During the Great Depression of the s, the Fair Board convinced the city to let married men on government relief attend the Fair for free.

The debate over this reflected a number of societal concerns at the time; some on the Fair Board expressed concern that giving such people free passes would condition them to expect free passes, while others on the Fair Board suggested that married men on government relief should also be given the first chance at taking on part-time jobs building and running the Western Fair.

In , finally acquiescing, the Fair briefly went alcohol-free. The Western Fair typically begins on the Friday of the second full week of September, and ends on the following Sunday, operating for ten days of fun and competition.

There are a number of features that draw in patrons from London and elsewhere, each of which will be examined in brief. Music has always been a major focus of attraction at the Western Fair.

The Fair has attracted a rich combination of local talent and big-name acts from Canada and abroad. In the s, the Fair attracted a series of cutting-edge Canadian alt-rock acts like Moist, the Headstones, the Tea Party, and Wide Mouth Mason.

In the modern era, the Fair brings in a wider variety of acts to appeal to as many Fair patrons as possible. The edition of the Fair brought newer, flashier acts like Fefe Dobson and Lights together with established acts like Hanson and Loverboy; put eclectic Ontario rapper Shad together with classic rock aficionados The Sheepdogs and actual classic rockers Glass Tiger.

In , the Fair tried going in a different direction, partnering with Live Nation to bring big acts to London for outdoor concerts outside of the Fair time.

The flagship effort of this was a Van Halen show on August 5 th , ; the outsized expenditures associated with this , however, convinced the Fair to return to big-draw concerts during the Fair again in , bringing and LOCASH.

Going forward, the Fair will focus on designing concerts around acts that strike a balance between the new chartbusters and the older, more widely popular performers, as well as the usual collection of stellar local talent.

The rides are a perennial draw to the Western Fair as well. The ride layout at the Western Fair typically offers crowdpleasers like the Ferris Wheel, the log flume, the Euro Slide, bumper cars, and the haunted funhouse.

The demolition derby is an extremely popular semi-annual affair, bringing all types of drivers and their cars together for big smash-em-up fun.

A similarly big draw is the championship rodeo, which has amazed and delighted crowds for years with a display of pure roping and riding skill.

Also of note are the wandering entertainers: a collection of clowns, magicians, hula-hoopers, jugglers, and one-man-bands. In addition to entertainment, the Western Fair is also a great place to pick up loads of food and drink.

There are, of course, the usual types of fair food on offer: the Western Fair is awash in favourites like hot dogs, hamburgers, pretzels, and those deep-fried bits of heaven known as elephant ears.

However, there is also a space near the King Street entrance to the fairgrounds that is set aside for the I Love Local part of the Fair, where local food, local drink, and local music come together to show fair patrons the best that London, Ontario has to offer.

For local food, the Top Of The Fair restaurant offers grass-fed beef burgers, pork belly skewers, smoked turkey wings from Hayters Farms, pogo dogs and chorizo sausages from Sikorski deli, and cheeses from Gun Hill Farm.

Insurance Man is easily one of the best blonde ales ever made. While sampling the best vittles the London region has to offer, you can also take in a collection of local musical acts that run the gamut from rock to folk to country and back again.

The Fair features a long list of local and international vendors offering a variety of cuisines. The Fair features big chain vendors like Pizza Pizza, Mr.

Tickets are available both in advance and at the gate. The rides cost coupons, which can be purchased at the central ticket booth in the middle of all the rides.

Advance entry tickets to the Western Fair are available through the Western Fair website, but for those more inclined to pay for things in person there are tickets available at the Administration Building Rectory Street during the working week, as well as the Sports Centre Florence Street , and the Market and the Grandstand Building in the Western Fair District.

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