The Hoppings: A Guide to Europe's Largest Travelling Fair

The Hoppings is back on the Town Moor from 19-28 June 2026 — ten days of fairground rides, street food, and the unmistakable smell of candy floss drifting across Gosforth. Billed as Europe's largest travelling funfair, it draws around 300,000 visitors and fills 30 acres of the Moor with over 400 rides and attractions. Here's everything you need to know.

What's New for 2026

The headline attraction is Elevate85 — a £3 million star flyer ride standing 85 metres tall, described as the world's tallest travelling ride. It debuted in Berlin and makes its Newcastle premiere at this year's Hoppings. Riders spin through the air with panoramic views across the city.

The Log Flume returns after a break — climb a ramp, then plunge into water. The Feast Street food zone has been expanded with loaded doughnuts, gourmet burgers, Mexican food, and freshly made pizza. A Live Lounge stage features local music talent, and the Hoppings Village family zone has been enlarged.

A large-scale drainage project on the Town Moor means the site layout has been reconfigured for 2026 — organiser Ryan Crow describes it as essential work to "future-proof the Town Moor" for future events.

History

The Hoppings began on 28 June 1882 as the Newcastle Temperance Festival — a wholesome alternative to the drinking and gambling of Race Week, which had moved to Gosforth Park Racecourse that year. The name comes from the dialect word "hopping" — meaning a feast, merry-meeting, or parish wake.

The first fair included athletic events alongside the rides: shot put, pole leaping, bicycle races, and skipping competitions. It continues a tradition of fairs on the Town Moor stretching back to the Lammas Fair of 1218. The all-time attendance record was 1.25 million visitors in 1979.

The fair was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID. Bad weather in 2023 damaged the Gosforth end of the site, forcing a reduced layout in 2024. The fair returned to full capacity in 2025.

Practical Information

Entry: Free. Rides are paid individually — most between £2 and £5, headline rides up to around £10.

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 2pm-11pm. Saturday-Sunday 1pm-11pm (final Sunday closes 9pm).

Getting there by Metro: Nearest stations are Haymarket, Jesmond, and West Jesmond — all walkable across the Town Moor. Strongly recommended over driving, especially at weekends.

By bus: Routes 11, 21, 306, X1, X45, and X77 stop near the site.

On foot from Gosforth: Walk directly onto the Town Moor from the Gosforth side. The main entrance is on the Great North Road (A167). The car park entrance is on Grandstand Road near Blue House roundabout.

Parking: On-site car park via Grandstand Road — £4 pre-booked online, £5 on the day. Disabled parking available closer to the site.

Dogs: Permitted on leads.

Tips

Best time to visit: Weekday afternoons (from 2pm opening) are the quietest. The fair is busiest on opening weekend, final weekend, and weekend evenings.

New rides: Elevate85 will have the longest queues — go early in the week or arrive at opening time.

What to bring: Comfortable flat shoes (the ground is uneven grass), a waterproof layer (it's the North East in June), and cash or card (most rides now accept card, but cash is still common at smaller stalls).

You can bring your own food and drink — but Feast Street is worth a visit for the street food.

The Gosforth Connection

The Town Moor extends from the city centre to Gosforth, and the Hoppings fills much of it. The official postal address uses Gosforth: Town Moor, Grandstand Road, Gosforth, Newcastle. The Grandstand Road car park — the main vehicle entrance — is on the Gosforth side. Residents of central and southern Gosforth can walk directly onto the Moor.

Traffic on Gosforth roads is significantly affected during the event, particularly along Grandstand Road and the Great North Road.

The Hoppings runs 19-28 June 2026. For the latest information, visit [thehoppings.com](https://thehoppings.com/) or follow their social media channels.