When steam-powered rides and attractions arrived en masse at the beginning of the 20th century, the town’s entire population probably went to take a gander at those modern marvels. Victorian-era freak shows still lingered on, and sadly, the rifle range served as practice for the looming ‘Great War’. Street carts sold hot roasted chestnuts, gingerbread, and toffee apples. Bucketloads of ale and porter were downed while kids waited outside the boozer with lemonade, ginger beer, or the new northern elixir, Vimto!
Brass bands and barrel organs provided a musical backing to steam engines and the general hubbub. The fair would have been, as it remains today, a sensory overload of sights, sounds, and smells.
Families, couples, and workers from surrounding areas would have gathered, enjoying a still-rare opportunity for leisure and to let off steam.

Back in 1721, when the fair celebrated its 500th anniversary—the same year Walpole became Britain’s first Prime Minister—the entertainment included hand-turned roundabouts, puppet shows, musical performances, and gambling: dice games, cards, and cockfighting. There were games of skill: archery contests, quoits, and skittles. 
Plenty of ale, small beer and cider washed down meat pies filled with beef, pork, or game, sold as portable snacks. The fair would have been bustling and noisy, with the mingling smells of food, animals, and the occasional less pleasant odours of the time. It was both a place of commerce and a rare chance for entertainment and courtship. In those pre-Industrial Revolution days, the population was only 2,000 to 3,000, so the majority of the faces would have been familiar to most. 
It also had a reputation for rowdiness: gambling losses, theft, occasional brawls, and intemperate behaviour of all kinds!

In medieval times, despite being a trade fair, there was plenty of fun to be had too. Traveling minstrels played the lute, harp, and hurdy-gurdy, sang ballads and told stories. Performers entertained crowds with juggling, tightrope walking, and tumbling acts. Magicians, puppeteers, and fire-eaters roamed the fair, while archery contests and wrestling matches drew competitors and spectators alike. Mystery plays were also performed. Sadly, bear-baiting likely attracted crowds as well.
Vittles included spit-roast meat, honey cakes, and candied fruit, while locally brewed ale and mead flowed freely.
In 1351, to regulate the workforce decimated by the plague, the fair became a Hiring Fair and remained so until the late 1800s.