Tewkesbury Mop Fair to light up the town

Tewkesbury Mop fair, acclaimed as the biggest street fair in the west of England, returns to the town centre on Thursday, 9 October and Friday, 10 October. Over 50 attractions will be available from traditional rides to thrill-seekers’ favourites, and Tewkesbury town’s shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants will still be open as usual.   

The Mop Fair blends historic charm with modern-day community celebrations, keeping its heritage alive in vibrant new ways. The fair traces its roots to traditional autumn hiring events, where servants and farmhands would carry tools of their trade – a mop for a housemaid, a fork for a labourer – to seek new employment.  

The fair will be open: 

Thursday, 9 October 2025 – 4pm to 11pm and 

Friday, 10 October 2025 – 10am to 11pm 

The Mayor of Tewkesbury Borough, Councillor Kashan Pervaiz, will lead an official ceremony to mark the opening of the fair at The Cross, Tewkesbury on the Thursday at 4pm. 

Road closures 

Tuesday, 7 October: 11.59pm 

• Closed: Spring Gardens Car Park (including the approach to the car park) and Rails Meadow Car Park 

Thursday, 9 October: 6am 

• Closed: Barton Street, East Street, Nelson Street and part of Oldbury Road (East Street to Station Street) 

• No parking: Chance Street, Station Street, part of Oldbury Road and Sun Street 

Thursday, 9 October: 4pm – 4.30pm 

• Closed: Part of Church Street (The Cross to The Crescent) will be closed for the procession for the official opening. 

Friday, 10 October; 10am: Mop Fair Day 

Saturday, 11 October: 7am 

• All streets and car parks re-open 

Please be aware that cones will be put out on the streets from 2pm on Wednesday, 8 October ready for parking enforcement to begin at 6am on Thursday, 9 October. 

Parking

See details of car parks on our parking page.

Disabled parking can be found in all our public car parks which are not closed during the mop fair:

• Bishops Walk
• St Mary’s Lane
• Station Lane
• Oldbury Road
• Gloucester Road
• The Vineyards