Weston Carnival

The next Weston Carnival is on Friday, November 8, 2024.

People come from all over the country to see the Weston-super-Mare carnival. It is the west country’s answer to the Rio Carnival. It features huge and extravagantly-decorated carts with thousands of bright lights on, putting on an exciting must-see FREE procession for thousands of spectators.

The carts – some costing up to £25,000 to create and measuring more than 100ft long – form one of the biggest and most spectacular illuminated parades in the world.
If you haven’t seen the carnival before, make sure you do because you’re in for a real treat. It’s something of a hidden secret but once you’re in the know you will want to keep on coming back and introduce your friends to it. You do literally have to see it to believe it.

The rivalry between the carnival clubs is fierce and the competition to be the best is intense. The clubs spend 12 months creating their floats in hideaway barns under a veil of secrecy in a bid to outdo each other's creations - and the result is a spectacular must-see carnival. Alongside the huge floats there are also marching bands, fancy dress walkers and entertainers parading through the town. 

As well as Weston-super-Mare, the Somerset carnival scene takes in the local towns of Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Glastonbury, North Petherton, Shepton Mallet and Wells.

The event is free to watch but you will need to book accommodation early as people come from all over the country to watch it. 

Here's the route map for the 2023 procession. The parade starts at 7pm from the Locking Road car park. The last float is anticipated to come through the finish point at Pirate Golf on the seafront at around 9.30pm. We will update you nearer the time if the 2024 route is subject to changes.

The winners

Competition is fierce to be the best carnival float. The Ramblers Carnival Club took the 2023 crown with this extravagant Trawlermen creation.

Grandstand seating 

Grandstand seating and hospitality pods which seat up to ten guests are available for the 2024 carnival. The grandstand is priced at £25 per person and occupy a prime position. The pods are £550 to book exclusively or £55 per person. To find out more click here

Getting here

Road closures are in place from 5.30pm and car parks get busy early. Weston Railway station is within easy walking distance of the start and the procession route. The last train from Weston to Taunton is at 23:40 https://www.thetrainline.com/book/results... and the last train to Bristol Temple Meads is at  23:41. The final train Weston to Worle departs at 23:13.

Apart from the grandstand, there is no dedicated special viewing areas for the disabled but the whole route is accessible for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The Beach Lawns will have a dedicated disabled parking area at the end closest to town available on a first come first served basis. what3words ///filled.type.club

Here below is information about parking as produced by Weston Carnival's extremely helpful Facebook page. 

Parking

Below are two lists of carparks, the first not impacted by the road closures where there are routes out of town e.g the old toll road or if you park on the beach lawns head out towards the hospital roundabout etc.

The second list are carparks where you will need to arrive before the road closures and will not be able to leave until approx 2200.

Please be mindful & considerate of where you park. Don't block drives, allow space on the smaller streets for a Fire Engine or Ambulance to get down. Stick to the local Parking instructions signs and don't park on the yellow lines, we wouldn't want a great evening upset by a parking ticket!

Trains - you could park at Worle or Milton stations and have a short hop down to Weston Station (last train from Weston southbound is 2340 calling at Highbridge, Bridgwater, Taunton, Exeter, and northbound is 2341 calling at Yatton and Bristol)

All carparks have disabled spaces, the closest carpark to the parade is Grove Park. There will be a designated area on the beach lawns parking closest to the end of the parade for blue badge holders. All on a first come first served basis.

Tesco carpark will NOT be open

There is no overnight camping in any of the carparks, we do not know of any pubs offering the facility.

You could try www.justpark.com and see if there are any driveway spaces you can book.

Carparks NOT impacted by road closures

- Beach Lawns, Beach Rd, cost £6 Weston-super-Mare BS23 1BH

what3words ///gently.beam.alone

- Maderia Carpark South Rd, Weston-super-Mare BS23

what3words ///lock.danger.doctor

- Melrose Carpark 30 Knightstone Rd, Weston-super-Mare BS23 2AW

what3words ///drips.slope.brings

- Hampton Carpark, Weston-super-Mare BS23 2DU

what3words ///truly.random.feast

- Grove Park, Weston-super-Mare BS23 2AF

what3words ///crunch.answer.rises

Station Carpark Station Road, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1XY

///gives.comet.game

Carparks IMPACTED by road closures - locked in until after road closures and arrive before 1800 Road closures

- NCP Carpark, 4a High St, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1JF

what3words ///bumps.claim.vivid

- Carlton Street Car Park 12 Carlton St, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1UA

///breed.early.tigers

- Soverign Centre Salisbury Terrace, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1AH

///view.rate.shark

Carnival Accommodation

Enjoy carnival to the max by booking accommodation as well. It's worth moving quickly on this though as it tends to sell out fast. Keep an eye on the Visit Weston Facebok page www.facebook.com/visitweston  for details of late availability or cancellations.

Carnival Village

The Carnival Village is situated in the Italian Gardens close to the parade route. It will be open from 5pm until 10.30pm on carnival day. It features rides for small children, bungee trampolines, live music, food outlets,a performance from the Rock Choir and a bar.

Let the train take the strain

Extra trains are being put on for the event. Here's a handy guide to some of the last train times on the evening. The last train from Weston to Worle is 23:13. The Exeter train and the last train from Weston to Taunton leaves at 23:40. Heading in the other direction the last train from Weston to Bristol Temple Meads departs at 23:41. This train does stop at Yatton and is the last train of the night which calls at Yatton.

Weston train station is within walking distance of the parade route and the Carnival Village

To discover more train times and destinations click here.

Accessibility

The parade route is accessible to wheelchairs and mobility scooters and as such there are no specifically designated viewing areas. And there are no vehicular access viewpoints along the procession course.The closest car parking to the route is at Grove Park.The Beach lawns will have a dedicated disabled parking area at the end closest to town available on a first come first served basis. what3words ///filled.type.club   (with thanks to the carnival's super helpful pinned facebook post for this information so please keep checking in with them for the very latest information in this area.)

Livestream

The 2023 Weston-super-Mare carnival was streamed live and FREE to the public for the first time. The service was provided free to the carnival in the form of sponsorship by Camsecure.co.uk The carnival's Facebook page posted

 the live link on the day.  It is the official live stream so there is no need to look elsewhere or part with any money to watch it. Proud Bar on the Boulevard, is hosting the live stream and has loads going on from 4pm with entertainment until the early hours.