Thousands attend annual street fair

Pack Monday is one of the UK's last remaining street fairs

Thousands of visitors have descended on a Dorset market town for an annual street festival.

Sherborne's Pack Monday, which also features live music and a funfair, dates back to medieval times.

It is held on the first Monday after Old Michaelmas Day, and is one of the UK's last remaining street fairs.

Old Michaelmas Day, which falls on 10 October, traditionally marks the feast of St Michael the Archangel and is associated with the beginning of autumn.

The event has more than 250 stalls, with a variety of artisan, local food and traditional fare on display.

As is tradition, it is preceded by a procession at midnight by Teddy Roe’s band, banging on pots and improvised instruments to make as much noise as possible.

Pack Monday starts at 08:00 GMT and finishes at 22:00, with live music and food in Pageant Gardens from 10:00 until 21:00. The fairground, which opened on Thursday, is at the Terrace Playing Fields.

There are also children's workshops and a special service at Sherborne Abbey that will also have tours throughout the day.

The beginnings of the street fair are lost to the mists of time

Why Pack Monday?

The beginnings of the street fair have been forgotten, but there are several theories:

• After the completion of Sherborne Abbey in the 15th Century workmen "packed up" their tools and "held a fair or wake, in the churchyard, blowing cows’ horns in their rejoicing"

• Workers "packed up" their belongings to move house at the end of their annual term of employment, with Old Michaelmas Day being a common day for this

• "Pack" could relate to itinerant sellers and their wares, as in "pack-man" or "packhorse"

Source: Pack Monday Fair