大象传媒

Winchester Hat Fair's founder is a fool - a renowned performer in his own right, Jonathan Kay first brought a collection of like-minded street artists, jesters, clowns and jugglers from London's Covent Garden to unsuspecting streets of Winchester more than three decades ago.

Winchester Hat Fair

The annual Hat Fair now attracts a myriad of artists from around the world and has generated millions of pounds for the local economy.

The name 'Hat Fair' comes from the 'hatting performances' of street theatre where artists pass around a hat for donations after their show.

Early days

This year the organisers have started to compile an archive of costumes, programmes and memorabilia at Winchester's Discovery Centre.听 Jonathan recollected what those early performances were like:

"They were more maverick ... we had eccentricity and less style.听 Now it's become an art form."听 In the days before sponsorship, performances were certainly simpler as performers had to survive on what they got in their hats: "If you put all your money into props you don't eat ... if you eat, you don't have any props!"

Jonathan Kay - The Lord of Misrule

The Hat Fair isn't just about performances. It's ethos is all about reclaiming and livening up high streets: "The economy of the town stems from the enjoyment of the town, not the impassive buildings."

Medieval roots

As he reclines on his throne for the 'Lord of Misrule', Jonathan explains how the Hat Fair takes its inspiration from Winchester's medieval, largely forgotten, traditions of revelry.

"For 400 years, the St Giles Hill fair took place on the hill above the city.听They closed the city and ordinary people were in charge for a couple of weeks - which must have been fun."听

The fair has grown from a small gathering to one of the country's leading street arts festivals with big commercial sponsorship and Arts Council backing - but it wasn't always like that:

"We had to go to the council to get 拢200 to run the Hat Fair - it was either the hat Fair or the church roof!听 But now we're very well supported.听 It it does take a long time for things to seep in.听 I was just persistent - one councillor told me, 'you just didn't go away'!"

Bowl over

Although Jonathan has stepped down from day-to-day management of the festival, he is still the leading light in the developing the organisation:

34 years of the Hat Fair

"People are seeing things they've never seen before. The thing is to bowl people over with interesting and exciting things - the problem is that it costs a lot of money.听 So we're in the lucky position of being able to sponsor, commission and create work which tours around."

As for the future, Jonathan would like to embrace European traditions when whole towns are closed and given over to performers and artists.

"It's about celebrating Winchester as a focus and a generous community which opens itself to the diversity that's in the world."