George Stephenson Hall/Newark Showground (Notts)

Part of the Newark Showground, the George Stephenson Exhibition Hall is “Nottinghamshire’s largest, purpose-built exhibition space” and “licensed to hold up to 4,000 people”. Hunts have typically hugely inflated egos, but even the self-important Blankney Hunt – which claims its fundraiser, the Blankney Hunt Ball is “one of, if not THE biggest hunt ball in the country” – won’t be filling such a huge venue – even if (as they promise) “every year delivers a new theme where the committee transform the venue, at Newark Showground, to delight and surprise the guests.” Perhaps this year’s theme will pay some sort of homage to the concerns of the Locals Against the Blankney Hunt who say they are “local people who are sick of the Blankney Hunt riding roughshod over our beautiful countryside, illegally hunting foxes, whilst protected by Lincolnshire police.” Plenty of scope there, eh…