OXFORD will be ablaze with lights, rides and thrill- seeking families again as the historic St Giles’ Fair gets under way.

Thousands of people are expected to flock to the city centre on Monday and Tuesday, September 5- 6.

And the bravest will be riding on Air, a new ride that promises “the ultimate thrill, transporting you into the stratosphere”.

The centuries old fair is considered one of the most prestigious in the country and last year attracted up to 70,000 people.

Deputy Lord Mayor Alan Armitage said: “I will certainly be going to the fair, it’s always good to see everyone enjoying themselves.

“My own children are a bit too old for it now but I used to take them every year and always ended up spending more than I should.

“But I never regretted it.”

Families can also enjoy a coconut shy, helter skelter, carousels, dodgems and waltzers.

Mr Armitage said: “The whole thing is miraculous. The rides seem just inches away from buildings which are hundreds of years old.

“But it all works. And the noise, everything about it, is exciting.”

The fair dates back to 1625, when a parish festival to celebrate the feast of St Giles was created.

By the 18th century, the festival had become a toy fair and developed into a general children’s fair by the 19th century.

In the 1830s it became an annual holiday for the working classes, and by the 1840s, with the arrival of the railways, it drew crowds from across the county.

Since the 19th century, the fair has been held on the Monday and Tuesday following the first Sunday after St Giles Day.

In keeping with tradition, this year’s fair will be opened by Lord Mayor of Oxford, Elise Benjamin.

The annual blessing service for the fair will take place at 7.30pm on Sunday, September 4, at the carousel next to the Martyrs’ Memorial. The fair will then be opened by Mrs Benjamin at 10.30am on the Monday opposite the junction of Pusey Street.