The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

Goose Fair is, if memory serves me, the biggest and oldest fair in Europe and from about the age of 5, I used to go there – first with my Dad, then with my friends – to play on the arcade games, go on the rides and eat mushy peas out of a polystyrene cup.

I loved it and even now, if I find myself in England in the first week of October, I’ll make it a priority to go along, even though it isn’t quite as magical to me as it once was.

I say this because a few weeks ago, we took Otis to an old-school fair in LA.

It’s nothing like Goose Fair, it’s indoors for a start, but it has rides, games, prizes and food.

As you can see from the photos, he kinda-loved it.

Talking to him afterwards, it became apparent that it wasn’t just the lights, noise and fun that captured his attention but the ability to feel like he was in control of all that was around him.

I don’t mean that in terms of him getting me to pay for whatever he wanted to try, I mean it in the sense that he was suddenly able to explore activities and adventures that were normally off limits to him … either because of access or age.

Things like riding a horse.

Or a motorbike.

Or patting unicorns.

For him, the fair was less about igniting his imagination and more about stepping into a World of possibilities.

Maybe that’s what made me love Goose Fair when I was a kid and maybe that’s why it still holds a fascination with me today … because while I’m old enough to do pretty much whatever I like, a fun fair lets me do it with all the enthusiasm and freedom I felt when I was younger, without any concerns what anyone else will think.

In other words, the fun you get at a fair isn’t because of the rides, but because it let’s you live without the limits society places on us.

Sure, video games do a similar thing – but there’s something very different between physical transformation and just emotional – which is why it’s a shame so many of the fairs are closing down, including this one in LA, because as much as I love playing video games, there’s something far more infectious when you’re in it rather than just controlling it.