forain

Forain (masculine) or foraine (feminine) is a French term for a person who works at fairs or traveling carnivals. It covers a broad range of occupations tied to the fairground economy, including stallholders, game operators, food vendors, technicians, performers, and ride operators. Forains are typically itinerant, moving with fairs from town to town, though some operate within permanent or semi-permanent fairgrounds. The expression is often used collectively as les forains to describe the community of people who sustain and staff the fair.

Origin and form: The word derives from Old French forain “of the fair,” from foire (fair) with the suffix -ain indicating belonging or relation. The feminine form is foraine; the plural forains/foraines is common in everyday usage.

Usage and culture: In modern French, fête foraine or foire foraine denotes the fair itself, not the individual. The term can carry connotations of a nomadic or itinerant lifestyle and is sometimes used in sociological or literary contexts to discuss fairground communities and their economy, culture, and labor practices.

See also: foire, fête foraine, carny.