Nottingham's Goose Fair has not run continuously throughout its history. It was cancelled in 1646 because of the Great Plague, and again during World War I (1914–1918). Although officially cancelled for the duration of World War II (1939–1944), the fair was held for a week in July 1943 during daylight hours (due to the wartime blackout regulations), and another daylight-only Goose Fair was allowed in August 1944. The fair resumed on its traditional date of the first Thursday in October in 1945.