Newent Onion Fayre

The Newent Onion Fayre is back once again, complete with the opportunity to witness the world-famous onion eating competition with your very own teary eyes, in 2011.

The Newent Onion Fayre 2011 promises to be a great day out for all the onion-loving family once again this September, with high hopes for another to-be-confirmed special guest to officially open the event.

As the world’s only event of its kind dedicated to the onion family, visitors can expect a fun-filled day of music, entertainment, rides, street stalls and shows for young and old. Not forgetting the world-famous onion eating competition, of course.

While the Fayre’s history can be traced back a staggering 800 years to the 13th century, the annual event as we know it today was revived in 1996 and has since proven a highlight on the Gloucestershire calendar – attracting around 12,000 visitors from across the county and beyond.

This year’s Newent Onion Fayre is expected to open at 10am and will run until around 5pm – when presumably everyone has had their veritable onion fix. The 2011 event will see around 100 stalls offering a variety of local produce, including onions of course – provided exclusively by the Keene’s of Over Farm who sell up to six tons worth of the vegetable at the event each year.

As the highlight of the day, usually at 1pm in the Market Square, the onion eating contest sees brave contestants in each of the men’s and women’s events chomp their way through an onion, 5-ounce in weight for the women and 7-ounce for the men, with the quickest being awarded with a trophy and the accolade of being the winner for the year.

Growers will be entering their best produce in the show, which included a special children’s vegetable animal section in 2010. The young, and young at heart, will enjoy fairground rides including the helter skelter and big wheel – while bigger kids will appreciate the model boat show, angling displays and tuition at the lake, which it is hoped will return again this year.

A spectrum of musical tastes will also be catered for at the Newent Onion Fayre thanks to a host of Gloucestershire bands, with dancing groups also hoped to make an appearance.

Whether or not you’re an allium fan, don’t miss what promises to be an unforgettable event in the Forest of Dean town for another year running.