Fair field and on Main Street.
He added: “I am pleased to say the field is in good shape, we’ve had a lot of dry weather as of late, so it’s in good nick and we have ground mats down to help people move.
“All those things we’ve put in place over the years mean that the impact of bad weather is less than it could be.
“But we will always look at things like changing the running order or moving things into a tent if we need to, but right now the show goes on.
“The weather forecast is looking better tomorrow and the worst of the weather will have passed today.
“There’s been a volunteer team working tirelessly on that field all week through all weathers to get it ready and they’re still there today right now in that rain to make sure people have the best weekend possible.”
The funfair will also still operate during the rain and vendors and stalls will still be opening as planned.
Ian added: “We brought the fair back two years ago after Covid and the death of the Queen and it’s hard to do it, it costs a lot of money and there were costs associated with the years it didn’t happen.
“Each year we’ve tried to bring it back bigger and better and this year we’ve got Stunt World International coming this year on the fair field and we haven’t had anything like that in about eight years.
“People coming along and supporting us helps us bring it back bigger for the next year, even when the weather is poor we still really need that support.
“If people want to see Crab Fair continue and get bigger and better, we’d urge them to come along and show their support.”
We will be sharing coverage and updates from the Crab Fair throughout the weekend.
Updates on any possible timetable changes will be shared here and on the fair’s Facebook page.
For all the timings, details and events you can expect to see at the fair, read on here.
