The Ultimate Guide to Carters Steam Fair
*We were gifted our tickets to Carters Steam Fair. All opinions are our own. Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Carters Steam Fair.
Have you ever wondered if there’s a traditional Steam Fair coming to a town near you? Well, look no further. This wonderful vintage Steam Fair tours each year and stops in a number of towns and cities across the South of England.
What is Carters Steam Fair?
Carters Steam Fair is the largest travelling vintage funfair in the World, with rides dating from the 1890s to the 1960s. They’ve restored a vast number of rides to their former glory and children and adults alike enjoy the traditional rides at this fantastic funfair.
How much does it cost?
Carters Steam Fair is free to enter, you just need to buy tokens for the rides and attractions that you want to go on. The best deals are available online in advance of your visit as you get free rides that way. However you can buy tokens when you arrive, or more if you run out.
We arrived at 11am shortly after it opened and there was a queue for tokens but during the time we were there the queue was always quite short.
Where can I buy tickets for Carters Steam Fair?
Tickets are available online here. Each ride requires 5 or 6 tokens.
You can buy bundles of different sizes from 40 to 200 tokens. With each bundle of tokens you get free rides (from 2 free to 15 free). The smallest bundle is enough for 8 of the smaller rides or 6 of the larger rides.
We went with a big group of friends and they had the £20 bundle, which lasted them for the visit. If we’d wanted to stay longer and repeat some rides or play more games, it would have been worth getting the £40 bundle or more. It also depends how many children you have!
This is Carters estimate on how many tokens you need:
- £20 – 40 tokens + 2 free ride vouchers: enough for 8-10 rides
- £30 – 60 tokens + 3 free ride vouchers: enough for 13-15 rides
- £40 – 80 tokens + 4 free ride vouchers: enough for 17-20 rides
- £50 – 100 tokens + 6 free ride vouchers: enough for 22-26 rides
- £60 – 120 tokens + 7 free ride vouchers: enough for 27-31 rides
- £70 – 140 tokens + 8 free ride vouchers: enough for 31-36 rides
- £80 – 160 tokens + 9 free ride vouchers: enough for 35-41 rides
- £90 – 180 tokens + 10 free ride vouchers: enough for 40-46 rides
- £100 – 200 tokens + 15 free ride vouchers: enough for 48-55 rides
What rides are there at Carters Steam Fair?
There’s a wide selection of rides at Carters Steam Fair, including:
👉The Gallopers Carousel
👉 Chair-o-Plane
👉 Jungle Ark Thriller
👉 Steam Yachts
👉 Lightning Skid
👉 Supercar Dodgems
👉 The Hurricane Jets (a firm favourite of both my 6 and 4 year old, and their friends).
👉 Austin Cars
👉 Train ride
👉 Toytown
👉 Boat Ride
👉 Dobbies
👉 Swingboats – large and small. (This was another favourite for all the children we went with!)
What else can we do at Carters Steam Fair?
There’s also a wide selection of games and stalls at Carters Steam Fair. This includes Hook a Duck (where everyone wins) and a coconut shy (which is always good fun for young and old!). It’s ideal for children who perhaps don’t like rides as much or adults who have a competitive streak.
What food is there at Carters Steam Fair?
From candy floss to ice cream, fresh doughnuts to pic n mix there are loads of treats available at Carters Steam Fair. We shared a bag of doughnuts with friends and they were absolutely delicious.
If you are looking for lunch or dinner there is a Burger Bar (the queue did get long at times so eating outside of popular periods might be wise!) There’s also hot and cold drinks available, including tea and coffee.
Where can I visit Carters Steam Fair?
The remaining dates for Carters Steam Fair in 2021 are:
- THE GREEN, ENGLEFIELD GREEN 2 October – 3 October
- HOLYPORT GREEN, MAIDENHEAD 9 October – 10 October
- PROSPECT PARK, READING 16 October – 17 October
Final Thoughts
We love Carters Steam Fair and have many happy afternoons there over the years. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this Ultimate Guide to Carters Steam Fair. The wonderful vintage traditional feel of it makes it special for children and grown ups alike. We hope to continue to go for many years to come.
If you’d like to read more about a day out at a theme park with kids, how about our blog post on Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World? Read it here.
