Jester Festival celebrates it's 37th great year! - thousands flock to popular Fortune Green event

Published: 07 July 2011
by STEVE BARNETT

THOUSANDS of sun-soaked revellers flocked to Fortune Green over the weekend to join in the action-packed celebrations at the Jester Festival.

The event has been bringing West Hampstead to a standstill for 37 years, making it one of Camden’s longest running festivals. And once again the crowds enjoyed amusement rides, live music, story-telling and games. 

The two-day festival also included art workshops courtesy of the Tricycle Theatre, a circus school, magicians and balloon artists. 

Among the celebrations Lib Dem councillor Flick Rea was presented with a bouquet of flowers by her fellow organisers for her role in helping rescue the festival when it was at risk of being cancelled due to lack of funding. Cllr Rea said: “We’re always looking for new ideas to improve the festival and for more volunteers.”

The West Hampstead Amenity and Transport group (WHAT) erected a suggestion board asking festival-goers for ideas on how to improve the area. Suggestions included more police officers on foot, fewer Tesco stores, and “a decent butcher and fishmonger”.