5 October 2011Last updated at 17:10

In pictures: Goose Fair returns to Nottingham

Goose Fair site at the Forest Recreation Ground

Goose Fair has opened in Nottingham for the 717th time. It is one of Europe's largest travelling fairs.

Sign at Goose Fair saying for young and old

Legend has it that the fair’s name came from when hundreds of geese were transported from Lincolnshire to be sold in Nottingham.

There are more than 500 attractions at Goose Fair. One of the newest is the Runaway Train ride which is said to be the largest rollercoaster ever to be part of a travelling fair in the UK.

The Runaway Train, which is worth around £1m, was a permanent attraction at the American Adventure theme park, in Derbyshire, before the park closed in 2007.

Historians believe the Goose Fair tradition started around 1284. It was moved from its site in Old Market Square, Nottingham, to its current location at Forest Recreation Ground in the 1920s.

Organisers expect around 400,000 visitors to attend this year's Goose Fair, which remains open until Sunday.

Nottingham

In pictures: Goose Fair returns to Nottingham

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