Outpouring of sadness at news historic Welsh funfair is to close
The news an iconic Welsh seaside funfair is to shut down has prompted an outpouring of love and sadness.
A statement on the Coney Beach Funfair Facebook page announced that the historic attraction in Porthcawl would close later this year.
The message by the Evans family, who have owned and run the funfair since it was founded in 1920, led to many former visitors expressing their sadness at the news while telling their stories of their own special memories of the fair, which is situated on the sea front in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The statement read: “It is with heavy hearts we would like to share with you personally that this season at Coney Beach will be our last. We will be closing our gates for the final time this October.
“It’s the end of an era, for over one hundred years we and other showmen and their families have lived and worked in Porthcawl helping to make it a busy seaside destination. Bringing fun, laughter and fond memories to so many.
“We will miss it greatly and while we are sad to see our time here come to an end we are forever grateful to have had the opportunity to have been part of so many generations of families lives, young and old.
“Thank you for sharing our love of ‘all the fun of the fair’ and the legacy that Coney Beach leaves.”
The thoughts of many were summed up by Facebook user Dave Taylor, who posted a beautiful response to the family statement:
He wrote: A hundred summers sang through its gates, Where candy floss dreams and bright carousel fates. Spun stories beneath skies of gulls and light, As laughter danced deep into the night.
The thrill of the tilt and the pull of the ride, The clatter, the shimmer, the promise of pride. Families gathered from valleys and towns, To chase joy and forget life’s weary frowns.
I was a child with sand in my shoes, Chasing fireworks in caravan views. The fair was our beacon So colourful, bold, A heartbeat in Porthcawl, timeless and old.
But seasons age, and fairgrounds sigh, Lights dim slowly under twilight’s cry. October will hush what once was so loud, As memory stands in place of the crowd.
Still in the echoes, in salt and in song, That fair lives on forever strong in our memories.
Founded in April 1920, the park was built on an old ballast tip at Porthcawl’s Eastern Promenade. Its inaugural attraction was a Figure‑Eight wooden roller coaster relocated from West Glamorgan and housed in a former WWI aircraft hangar.
Originally created to entertain American troops returning from World War I, the park was named as a tribute to the famous New York amusement park on Coney Island.
Early amenities included a bandstand, outdoor/indoor skating rinks, three cinemas, a Pierrot stage, donkey/pony beach rides, a helter‑skelter, big dipper, and the iconic Water Chute from 1932 to 1995 .
The park closed in September 1939 as the 15th Battalion Welsh Regiment, followed by Belgium’s armoured brigade, billeted on-site; it reopened in April 1946
The 1950s–70s were its heyday when it boomed with boxing matches, fireworks, RAF air shows, circuses, snooker/darts exhibitions, and open-air markets drew holidaymakers across South Wales
Improved transport links, like the M4 motorway and Cardiff Airport, brought visitors from further afield
Crowds thinned in the 1990s, and several serious ride incidents negatively impacted its reputation.
Despite safety concerns, the fair continued operating, celebrating more than 100 years – and with it, lifetimes of memories for those who visited.
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