Fairs and bazaars were a regular feature of country and village life. In London, churches might also hold bazaars. The purpose was often to raise funds for a charity, so many articles offer tips on crafts that one can create simply and inexpensively to offer for sale. But fairs and bazaars were also simply a place to have fun. Country bazaars are still held to this day in British villages - and are still lots of fun!

Fancy Bazaars and Sales of Work (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

Think "Victorian yard sale," often held to support a charity.

Our Annual Flower Show (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

A look at a classic village tradition.

How We Managed Our Bazaar, by A.H. Malan (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1881)

Our Bazaar, by Dora Hope (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

Ideas for making a variety of items for a bazaar stall out of inexpensive objects and discards.

How to Get Up a Fair (Collier's Cyclopedia, 1882)

How to organize a charity bazaar, including setting up stalls, refreshments, and creating items to sell.

Our Amateur Art Exhibition (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1884)

Our American Sale, and How We Worked It (Girl's Own Paper, 1889)

This novel type of bazaar (novel to Victorian England, at least) is what any American reader would recognize as a classic "rummage sale!"

A Word About Bazaars (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1889)

A Day at a Country Fair, by A.S. Appelbee (Windsor Magazine, 1899B)

Hobby horses, the predecessor to today's carousel, were by this time drawn by a traction engine - and the author predicts that one day they'll be run by electricity!

The Shakespeare Festival: Its Origin and History (Windsor Magazine, 1902A)