The Bridgwater Fair which survives today is St Matthew’s Fair and dates back to 1249.  The charter was renewed in 1613.  For centuries it has formed a high spot in the social calendar in town and has been held on the same sight for most of that time.
 
Originally held in the centre of the town, by 1404 it had grown so large it had to be moved to St Matthew’s Field and West Street.  Once held on September 21st, it now commences on the last Wednesday in September lasting for four days.

It was a one day fair until 1857 when a local act was passed to make it three days.  Then in 1919, the weather was so disastrous that a fourth day was granted to help the traders, and it has remained as four days ever since.

Bridgwater Fair attracts crowds from all over the West Country and is recognised as the largest fair in the South West with roughly 40,000 visitors each year.

Following tradition, the Fair will be officially opened on 'Fair Wednesday' at 11:30am by Sedgemoor District Council's Chairman and the Mayor of Bridgwater.

The markets we know today, with their stalls set-up through West Street as well as the one-day horse and goods market held at the top of St Matthews Field ,are very different to the original fairs of 800 years ago.

The West Street market runs from Wednesday morning to Saturday evening.
The Fairfield market runs all day on 'Fair Wednesday' (the last Wednesday in September).

Traders from across the UK attend the West Street and Fairfield markets with products ranging from clothing and shoes, rugs and cushions, bulbs and plants, china and pottery, as well as culinary delights such as the famed welsh cakes, brandy snaps, preserves and jams and much more.