THE 20th anniversary of the Newent Onion Fayre is going to be a spectacular event – and one not to be missed!

The Newent Onion Fayre committee have been working on something special for 2015’s Onion Fayre as it is the 20th year since it was re-established back in 1995.

This year, the Newent Onion Fayre will have a special, one-off evening event ‘Onionfest – the after party!’ More information about this will be released in a couple a weeks.

The committee are proud to announce that this year, yet again, sees a fantastic line-up of bands playing at Gloucestershire’s largest, free one-day event.

The event will be opened at 10am, by A3 institution. This will be followed by Folklaw and then the Woo Town Hillbillies. After the world famous onion eating competition, the Roving Crows will get the crowd dancing. The Ultimate Beatles will have everyone singing along and the day event will finish off with the Sons of Navarone. This year, there will also be an open mic stage, giving the opportunity for local, up-and-coming bands to play their music.

Held through the streets of Newent, the unique event attracts around 12,000 to 15,000 people to the small market town every year. This year, the fayre is to be held on September 12.

The unique fayre, which is held through the streets of Newent, will include live music, a food festival, a dog show, fairground rides – not forgetting the world-famous onion eating competition and the onion show, the only vegetable show in the country dedicated to the Allium family.

The fayre attracts over 100 stalls, and applications for 2015 are coming in thick and fast. The stall application packs are available on the Onion Fayre website: www.newentonionfayre.net

Although this is the 20th anniversary since it was re-established, the history of the Onion Fayre goes back to a Royal Charter granted by King Henry III in the 13th Century. It grew in size quickly and attracted local onion traders who did brisk business with the drovers from South Wales.

Continuing over many centuries, it was the war year that finally saw its demise when food rationing took its toll. In 1995, the fayre was re-established by a small team of volunteers and has grown from strength to strength to the substantial showcase that it is today.

Preparation for the event continues throughout the year and is run on a not-for-profit basis.