 No-one knows for how long Elstow has held May Day festivals but there were certainly ‘fairs’ held here, at the beginning of May during the days of the Elstow Abbey (1078–1539) which held a charter to hold markets here.The Abbey's fairs were large, commercial affairs, covering all the fields around the Abbey and would have attracted many traders and shoppers from all the surrounding counties.Whether there was maypole dancing during the days of the Abbey is unknown.