One of the town’s favourite annual celebrations is lighting up the town once again on Friday 21 November, and this year it’s set to be bigger, brighter and bursting with festive fun.
From 3 -7.30pm, the Cattle Market car park will be transformed into a vibrant food court, packed with delicious seasonal treats and warming dishes to keep you cosy as the evening draws in. And that’s not all: 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 light Switch On.
Mayor Anita Collier said, “Every year, this event reminds me what makes Frome so special: creativity, kindness and community. There’s nothing quite like standing among hundreds of glowing lanterns, seeing familiar faces light up with joy as the town comes alive. It’s not just a switch-on – it’s a celebration of everything we love about Frome.”
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 hat and scarves, bring your lanterns as together we light up the town and kick off the most wonderful time of the year.
Get lantern inspiration Frome Lanterns and find out more about the food court and which local eateries will be staying open to welcome you on the night Discover Frome.
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.
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:
- Town centre closures for the event: one.network – GB40692052
- Ongoing works at Wallbridge: one.network – GB38895177
