Imagine the excitement of going to your local park one day and finding that a beautiful, brightly coloured funfair has arrived! How exciting when your parents tell you that it is the same funfair you have just seen in your favourite movie, Paddington 2! A trip to our vintage funfair can be a fantastic introduction to fairgrounds and attractions for under-fives. You’ll often find us in a park or field, right on your doorstep so there’s no long journey across the country to a big theme park. Our fair is the perfect size for little ones- not too big to walk around from ride to ride and much smaller ride queues than you would typically find at the big amusement parks.
With free entry and a pay per ride system, there’s no pressure on everyone to have a Big Day Out – you can pop along for an hour or so and be back in time for their afternoon nap. Plus you only need to buy rides for those that want to ride meaning that grandparents, friends and other family members can come along and have fun for free, even if they don’t want to go on the rides. We are aware that for many of our younger members, the pandemic has meant they haven’t yet had many chances to visit a funfair, or for those that are aged three and four, they may not remember the last time they came. In this article we’ll talk through what we have available for our youngest visitors and how to make the most of your experience. We’ve included the questions we get asked the most, we hope you find it useful.
What rides do you have for under-fives at Carters Steam Fair?
On our 2022 tour we have a range of rides including rides that are ideally suited to toddlers and those under 1.3m. These rides are too small for adults to ride, but you will be able to stand very close and watch. The rides are gentle – one is even powered by hand! These rides are 1 new 2022 token and include:
- Austin Cars – beautiful vintage cars
- Toytown – a lovely medley of different vehicles to sit in
- Dobbies – miniature horses and other animals
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- Toy town
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- Austin cars
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- Dobbies
We have a selection of rides that young children can enjoy with a grown up or an older sibling. Children under 90cm can ride for free with a paying adult (1 new 2022 token) on the Gallopers, Train Ride, Boat Ride and High Flyers swing boats.
- Miniature Train Ride- all aboard for a gentle ride around a circular track (1 new 2022 token)
- Galloper Horses – you may know it as a ‘carousel’ but this is the British version. (1 new 2022 token)
- Swing boats – one of the most traditional fairground rides, we have two sets, and one is perfectly sized for little ones. (1 new 2022 token)
- High flying jets – these fly fast and high with a lever that the children can control. (1 new 2022 token) Children must be over 1.3m to ride on their own and we recommend that younger children have someone in with them
- Mini octopus – spin and twist around in the air (1 new 2022 token)
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- Train ride
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- Galloper horses
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- Swing boats
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- High Flying Jets
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- Mini octopus
Do toddlers need ride tokens if they ride with an adult?
If your little one is a ‘babe in arms’ or under 90cm, they will not need ride tokens for the Galloper Horses, mini train ride or boat ride if they ride with a paying adult.
What rides do you have for older children and adults?
We also have rides that older children, or those that are tall for their age can enjoy. These have a height restriction of over 1.1m:
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- Chair-o-Plane – fly through the air with glee. Outside seats fly higher and faster (1 new 2022 token)
- The Skid – whizz and whirl around fast and control your spins with the foot pedal. This is a big thrill ride. Children can ride with an adult if they are over 1.1m. If they are over 1.3m they can ride on their own. (1 new 2022 token)
- Swing Boats – the full-size boats have a height restriction of 1.1m 1.05m ( 1 new 2022 token)
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- Chair O plane
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- Lightning Skid
How many ride tokens will I need and how much are they?
We have new ride tokens in place for 2022. Bought on their own, ride tokens are £3. We offer token bundles to give you extra value which include a set number of tokens and some free ride passes. When you book your tokens online you get extra free rides included in your bundle. Just pick the day you want to visit, select the token bundle that you want and then collect at the fair. If you run out of tokens on the day you can buy more from the token booth.
For example, our online £30 ride token bundle includes 10 tokens (enough for 10 rides) and two free ride passes. In our experience young children like going on the same ride more than once – they pick another vehicle or animal to ride on! Alongside the rides there are also sidestalls where children can win a prize. The most popular with younger visitors are hook a duck and hook a fish. You’ll need 1 new 2022 token to play but you get a prize every time – a great souvenir of your visit. You can buy ride token bundles for each location here.
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Where can I visit your fair in 2022?
You can see our 2022 tour dates online here.
We hope to see you soon!
