Picture gallery: Hampstead Heath transforms into fun fair with waltzers and dodgems

A corner of leafy Hampstead Heath became a colourful, whirring fairground over the bank holiday weekend with rides, fair games and plenty of candy floss to keep smiles on kids’ faces.

The annual fun fair brought waltzers, dodgems, an “extreme” drop ride, a carousel and flying aeroplanes for the little ones to enjoy at the Lower Heath, off East Heath Road, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

While the rain drove people away on Saturday, Hampstead residents looking for a thrill were glad to see the sun come out, and with it scorching summer temperatures, on the other two days.

The August fun fair is the third, and last, Heath fairground of the year, following one over the Easter bank holiday weekend and another in May.

A fair has been held on the Heath every year since the 19th century.

Paul Maskell, leisure and events manager at the City of London Corporation, which runs the Heath, said: “Saturday was pretty difficult as it rained most of the day so it got very quiet.”

“But thousands of people attended on Monday and we had lots of children with great big smiles on their faces.”