Fair day a success despite big wet

About 50,000 people celebrated a successful Fair Day on Sunday, despite a day that started and ended in heavy showers.

A diverse crowd packed into Victoria Park, taking in the traditional attractions of community stalls and live performances.

It was the elements, however, that prevailed in the end, forcing some main stage headliners to cancel shows and sending a still-up-for-it crowd into various tents.

I think everyone had a fantastic Fair Day even though it was a shorter period of time, New Mardi Gras co-chair Steph Sands told Sydney Star Observer.

The entertainment line-up was one of the best I’ve seen in years and the crowd was really well behaved.

Organisers called off Fair Day at around 5:30pm when the heavy rainstorms of the previous evening returned.

In spite of the early finish, Sands said her organisation was pleased with this year’s event, which was scheduled to run until 8pm.

Among the day’s highlights was the awarding of Fair Day’s Most Fabulous to Tora Hymen, who grabbed the prize in a wedding gown made especially for the day.

Another Fair Day favourite, Saliva Survivor at Doggywood, started strongly with 40 entrants, before its finals were washed out.

The rain also meant Fair Day failed to meet revenue targets.

Sands said Fair Day’s early cancellation resulted in a shortfall in bar takings, which make up the bulk of revenue from the event.

The decrease in bar takings had a huge impact on the profitability of the event, Sands told the Star.

And while Sands did not have a final figure for the day’s takings, she said the final figure was down on what we wanted.