Written by Martin O’Neill
Since its launch in October last year, Hear|Here—a project in partnership with Fair Scotland that collaborates with Scotland’s travelling Showpeople—has been steadily gaining momentum. This initiative, alongside collaborations with Fair Scotland and Dr. Mitch Miller’s Atchin Tans & Tobers project, forms part of a broader artistic exploration of Scotland’s Showpeople culture, including Miller’s deep-mapping practice known as dialectograms.
We have ambitious plans for 2025, a dynamic programme of installations, performances, and newsprint, and an upcoming series of events coinciding with the March Spring Fair, the project continues to grow in scope and impact.
I’m always eager – perhaps to the point of annoying (!) – to remind Doonhamers just how deeply embedded and longstanding the travelling fairs are in Dumfries. From medieval feasts in the 1300s to the Rood and Spring Fairs of today, this rich tradition remains a defining part of the town’s cultural landscape. Showpeople played a pioneering role in early cinema, contributed significantly to the town’s development—including the construction of the suspension bridge—and supported local efforts during the Second World War. Their history is not just alive but constantly evolving—adapting to the present while remaining fiercely proud of its unique identity.
There is a growing recognition of Showpeople’s cultural significance, the recent BBC Scotland docu-series Licensed to Thrill has brought their stories to a wider audience, while the European Showmen’s Union Conference in Edinburgh earlier this year—an event I was fortunate to attend—highlighted the continued importance of this community across Europe. This renewed interest signals a much-needed revival and acknowledgment of their contributions, woven intricately into Scotland’s industrial, cultural, and civic fabric.
This cultural resurgence comes with challenges. Inconsistencies in local policies and licensing rules continue to create uncertainty. In Dumfries, the debate around the flood defence scheme highlights these tensions. On the positive side, there’s growing support from local leadership, with calls to ensure that fairs remain on their current site by the Whitesands. But sustaining these historic fairs remains an uphill struggle, with rising costs and bureaucratic hurdles.
The recent European Showmen’s Union Conference brought these issues to the forefront in a parliamentary debate addressing key concerns for Scotland’s Showpeople:
Furthermore, efforts to safeguard Showpeople’s heritage are gaining traction. The UK signing up to UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage is an encouraging step, as are initiatives led by Fair Scotland, which has recently launched a survey documenting fairs under threat and those lost over the past century. You can read more about this in a recent BBC article.
And members of the public are encouraged to take 5 minutes to fill in the short survey here: https://bit.ly/LostFairs
How can we support the future of the fair?
At the recent European Showmen’s Union conference, presentations from various international organisations shed light on successful models of support. The German Showmen’s Association (Deutscher Schaustellerbund), for instance, highlighted the scale and resilience of fairs in Germany—where, in 2024 alone, 7,500 fairs attracted 200 million visitors, generating a turnover of €4 billion. Despite rising operational costs, these fairs continue to flourish due to their deep integration within cultural and historic celebrations. Events such as Oktoberfest, Stuttgart’s Cannstatter Volksfest, and traditional Christmas markets demonstrate how fairs can be framed as essential cultural fixtures rather than standalone attractions.
Closer to home, Kirkcaldy’s Links Market—Scotland’s largest street fair—offers an inspiring example of longevity and adaptation. Running for over 700 years, it remains deeply embedded in the town’s identity. Unlike fairs relegated to isolated spaces, Kirkcaldy’s fair, as with Dumfries, runs along the waterfront. Its success, thanks to longstanding advocacy from leaders in the local council, underscores how traditional fairs can be seamlessly woven into the cultural life of a place, contributing to the long-term economy of a town.
Proposals for the Future
It wouldn’t feel very Stove-like if I didn’t use this blog as a space to throw some ideas into the mix—so here are a few to get us started! If we want Dumfries’ fairs to thrive, we need to think about how they fit into the town’s future and make sure they remain at its heart. Some ways to do this could include:
- Cultural integration: Weaving the fairs into wider community events, arts festivals, and seasonal celebrations to make them a more visible and celebrated part of town life.
- Heritage interpretation: Bringing the fairs’ history to life through walking tours, museum exhibits, and talks that deepen people’s understanding of their significance.
- Urban design integration: Making sure fairs aren’t just accommodated but actively designed into the town’s spaces—imagine seating areas shaped for fairground rides or performance zones that transform throughout the year.
- Sustainability initiatives: Looking at greener energy solutions, like hydroelectric power from the River Nith, to make fairs more environmentally sustainable and cost-effective.
- Diversity and inclusion: Ensuring fairs are welcoming spaces for everyone, where diverse voices—including travelling communities, LGBTQ+ groups, and multicultural communities—are celebrated and included.
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Recognition: Pushing for Dumfries’ fairs to be recognised as part of Scotland’s protected cultural heritage, similar to how the Tilburg Fair (The Netherlands) has been designated.
Looking ahead
The work of Hear|Here is taking shape not just as an advocacy project but as a catalyst for deeper integration and innovation – by embedding the voices and ideas of Showpeople into urban planning and cultural strategy. Through collective action, we have the opportunity to secure a future where Scotland’s travelling fairs not only endure in Dumfries but flourish as living, dynamic elements of our town and community.
