The Bruton Packhorse Fair 2015

Community events like the Packhorse Fair never fail to entertain, and this one landed two months after I asked whether Bruton's moment in the national press was the real thing. After yesterday's bank holiday fair, the consensus among the people I spoke to was that there had not been such a well-run day locally in quite some time. The dog show was the highlight, as it always is.

The backstreets were busy, the food was good, and Michael Eavis made an appearance, which tells you something about the pull of the day.

The reaction on the town's Facebook page afterwards was worth recording:

Hope all the national press sent reporters to Bruton today to see why it's really a great place to live. Art galleries and restaurants are only a small part of the deal. A raised glass of cider to the organisers.

It was a really great day. Well done to all involved, and thank you. Yet another reason why I love Bruton.

We are new to Bruton and have done the Christmas Fair, Spiral of Light and now Packhorse Fair. This really is a great community.

Loved it completely. A perfect happy day, with so many people working hard behind the scenes.

That last one is the part worth paying attention to. A day like this looks effortless from the street and is not, and the people who make it work are rarely the people standing at the front. That is most of what a local business community does.

Thank you to the organisers and the stallholders who made it a good day for the town, the surrounding villages, and everyone who travelled further to be there. For the same street on an ordinary weekend, see Bruton's farmers' market and its independent traders.

First published in May 2015. Edited since: the photographs and their captions have gone, and so has the discount offer that closed the original. Links to related pieces were added in September 2026; for how we work with businesses in the area now, see marketing for businesses in Somerset.