King's Lynn Mart will be back in town for Valentine's Day - with showmen pledging to peg prices of their rides as the centuries-old fair returns, despite spiralling costs.

Dodgems, rides and sideshows will be setting up on the Tuesday Market Place over the weekend of February 11 and 12, ready for the grand civic opening the following Tuesday after the Mart and its showmen are blessed.

Rides will be half-price on Children's Day, which is being held on Wednesday, February 15, when youngsters can enjoy the fun of the fair for £1.50 a go.

Donald Gray, Eastern Region chairman for the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain, said while showmen's costs such as fuel had gone up, rides would remain at last year's prices for the remainder of the fair's stay in Lynn.

"It'll be £2.50 - £3 depending on the ride," he said. "Even though our expenses have gone up tremendously everyone's trying to do the best they can."

From Tuesday, February 15, to Saturday, February 18, the fair is open from noon until around 10pm.

From Monday, February 20, to Friday, February 24, the fair will run from 6pm to 10pm, while on the final Saturday it will be open from noon until 10pm.   

The Tuesday Market Place will be closed for parking throughout the fair.

The fair, which has been pitching up in the centre of King's Lynn for more than 800 years, was granted a Royal charter by King Henry VIII in 1537.

The fair marks the start of the travelling season for fairground families, many of whom have been working at the Mart for generations. 

After the Lynn fair finishes, they set off down the A47 for Wisbech before continuing around the country.

Locals have a saying - Mart weather - for the February cold snap which often sees rides being set up in the snow.