Race Week

[Denton]

Anybody remember “Race Week” generally near the end of June?. Or was it just a North East England thing.

[jno]

lol, they have one in Notting Hill every August, really brings out the race commentators.

[Denton]

Lol,no,not that kind of Race!!jno.

[Togo]

Never heard of Race Week, but in Stoke we had a Wakes Week(or fortnight) when all the pot banks closed down and the fairgrounds came to town. It was a time when those who had the means went on their jollies to Blackpool or Rhyl or New Brighton( if they were posh). Expect nothing more than vacuous cant from your previous reply source. Wouldn't know about our old ways and traditions you see.

[Togo]

Jackdaw is your man from the N.E. Hope he sees this, he will know.

[Tilly2]

Togo, you beat me to it with the Wakes Week post. :-)

[Jackdaw33]

I well remember Race Week. It was about Whitsun time when that was a moveable feast. The big race of the week was the Northumberland Plate, aka the Pitmen's Derby. All the shows were on the Town Moor for the week. It usually rained. No more, alas.

[Togo]

I should have been able to have a guess at the Race Week as well. The Pitman's Derby is a great long distance horse race held at the Newcastle track. The miners all attended, and timed their annual holiday to coincide. Squillions of gallons of Nuclear Brown were imbibed and some even took their knotted hankerchiefs off their heads and waved them if they had backed the winner.

[-Talbot-]

Race week isn't just a North East thing. The big meeting at many racecourses is known as 'race week'

[Denton]

Thank you all,thought I was losing the plot!!

[Jackdaw33]

Another thing about the Town Moor fair (or 'The Hoppings', from the galloping horses on the carousels) was that it deliberately coincided with Race Week as a 'Temperance Fair' to provide a wholesome alternative to the drunken debauchery at the racecourse up the road.

[jno]

there's a film about wakes week, extremely daring for its time

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindle_Wakes_(1927_film)

The 1918 version was even more so but not such a good film. High times in Llandudno!