Hurst Holy Trinity Church

Hurstpierpoint's St Lawrence Fair

Welcome to Hurst Life’s St Lawrence Fair event page. Here you will find our most recent information for everything regarding the fair.

Since the 14th century, the village of Hurstpierpoint has celebrated the Feast of St Lawrence with a village fair. The fair is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom.

See also, St Lawrence Fair

We can confirm that fair day will be Saturday 4th July.


Two months until Fair Day

By Paul Melling

Can’t wait until 4th July? Well, there is lots to take part in in the run-up to the Fair. The food and drink trail will be running in June again - a great chance to support both the Fair and your local businesses. The high street will be transformed as usual: bunting, shop window decoration with the children’s competition, the dog show and the Friday night live music night - what a great night that was last year. Remember, this year we are hosting Hurstonbury - our celebration of all types of festivals.

Have you seen the new website yet? It has a great fresh new look. Details of all these events will be published there soon. Check it out at www.stlawrencefair.co.uk – Thanks to all of our advertisers and sponsors who continue to support us and help make this great fair possible. And thanks to everyone who came to the wine tasting event at the Hop Tub. Keep your eye out for more events.

How do I take part?

Let us know now if you want to take part in any of the following. Early entries make it better for us to plan and will secure your place. For procession entries, let us know through slf.procession@gmail.com. For events such as the tug of war and dog show, let us know at stlawrencefair@gmail.com. Details of how to get tickets for the kids disco and teddy bears picnic will be out soon - check the website.

Procession

The procession has always been a highlight for me, it kicks off the fair with a bang…the band, the joy and laughter from children and adults alike, the water pistols. My children loved taking part, it will always be a fond memory.

Let’s not lose it. We are thankful to Nic for continuing another year to help organise it, but we really need someone to come forward to take this on in future. Don’t be put off, we will give you the support you need to get used to the admin. This is your chance to be part of the Fair’s history! Come and join our team.

Fair Day volunteers

We have a great gang of volunteers that help out on Fair day. Some for an hour, some for the day…we need you all. Thanks to those who have already confirmed their availability for this year. If you fancy helping, even for an hour, let us know.


How to get involved in this year’s St Lawrence Fair 2026

By Lona McDonald

Hello Hurstpierpoint. Spring is around the corner, and the planning activity for this year’s Fair is hotting up!

2026 theme
We’re thrilled to be able to announce that the theme for this year is a Celebration of Festivals - think Diwali, Glastonbury, Harvest and more - Hurstonbury! We look forward to seeing what our Procession entries come up with to reflect this theme. If you’d like to be a part of it, please get in touch: slf.procession@gmail.com.

Volunteers needed
The Committee are working hard to put everything in place, but there are some things we really need some help with - they don’t all mean being a committee member. A couple of the high-priority roles are:
• Procession co-lead – no experience needed, just backup our procession lead
• Fun-run co-lead – no experience needed, just backup our fun run lead
And there’s other roles such as helping organise fund raising events, or our Friday night event, or just helping out for an hour over the weekend. Please get in touch if you’re interested or would just like to know more about what’s involved.

Advertise with us
It’s not too late to book your space in our Fair programme - advertise your business and support the Fair through your sponsorship - drop us a note to slfair. advertising@gmail.com; the deadline for receiving all adverts is 15th April.

New website
And one more thing - we’re re-launching our website - head over to stlawrencefair.co.uk to have a look… we hope you like it.

Follow us on social media to keep up to date with all things St Lawrence Fair related, and get in touch if you’d like to get involved in any way at all: stlawrencefair@gmail.com or through our socials.


St Lawrence Fair news for 2026

By Paul Melling

Hello Hurstpierpoint, greetings from the St Lawrence Fair committee. We trust you had an enjoyable and restful festive period. As I write this, Hurstpierpoint freezes in subzero temperatures with perhaps a little snow forecast. The warmth of Fair weekend seems a long time away, but your committee and team of volunteers are busy preparing for this year’s fair. We can confirm that fair day will be Saturday 4th July.

The theme for this year’s fair will be locked in soon. If you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear them, or any comments, ideas, feedback etc. We really need some more help and are looking for people to volunteer in the following roles:
• Health and Safety – join the committee and co-ordinate these activities. H&S experience needed
• Social Media co-ordinator – join the committee to organise our social media activities; we have volunteers to assist with publishing.
• Fun Run co-lead – no experience needed, just backup our fun run lead
• Procession co-lead – no experience needed, just backup our procession lead

Please contact us if you can help, are curious about what is involved, or just want to help out on anything else at stlawrencefair@gmail.com.

Keep a look out for more information on our quiz night being held on Friday 6th February. Tickets are £12.50 per person and include either meat or veggie chilli; teams of up to eight people.

Details of this and future fundraising activities will be circulated on social media, on our website and more traditional methods. Please support us; we look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the run up to and over Fair weekend.


Foodbank in Hurstpierpoint expands during cost-of-living crisis

Hurstpierpoint Foodbank have re-opened their collection service, as demand increases due to the cost-of-living crisis. As well as the Friday delivery option, that was initiated during the covid lockdowns, for a trial period users will again be able to collect food in person from Court Bushes Community Hub, Willow Way.

The Foodbank will be open for collections from Court Bushes from 10am – 12pm every Thursday. The Melting Pot Café is also open at this time so free tea, coffee and cake are available as well as cup-a-soup and toast. The Foodbank distributes food through a referral system and provides enough food for a family for three days. Alternatively, people can come down to Court Bushes on a Thursday morning and talk to foodbank staff directly. Staff understand that reaching out for help in this way can be difficult and aim to treat users with discretion and kindness.
Additionally, a new partnership between the owners of Gibson greengrocers and the Foodbank is now giving those using the Foodbank access to fresh fruit and vegetables during the trial period. A voucher will be provided by the Foodbank to be used in the shop on Hurstpierpoint High Street.

Food parcels can also be requested through the following partner agencies:
St Lawrence C of E Primary School 01273 833229
Hurstpierpoint Pre-School, Trinity Road, 01273 834144
Holy Trinity Church
Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council Trinity Road, 01273 833264, Open Monday – Friday 9:30am -1:30pm
Mid Sussex Health Centre 01273 834388, Open Monday – Friday 8:30am - 6:00pm
• Housing Benefit Team (MSDC) • Community Mental Health Team
• Social Services

Families can contact Hurstpierpoint Foodbank (hurstfb@gmail.com) or Burgess Hill Foodbank (foodbankburgesshill@gmail.com) if they need food.