Three days of family fun at Priory Fair
THE Priory Fair, an eagerly-awaited annual highlight on the Port Elizabeth events calendar, has grown this year into a three-day extravaganza of entertainment, offering cabaret, sing-alongs and old school disco in the run-up to the traditional Saturday school fête on 27 May.
A firm favourite amongst local school fêtes, the Priory Fair will offer all the attractions, kids’ activities and entertainment that it has become famous for in its 28 years, all-day Saturday at the St Dominic’s Priory school grounds in Miramar.
This year’s festivities kick off on Thursday 25 May with the show “Ticket to Ride” in the Fair beer tent, with local bands Axyl in a tribute to Queen and the Black Velvet Band celebrating The Beatles, and Skelton’s Revenge ending the evening with traditional Irish pub sing-alongs.
Big hair, neon and punk are in store on the Friday night, 26 May, with an 80s disco dress-up party in the beer tent, with prizes for the best-dressed, lucky draws and more fun activities. Food trucks and cash bar will be available on both evenings.
Saturday 27 May will see the Priory Fair in full swing with funfair rides and plenty of kids’ activities, stalls rich with foodie delights and treasures to be found amongst donated books and bric-a-brac, a jam-packed entertainment programme, and the braai stall and beer tent with live big-screen rugby where fair-goers can be sure to meet up with old friends.
The Fair closes off with a show-case of the school’s own future stars in Priory’s Got Talent, with pupils from Grade 2 to 12 demonstrating their talents in acting, singing, dancing and music, in the school hall from 3pm.
Musical entertainment is always a strong feature of the Priory Fair and this year is no different – the young musicians of Priory’s jazz and marimba bands and the Booysen’s Park Violins, an East Cape Philharmonic Orchestra outreach project, take centre-stage alongside local artists like Alasdair Gillies, The Mad Hatters, Angela and the Jazz Code, Graham Beyer, Doron Blackman and Ken Collier, Cliffy Stuurman, and The Goodness.
The activity arena features a dog show and a variety of sport, martial arts, gymnastics and dancing displays.
Treasure-hunters will delight in the book stall, White Elephant and arts and crafts, while Priory families make sure that the cake stall is loaded with homemade treats.
For the hungry, there’s a tea garden and food stalls galore – breakfast, braai, pancakes, spitkoek, corn-on-the-cob, curry, wors rolls, sosaties, hamburgers, Asian foods, pancakes, cakes and sweets.
Well-known as a great outing for the whole family, the annual Fair at St Dominic’s Priory School in Godlonton Avenue, Miramar, has been running since 1989, attracting record crowds of approximately 15 000 in recent years.
A portion of the proceeds of the Priory Fair will be donated to Vonnie’s Rescues, a local haven caring for unwanted pets that relies solely on donations and sales of hand-made and second-hand good to care for more than 75 cats and dogs.
• The Fair opens officially at 08.00 on Saturday 27 May. Entry to the Fair is free, and parking is available on the school grounds and surrounding area.
• Tickets for Priory’s Got Talent will be sold at the Priory Tent throughout the day. No tickets available at the door. Tickets are R30 and the junior show starts at 3pm, seniors from 5.30pm.
• Ticket to Ride starts at 7pm on Thursday, 25 May. Tickets R90 from Cindy (083 986 5065) or Janet (083 406 3067).
• Tickets for the 80s disco dress-up party are R50 at the door, and the fun is on from 7pm-11pm.
Contact the school on 041 396 2800 for more information or visit www.priory.co.za