| Where: | Formerly at Heathfield, Sussex - in & around the Goward Hall at Cade Street |
| When: | Formerly a Saturday in late April |
| Time: | Formerly from 11am until 4pm |
Heffle is the old local name for Heathfield in Sussex, and they had a Cuckoo Fair each April to mark the arrival of spring. It all began in 1315 when the Bishop of Chichester obtained permission to hold a weekly market and an annual fair, and though there have been some gaps in the schedule, it was well established until the covid pandemic as a charity fundraiser for Demelza, the local childrens hospice. Visitors could expect morris dancing, a funfair, displays such as falconry, music, crafts and classic vehicles as well as a carnival parade and Dame Heffle, who released a cuckoo from her basket making the event unique. Cuckoos can be hard to find when you need one, so witnesses weren’t too surprised if the released birds looked like pigeons! The fair ended with a barn dance in the evening.
Helpful Hints
The last fair was held in 2019 – hopefully a revival will take place at some point in the future but for now it’s no longer taking place.
There was a park-and-ride service from the Market Carpark in Old Heathfield. Admission to the fair was free.
Click here for the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hefflecuckoofair1315
Photo by Langham Birder.
View this location on the map.
Do you have an e mail list to tell us when the 2015 cuckoo fair date is announced?
thanks
Charmaine
Hi Charmaine,
Here at calendarcustoms we don’t have any connection with the running of the fair but if you use the contact form on the Heffle Fair’s own website at http://www.hefflecuckoofair.org.uk/contact.php you can either send a message or find phone numbers. I had a quick check on their Facebook page and on September 29th they put up a message saying next year’s date will be announced soon so it shouldn’t be long now!
Best Wishes,
Averil
Would you please let me know the dates of the 2015 cuckoo fair thank you
kind regards Carole Smith
Hi Carole,
You must have missed it in Helpful Hints – it’s on April 18th this year. Enjoy!
Best Wishes,
Averil
I understand there is a fun dog show at this year’s cuckoo fair.
Please could you tell me more about it? What classes will there be and how much is the entry fee is for each class? Do dogs have to be over 6 months old please?
Thank you
Regards
Hi Penny,
You’ve got through to calendarcustoms rather than the Heffle Fair – their own website isn’t working at the moment but you can get hold of them at the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hefflecuckoofair1315/ or you can email the organisers at hefflecuckoofair@hotmail.co.uk. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to give you all the lowdown on the dog show!
Best wishes,
Averil