Are you going to the Frome Carnival 2019? It’s just a short hop from Bath

18 September 2019

If you’ve never been to the Frome Carnival, you’re missing out. This fabulous annual event, returning on Saturday 21st September 2019, is a vibrant, family-friendly affair and an exciting spectacle. It’s all for charity and best of all, you can get to Frome easily from Bath city centre. 

What is the Frome Carnival?

The Carnival is a huge event held every year in Frome, a charming town once named one of the “Best Places to Live in Britain” by The Times. It involves not one but two processions, a children’s parade in the daytime and a bigger procession in the evening. 

Spectators can look forward to everything from illuminated floats, music, bands, dancers and majorettes all the way through to vintage cars, street entertainment and much more. It is a wonderful community event raising money for local groups and individuals in need, supported by fundraising day in the shape of the Frome Carnival Fun Fair which took place earlier this year. 

Hop in the car for just 40 minutes or take a train for just over an hour and you’ll be in Frome. You can sign up to join either procession on the Frome Carnival website (although children can just turn up on the day to enter the children’s procession) or just enjoy the fun from the sidelines. 

Where does the procession start from?

The schedule and route for September 21st September is as follows:

Afternoon procession – 2.30pm

The children’s procession starts from Victoria Park in Frome, taking a route through Weymouth Road, Somerset Road, Butts Hill, Wesley Slope and Christchurch Street West before coming back to Weymouth Road and entering the park again. 

Evening procession – 7pm 

The evening’s big parade starts at Marston Trading Estate before hitting the junction of Manor Road and The Butts, following along Wesley Slope, Bath Street, Market Place, North Parade, Berkeley Road and Badgers Hill. It finishes at the Frome Town Football Club where trophies and prize money to the best floats and carts will be awarded. 

Advice for visiting the Frome Carnival 

Frome itself is likely to be extremely busy on carnival weekend, so it may be a better idea to stay in Bath itself and drive down ahead of the procession starting. 

You can reach Frome in just 40 minutes when you stay in one of our self-catering Bath apartments in the city centre. However, you can cut your journey time down to around 30 minutes when you stay in The Looking Glass House or Church St House to the south of the city, not far from the beautiful Prior Park Landscape Gardens. 

Just like in bustling Bath, parking in Frome is likely to be tricky and very busy during carnival weekend – so make sure you get there nice and early! Frome has lots of lovely independent shops, historic buildings and a charming centre, so there’s plenty to explore while you’re waiting for the parade to start.