Fête

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title: "Fête" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["fairs"] description: "Elaborate festival, party or celebration" topic_path: "general/fairs" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fête" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Elaborate festival, party or celebration ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Peter_Paul_Rubens_-The_Village_Fête(Flemish_Kermis)_-_WGA20406.jpg" caption="Rubens]] (c. 1635)"] ::

In the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies, a fête or fete is a public festival organised to raise money for a charity, typically held outdoors. It generally includes entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Fetes are typically held annually, in the summer months.

Village fêtes

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Longdon_Village_Fete_-geograph.org.uk-_460535.jpg" caption="Longdon"] ::

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 of volunteers from organisations like religious groups or residents' associations. Fêtes can also be seen in former British colonies. In Australia, fêtes are often held yearly by schools and sometimes churches to raise funds. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Victoria_sponge_(14287044448).jpg" caption="An award-winning [[Victoria sponge]] cake from [[Ruskin Park]] fête in London"] ::

Attractions seen at village fêtes include tombolas, raffles, bowling for a pig, 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. Entertainment at fêtes may include Morris dancing, tug of war, fancy dress, and pet shows. The fête itself is a variation of a fair.

Other types

In Trinidad and Tobago and other English-speaking Caribbean territories, fêtes are huge parties held during the Carnival season.

Harvard University's Eliot House uses the term to refer to its spring formal. The Independence Day celebration in Bloomington, Minnesota, traditionally held on 3 July, has been known as Summer Fete since 1978.

In Australia, fêtes are typically held by primary schools and 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 festus via the French , meaning "holiday" or "party". The 12th-century Middle English root fest- is shared with feast, festive, festal and festival, festoon, Festivus, the Spanish , Portuguese , etc. and the proper name Festus.

References

References

1. "Fete". Oxford University Press.
2. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/8753182/The-great-Victoria-sandwich.html "The great Victoria sandwich"] {{Webarchive. link. (2018-04-13 . ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved 25 February 2018)
3. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10253084/The-Great-British-Bake-Off-its-like-a-village-fete-in-your-sitting-room.html "The Great British Bake Off: it's like a village fete in your sitting room"]. The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 February 2018
4. The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998). {{ISBN. 0-19-861263-X. p. 677 – "'''fête''' {{IPA. /feɪt/ '''noun''' ''Brit.'' a public function, typically held outdoors and organised to raise funds for charity...".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::