Strawberry Fair - Organisation

Organisation

From the constitution, the purpose of the fair is:

"The object of the Fair shall be to hold a Fair, called Strawberry Fair, annually on Midsummer Common, Cambridge, on the first (1st) Saturday in June, for the benefit of the local community, particularly the children. The Fair shall have free entry and entertainments, including music and theatre."

The fair is run by a committee of local people from Cambridge who elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary each year in September/October to form a Steering Group. Sub-committees also operate in order to discuss specific areas of the fair's operation, namely Programming, Finance and Admin, Policy and Community, and Site. The heads of these sub-committees report back at monthly General Meetings - weekly closer to the fair - which provides accountability and allows for the approval (or otherwise) of proposals put forward by the sub-committees.

Approximately a thousand people volunteer their time to make Strawberry Fair happen, which is seen by the committee as one of its greatest aspects. These volunteers include members of the committee itself, stewards, an environment team, area coordinators, stage managers, backstage staff, stalls co-ordinators, and many people 'behind the scenes' that undertake hours of administration. The fair's security team are the only people who get paid.

The fair operates as a free event thanks to the efforts of all the volunteers who help every year. Income from the stalls that come on-site allows the fair to meet its infrastructure and overhead costs. Benefit gigs are held throughout the year to raise money. The local bands that play these gigs usually also play on the day of the fair. Strawberry Fair merchandise - including T-shirts, badges, programmes and posters - is also sold from Information Tents.

In 2009, the police charged the event £1,500 towards policing costs. In future years, the bill could reach £70,000. Part of the police operation involves compulsory drug searches with sniffer dogs for everyone arriving by train at Cambridge station, whether or not they are attending the Fair.