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In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments.
Village fêtes are common in Britain. These are usually outdoor shows held on village greens or recreation grounds with a variety of activities. They are organised by an 
Attractions seen at village fêtes include tombolas, raffles, coconut shies, bat a rat stalls, white elephant stalls, cakes, and home produce such as jams and pickles. Competitive baking, such as making Victoria sponge cake, is part of the classic British fête. Filmed in bunting-draped marquees in scenic gardens, '' The Great British Bake Off'' television series is inspired by the quintessential English village fête."The Great British Bake Off: it's like a village fete in your sitting room"
The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 February 2018 Entertainment at fêtes may include Morris dancing, tug of war,
Village fêtes
Village fêtes are common in Britain. These are usually outdoor shows held on village greens or recreation grounds with a variety of activities. They are organised by an ad hoc committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
of volunteers from organisations like religious groups or residents' associations. Fêtes can also be seen in former British colonies. In Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, fêtes are often held yearly by schools and sometimes churches to raise funds.
Attractions seen at village fêtes include tombolas, raffles, coconut shies, bat a rat stalls, white elephant stalls, cakes, and home produce such as jams and pickles. Competitive baking, such as making Victoria sponge cake, is part of the classic British fête. Filmed in bunting-draped marquees in scenic gardens, '' The Great British Bake Off'' television series is inspired by the quintessential English village fête.The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 February 2018 Entertainment at fêtes may include Morris dancing, tug of war,
fancy dress
A costume party (American English) or fancy dress party (other varieties of English) is a type of party, common in contemporary Western culture, in which many of the guests are dressed in costume, usually depicting a fictional or stock chara ...
, and pet shows. The fête itself is a variation of a fair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.
Types
Variations of fairs incl ...
.
Other types
In Trinidad and Tobago and other English-speaking Caribbean territories, fêtes are huge parties held during theCarnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
season.
Harvard University's Eliot House uses the term to refer to its spring formal. Bloomington, Minnesota's, Independence Day celebration (traditionally held on 3 July) has been known as Summer Fete since 1978.
In Australia, fetes are typically held by primary schools & other not-for-profit organisations (e.g. the local Seniors' Club, church groups) as fundraisers.
Etymology
The English word ''fête'', pronounced or , is borrowed from the Mediaeval Latin via theFrench
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, meaning "holiday" or "party".The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998). . p. 677 – "fête noun ''Brit.'' a public function, typically held outdoors and organised to raise funds for charity...". The 12th-century Middle English root ''fest-'' is shared with ''feast'', ''festive'', ''festal'' and ''festival'', ''festoon'', the Spanish , Portuguese , etc. and the proper name ''Festus
Festus may refer to:
People Ancient world
*Porcius Festus, Roman governor of Judea from approximately 58 to 62 AD
*Sextus Pompeius Festus (later 2nd century), Roman grammarian
*Festus (died 305), martyr along with Proculus of Pozzuoli
*Festus (h ...
''.
See also
* Kermesse *''Village Fête
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
'', a painting by Claude Lorrain
References
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