fair or fayre

[memoo]

Our PTA is holding a Christmas fair/fayre and we can't agree which is the correct spelling to put on the posters.

I think its a Christmas 'fair' but everyone else thinks its Christmas 'Fayre'

So am I very wrong???

[whomovedmychocolate]

Unless they live in the 1700s you are technically correct. DISCLAIMER: I live in the Cotswolds and we use Fayre as this is the yokel spelling

Technically of course unless there are rides it's a fete though!

[MavisEnderby]

Ours was a Christmas Fayre.I am unsure as to how correct this is in pedantic terms,though.

[LadyGlenChristmasPresent]

You are correct. They are horribly, horribly misguided and not a little naff.
Is it "Ye Olde Yule Fayre" by any chance?

[shallishanti]

Oh god, fayre, no tis awful mock olde worlde stuff.

[memoo]

It makes a change for me to be right!

Chair of the PTA is quite determined to write 'Christmas Fayre' on all the posters!

[whomovedmychocolate]

Well if she is going to use archaic language then it should be Yule Fayre not Christmas Fair.

fair is 'a gathering of stalls and amusements for public entertainment', whereas fare is 'a range of food' (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1999). However, the archaic (15th to 17th century) spelling fayre is confusingly used for both words by those who think it lends 'an historick flavour'. www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutspelling/fayre

[whomovedmychocolate]

Oh buggeration - link was here

[MaryAnnSingleton]

fayre is just wrong

[memoo]

Thank you ladies, I think I shall direct our Chair to Mumsnet

[CurlyCasper]

An event is a fair

Food is fayre. Festive fayre would describe Christmas pudding, turkey, mince pies etc.

[elephantscanring]

What about looking up the spelling in a dictionary?

OED says 'fayre' is an archaic spelling of 'fair'. en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fayre

Example sentence:

‘We really want the fayre to involve everyone and we want to hear what people think.’

So you could use either spelling.

(For food, 'fare' is the correct spelling. Have never seen 'fayre' used for foor)