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The Camping and Caravanning Club Greenfields House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JH Tel: 0845 130 7632
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National Feast Of Lanterns If you have anything to add (information or Photos then please e-mail webmaster: webmaster@southernregion.org.uk Your contribution is urgently needed. Please help fill the gaps. Please send in your photos.
What is the NFOL? The National Feast Of Lanterns (NFOL) is the worlds largest regular camping and caravanning rally of its kind. It is open for members of the Camping and Caravanning Club only. Traditionally it marked the closing of the camping season. Now it is the flagship event of the Club. There is always plenty of entertainment and things going on for the whole family. The venue and host organisers vary year on year. With each set of organisers trying to out do the previous ones this meet just gets better and better. History of the NFOL The first Feast of Lanterns was held in 1921, near Dorking in Surrey. It should be remembered that most members at that time used what would now be considered lightweight equipment, and the onset of dark evenings at the beginning of September meant the virtual end of camping for the year. Thus the event began as a get-together to celebrate the end of the season, with the date fixed as the first weekend in September. In recent years the date has been changed to the weekend following the August Bank Holiday. (Starting in 2009 for a an experimental period of five years a flexible date of two weeks either side of the weekend following the August Bank Holiday may be used). A member of the Club’s Council at the time was a retired Rear Admiral who had served on the China Station, and remembering the paper lanterns that the Chinese used on festive occasions, he persuaded the Club that they would brighten the annual closing Meet. In 1921 the Meet members would have cooked on paraffin stoves and candles would have provided lighting. The main entertainment would have been a bonfire and singsong finishing with a mug of hot soup and the “lanterns” would have been candles in jam jars. Until the early 1950s the NFOL started on a Saturday morning, with most people not arriving until the afternoon, and everybody paid their fees at the gate. In those days Saturday morning was considered to be part of the working week. 1958 saw the introduction of the first trade stands and a proper rota was drawn up for the Regions. What a big difference today. The Meet now opens either early on Friday morning or more often on Thursday. Two new features are now included in the programme, the Mardi Gras on Saturday afternoon and the Parade of Pennons at the Closing Ceremony. All Regions excluding Northern Ireland are now on the organising rota.
NFOLs hosted by the Southern Region 2013 TBA 2001 Broadlands Estate, Romsey 1989 Stratfield Saye, Berkshire 1978 Northington Down Farm, Hampshire
NFOLs in date order. Year Venue (Host) (Theme) other
2013 2012 Stockton On Tees (North East Region) CANCELLED 2011 Newark Show Ground, Nottinghamshire (Central Counties Region) ( ) www.nfol2011.co.uk 2010 Kinross (Scottish Region) ( ) 2009 Blenheim Palace, Woodstock (Chiltern Region) ( ) 2008 Pickering, North Yorkshire (Yorkshire Region) ( )
2003 Ipswich, Suffolk (Eastern Region) (Toys) National Feast of Lanterns 2003 2002 Vaynol ( ) ( ) 2001 Broadlands Estate, Romsey (Southern Region) (100 years lets celebrate) 2000 Winston, Co Durham (North East Region) ( ) 1999 Stanford Hall, Leicestershire (Central Counties Region) ( ) 1998 Ingliston, Edinburgh (Scottish Region) ( ) 1997 Otmoor Park, Oxfordshire (Chiltern Region) ( ) 1996 Carlton Towers (Yorkshire Region) ( ) 1995 Shepton Mallet, Somerset (South West Region) ( ) 1994 Cholmondely Castle, Cheshire (North West Region) ( ) 1993 Hadlow, Kent (South East Region) ( ) 1992 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire ( ) ( ) 1991 Ipswich, Suffolk (Eastern Region) ( ) 1990 Weston Park, Shropshire ( ) ( ) 1989 Stratfield Saye, Berkshire (Southern Region) (Comedy) 1988 Lartington South Park, Co. Durham (North East Region) ( ) 1987 Lincoln Showground, Lincolnshire (Central Counties Region ) ( ) 1986 Silverstone, Northamptonshire ( ) ( ) 1985 Castle Howard (Yorkshire Region) ( ) 1984 Shepton Mallet, Somerset (South West Region ) ( ) 1983 Tatton Park, Cheshire ( ) ( ) 1982 Brands Hatch, Kent (South East Region) ( ) 1981 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire ( ) ( ) 1980 Peterborough, Cambridgeshire ( ) ( ) 1979 Alton Towers, Staffordshire ( ) ( )
1977 Raby Castle, Co Durham (North East Region) ( ) 1976 National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh ( ) ( ) 1975 Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire ( ) ( ) 1974 Newby Hall, Ripon, Yorkshire ( ) ( ) 1973 Sixpenny Handley, Dorset ( ) ( ) 1972 Ribby Hall, Lancashire ( ) ( ) 1971 Lingfield Park, Surrey (South East Region ) ( ) 1970 Mallory Park, Leicestershire ( ) ( ) 1969 Wynyard Park, Co Durham ( ) ( ) 1968 Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire ( ) ( ) 1967 Newby Hall, Ripon, Yorkshire ( ) ( ) 1966 Longleat, Wiltshire ( ) ( ) 1965 Stanley Park, Blackpool, Lancashire ( ) ( ) 1964 Bourley Camp, Crookham, Hampshire ( ) ( ) 1963 Teddesley Park, Staffordshire ( ) ( ) 1962 Wynyard Park, Co Durham ( ) ( ) 1961 Friday Wood, Colchester, Essex ( ) ( ) 1960 Rood Ashton, Wiltshire ( ) ( ) 1959 Bourley Camp, Crookham, Hampshire ( ) ( ) 1958 Manton Forest, Clumber, Nottinghamshire ( ) ( ) 1957 Mentmore Park, Buckinghamshire ( ) ( ) 1956 Gorhambury, St Albans, Hertfordshire ( ) ( ) 1955 Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire ( ) ( ) 1954 Balls Park Club Site, Hertford ( ) ( ) 1953 Mapledurham, Oxfordshire ( ) ( ) 1952 Debden Green, Essex ( ) ( ) 1951 Trent Park, Cockfosters, Greater London ( ) ( ) 1950 Debden Green, Essex ( ) ( ) 1949 Polesden Lacey Club Site, Surrey ( ) ( ) 1948 Theobalds Park Club Site, Hertfordshire ( ) ( )
1922 Walton Club Site, Surrey ( ) ( )
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