ONE of the world’s biggest travelling funfairs will be returning to the North-East this summer, organisers have confirmed.

The Hoppings will be back at the Town Moor, in Newcastle, from August 19-30, rather than the usual June date to allow for the lifting of Covid restrictions.

The fair, which has over 300 attractions, is now being managed by Crow Events, which owns several of the rides, including the Magic Mouse roller coaster, alongside Newcastle City Council.

Crow Events has taken over from the Freemen of Newcastle, which have been involved for many years.

Company spokesman Kris Longshaw said: “The last 12 months has been challenging for the events sector and for wider public health generally, something that is deeply important to us as controllers of such a prestigious event.

“We are delighted to announce that The Hoppings will be going ahead this year.

“The August date was selected primarily on the basis of allowing sufficient time for the Governments four-staged plan to be successfully implemented, and we were also very much conscious of clashing with other existing events, something that is of course difficult to completely avoid.

“As an event that brings joy to thousands every year, we remain optimistic that the Government’s plan will be a success. We will, however, be monitoring the progress closely.

“The new date which takes place during the schools Summer Holidays and provides an extra three days of fun, will see some changes to previous years.

“We will be launching a brand new interactive website, due April 1, which among other features, will allow customers to pre-book a car park pass.

“There will be site maps around the event, social media hotspots and additions to the usual line up of attractions which we will be announcing over the coming weeks.”