Rayleigh High Street will shut to vehicles for most of Sunday 14 June 2026 as the revived Trinity Fair returns for another year. The event runs from 11am until 4pm, but the closure ordered by Rayleigh Town Council with permission from Rochford District Council will be in force from 8am through to 7pm.
During those hours there will be no vehicle access to Bellingham Lane, and anyone with a property or business directly on the High Street must move their car off the road before the barriers go up. The fair was originally established in 1227 and ran annually for more than 670 years before it was shut down in 1899 after ratepayers voted to abolish it, citing complaints that it had grown too rowdy and was no longer bringing in trade.
After a gap of over 120 years, Rayleigh Town Council brought the event back in partnership with Haddon Events, and it has since settled into the local calendar alongside other district fixtures such as Heritage Open Days and library events tied to the Essex Book Festival. The High Street will reopen to traffic from 7pm on the Sunday.
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