On Saturday the Eton Action Fair returned for 2021, an annual fête-like event in which individual boarding houses and local charities host activities and stalls to raise money.
Tens of charities are initially proposed by Eton staff and students the preceding year, before being whittled down to just five after careful deliberation, who each receive a proportion of the final total raised.
Boarding houses are granted almost complete autonomy in designing their fundraising efforts and, as such, there was a complete range of stalls, ranging from food and drink stands (such as MAG’s lemonade stand and IRG’s typically popular mobile donut kiosk) to an obstacle course and silent auction.
This year’s fair was moved from its usual location along Common Lane and Cannon Yard into Weston’s Yard and College Field, thereby allowing much greater space for any larger-scale stalls, including the inflatable gladiator ring! Members of the public join the Eton community to explore the fair, and this year one stall in particular, a mock horse race between members of the Executive Leadership Team, elicited a particularly large crowd and subsequent donations.
A noticeable change to this year’s fair was the concentration of food stalls in Weston’s Yard, including a crepe stall and the IRS burger production line, while other activities took place entirely on College Field.
There is considerable tradition behind many stalls at the fair, as boarding houses choose to specialise in a certain activity year after year. College, for example, hosts a stall titled ‘Soak the KS’, in which sponges are thrown at some of the school’s academic scholars. Unsurprisingly, it is a very popular stall! Congratulations to all involved with the Eton Action Fair 2021, and keep an eye out for our following photo diary and fundraising update.
