Great Dunmow Carnival

Great Dunmow Carnival Every third Saturday in September, Great Dunmow hosts a family carnival extravaganza. Going since 1951, it is one of the biggest rural carnivals in the UK.

Great Dunmow Carnival is the third Saturday in September every year and is one of the largest rural carnivals in the UK. Enjoy a traditional procession around the town and down the whole length of the High Street; have fun at dancing, sports and arts events at the Recreation Ground. There are also dozens of stalls with arts, crafts, gifts and food. In the evening there is a free music gig and fire

works. If that isn't enough, there is a huge fairground all weekend! Great Dunmow Carnival gets bigger and better every year.

16/03/2026

🎪 Great Dunmow Carnival Update

After much discussion, the Great Dunmow Carnival Committee has made the difficult decision to press pause on the carnival for 2026.

The carnival has always been a much-loved community event, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported it over the years. From volunteers and local groups to stallholders, sponsors and all of you who come along to enjoy the day, thank you.

Taking a break this year will give the committee time to regroup and look at how we can bring the carnival back in the future.

Thank you for your continued support and for helping make the Great Dunmow Carnival such a special part of our town. ❤️

The Great Dunmow Carnival Committee

13/02/2026

⏳ The Future of Carnival: An Update ⏳

We are working hard behind the scenes to find a way to save the Great Dunmow Carnival. We are exploring every possible avenue to make the event viable going forward, but we have set a deadline of two weeks to make a final decision.

We are urgently looking for an organisation to take the lead. The current committee wants to stay involved and continue running the event on the ground, but we need a partner to head up the management and official side of things.

We are doing all we can to ensure this community event continues. We are not giving up just yet!

If you or your organisation can help, please email [email protected] as soon as possible.

Thank you for sticking with us 💛

29/11/2025

After 75 wonderful years, the future of the Great Dunmow Carnival now hangs in the balance.

With incredibly heavy hearts, the current volunteer committee must share that we are no longer able to take the event forward. This has been one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make.

For three quarters of a century, the carnival has celebrated everything that makes Great Dunmow special: its kindness, creativity and incredible sense of community. From the colourful floats and music filled parades to the laughter on the Recreation Ground, it has been a highlight of our town’s year and a true labour of love for all involved.

Sadly, new safety legislation under Martyn’s Law means that our volunteers would carry significant personal responsibility and financial risk for running an event of this size. We fully support the law and understand how vital it is to keeping people safe. However, it now makes it impossible for a small, volunteer led team to continue without major funding and organisational backing.

We do not want this to be the end. If a local business, organisation or community group is able to step forward with the right support and resources, the carnival could live on. Many of our existing volunteers would gladly stay involved in any way we can to help make that happen.

To every person who has ever helped, donated, performed or simply cheered from the roadside, thank you. You have kept this tradition alive for 75 years and filled our town with joy, pride and purpose.

If your business or organisation could help take the carnival forward, please get in touch. You can contact us at [email protected]

The Great Dunmow Carnival has always belonged to the community, and with the right support, it still can.

A Huge Thank You from the Great Dunmow Carnival Committee 🎉We were incredibly proud to present £800 each to our two chos...
27/11/2025

A Huge Thank You from the Great Dunmow Carnival Committee 🎉

We were incredibly proud to present £800 each to our two chosen charities for 2025. CraftAbility and Dunmow Housebound and Blind Club both do remarkable work in our community, offering creativity, companionship and support to people who need it most.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated throughout the year. Your generosity is what allows us to help local organisations that make such a real difference.

We also want to recognise our co chairs, Nicola and Kelly, for their dedication. They have given countless hours to the carnival and have supported every part of this year’s event with energy and commitment.

Thank you to every member of the committee for all the planning, organising and behind the scenes work that makes the carnival possible. From staging and entertainment to procession management, fundraising, the programme, the Carnival Court, logistics and everything in between, every role matters and every person gives their time freely for the benefit of the town.

Our thanks also go to our brilliant sponsors for their continued support throughout the year. Your help allows us to deliver a day that brings the whole community together.

Finally, thank you to everyone who turned up, volunteered, performed, donated or cheered from the sidelines. You make Dunmow Carnival what it is ❤️

Lost property from the carnival / pink babies blanket
26/09/2025

Lost property from the carnival / pink babies blanket

Lost property - has anyone lost this bag at Carnival? If it’s yours please contact us to arrange collection.
25/09/2025

Lost property - has anyone lost this bag at Carnival?

If it’s yours please contact us to arrange collection.

21/09/2025

Lost property - we have a Renault car key card. A monza card for Evie, a pink cardigan a silver key and a couple of bits of jewellery. Sadly nothing else has been handed in.

20/09/2025

The 75th Great Dunmow Carnival is in full swing! 🎉 Please note:

🅿️ The Recreation Ground car park is now full – use other town car parks or walk if you’re local.

💷 With so many people attending, some card machines are struggling. Please bring cash to make the most of the stalls, funfair and refreshments.

Thank you for your amazing support – what a turnout for this special day! 🙌

🎉 TODAY IS THE DAY 🎉The 75th Great Dunmow Carnival has arrived! Join us today, Saturday 20 September, for a full day of ...
20/09/2025

🎉 TODAY IS THE DAY 🎉

The 75th Great Dunmow Carnival has arrived! Join us today, Saturday 20 September, for a full day of celebration, entertainment and community spirit.

Here’s what you need to know:
🕛 Recreation Ground opens at 12 noon
🕐 Procession begins at 1 pm from the Angel and Harp entrance
🎶 Live entertainment all afternoon and evening
🎨 Free kids area
🛍️ Record number of stalls and food vendors
🎡 Traditional funfair
🎆 Fireworks at 8 pm

💛 Please remember to bring coins and notes for the procession donation buckets. Every penny helps us raise money for our 2025 charities:
🌟 CraftAbility: Supporting people in Uttlesford living with physical difficulties or social isolation
🌟 Dunmow Housebound & Blind Club: Providing vital social opportunities and outings for isolated residents

Carnival is free to attend but your donations make all the difference.

Grab your chairs, blankets, bin bags for rubbish and plenty of energy!
Let’s make this a 75th year to remember.

🎉 The Countdown is Over... Carnival is Tomorrow! 🎉📅 Saturday 20th September 2025🕛 Recreation Ground opens from 12 noon🎭 ...
19/09/2025

🎉 The Countdown is Over... Carnival is Tomorrow! 🎉

📅 Saturday 20th September 2025
🕛 Recreation Ground opens from 12 noon
🎭 Procession begins at 1pm

The stage is set, the stalls are ready, the floats are being polished and the 75th Great Dunmow Carnival is just hours away!

Here’s what you can expect on the day:
🎉 A spectacular town procession from 1pm
🎶 Live entertainment all day on the main stage
🎨 A dedicated kids area with crafts, circus fun and sensory activities
🛍️ A record number of stalls from local businesses and creatives
🍔 Food and drink vendors serving up tasty treats
🎆 A fireworks finale lighting up the sky at 8pm

✅ Entry is completely free
💛 All money raised goes to our brilliant local charities: CraftAbility and Dunmow Housebound & Blind Club

A few helpful tips for tomorrow:
✔️ Bring picnic blankets or camp chairs
✔️ Suncream and raincoats
✔️ Cash as well as card for some stalls (and the collection buckets!)
✔️ And please bring a bin bag to help us keep the field tidy (every little helps our volunteer team)

To our sponsors, volunteers, performers, stallholders, float builders, charity partners and every member of the Dunmow community - thank you so much!
You’ve helped make this 75th year something really special!

📸 Keep your phones charged - we want to see your pictures, your smiles and your favourite Carnival moments! Tag us and use

🎒 What should you bring to Carnival?Great Dunmow Carnival 2025 is almost here, and as we get ready for the big day on Sa...
18/09/2025

🎒 What should you bring to Carnival?

Great Dunmow Carnival 2025 is almost here, and as we get ready for the big day on Saturday 20th September, here’s your checklist to help everything run smoothly:
✅ Camp chairs to enjoy the entertainment
✅ Picnic blankets to set up your base for the day
✅ Suncream, water bottles, and a rain jacket (just in case)
✅ Cash or card – most stalls accept card but it’s worth bringing both
✅ And most importantly… a bin bag

Every year, volunteers spend hours clearing up the site once the fun is over. If everyone brought a bin bag and took care of their own area, it would make a huge difference. We’ll have bins on-site, but help from the public really lightens the load.

🟡 Carnival is completely free to attend, but if you’re able to support our 2025 local charities, we would be so grateful.

This year we’re proudly supporting:
🌟 CraftAbility: providing creative support and connection for those in Uttlesford living with physical difficulties or social isolation
🌟 Dunmow Housebound & Blind Club: running social activities and outings for people in our community who might otherwise be isolated

There’ll be donation buckets during the procession and opportunities to donate throughout the day, including card machines at certain points of the day. Every bit goes directly to these fantastic local causes.

Bring what you need for a great day out and help us keep the field clean and the community spirit strong!

17/09/2025

💛 Final Call for Carnival Volunteers 💛

The 75th Great Dunmow Carnival is almost here this Saturday, 20th September, and we need a few more helping hands on the day.

Even just one hour of your time would make a huge difference. From helping with set-up, greeting visitors, supporting the procession or giving a hand at the field, every small role helps us deliver the best Carnival possible.

The Carnival is run entirely by volunteers and it simply could not happen without the kindness and generosity of our community.

If you’re able to spare a little time on Saturday, please drop us a message here or email [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to help.
Together we can make this 75th year one to remember for the whole town!

Address

The Recreation Ground
Great Dunmow
CM61

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