One of the town’s favourite annual celebrations is lighting up the town once again on Friday 21st November. This year it’s set to be bigger, brighter and bursting with festive fun.
From 3pm – 7:30pm, the Cattle Market car park will be transformed into a vibrant food court, packed with delicious seasonal treats to keep you cosy as the evening draws in. There’ll be fairground rides and entertainment for all ages to enjoy, while the Frome Town Band and Frome Street Bandits bring the party atmosphere with joyful live music.
The excitement will really begin to build just before 6pm, when Frome’s fabulous Town Crier will herald the arrival of Mayor, Cllr Anita Collier. Stilt walkers will be roaming the streets, dazzling crowds with their height and grace and talented local singers will join the Mayor on the George Hotel balcony to add some extra sparkle to the evening.
Then comes the magical moment: the lantern parade, led by the Samba band. This year the procession begins at the top of North Parade — a glowing procession of handmade lanterns winding through the town, lighting the way to the grand Christmas Lights Switch On.
And for families with little ones, don’t forget to book a visit Santa’s Grotto raising funds for the wonderful charity We Hear You. Spaces fill up fast so book ahead.
Frome’s festive switch-on is a free, fun-filled evening for all ages — so grab your hats and scarves, bring your lanterns and lets light up the town and kick off the most wonderful time of the year.
Local eateries will be staying open to welcome you on the night, including:
🥘 The High Pavement for delicious North African-inspired tapas and small plates.
🍷 The Stores, offering mulled wine to have in or takeaway if you fancy.
🥐 Rye Bakery at RISE for cakes, pastries, sandwiches, hot and cold drinks and more to warm up punters before heading out to watch the spectacle.
🍷 Archangel will be supplying mulled wine on their bar
🍕 Rye Bakery at Station Approach, with their usual bakery offerings, as well as mulled cider, wine and hot chocolate to catch those heading to that side of town.
🍲 Flow Bar will be offering deals on mulled wine and cider, warm rolls and soup to keep you feeling toasty.
🥧 The Blue House will also be running a stall, serving up more mulled wine, mince pies and sausage rolls.
Plan ahead for travel and road closures
With the town centre set to welcome hundreds of visitors for the switch-on and lantern parade, attendees are strongly encouraged to walk wherever possible to help ease congestion and reduce environmental impact.
A number of road closures and restrictions will be in place on the evening to ensure the safety of all taking part in the event. These include the town centre being closed to traffic from 4pm – 9pm to allow for the lantern parade and the crowds gathering for the switch-on. If you do need to drive please check signage carefully and plan alternative routes.
Merchant’s Barton and Vicarage Street car parks are open and unaffected by the road closure. Please use Merchants Barton if you have access needs. However, Cork Street car park will be closed from 4:30pm to 9pm, with no access in or out. Cattle Market and North Parade car park will also be closed from 4:30pm. We will open access to the Market Yard car park as soon as it is safe to do so.
In addition to these event-related closures, there are also ongoing road closure at Wallbridge.
Full details of road closures and traffic management can be found via the links below:
Ongoing works at Wallbridge: one.network – GB38895177
Town centre closures for the event: one.network – GB40692052
Lantern making workshops:
Community workshops (free with small charge for materials)
Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th November, Frome Town Hall.
Make your own dove, heart, or decorated staff lantern in a fun and friendly setting.
Please go to Frome Lanterns website for more details and for bookings. We can’t wait to see what lanterns you create – make sure the date is in your diary and let’s get ready to make Frome shine together!