Carnival of the Baubles 2025 making its return to kick off the festive period

On Saturday, 22 November, Ashford Town Centre will host the return of the Carnival of the Baubles. Thousands of attendees are expected to gather along the pavements as the event commences the festive season and illuminates the town centre with an impressive giant lantern parade. 

As last year’s Carnival was sadly disrupted by Storm Bert, we will be pulling out all the stops to make this year’s even more special. With that in mind, and owing to the growing popularity of the Carnival, the parade route has been reversed, with the procession commencing at 5pm from the Lower High Street and concluding with a grand finale outside The Ashford Cinema at Elwick Place.

A giant Firebird, who sprays sparks from its beak, will lead this year’s parade, guiding schools, community groups, and local businesses through Ashford Town Centre.

The theme of the parade is "Ashford – The Place That Makes Us." Emergency Exit Arts, renowned for their impressive work at events such as Glastonbury and The Lord Mayor's Show in London, are collaborating with Made In Ashford to lead the creative process. Preparations for this year's lantern builds are already in progress, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store! 

Free lantern making workshops will be held at the pop-up Bauble Maker Space in County Square (where you can preview this year’s lanterns) on the following dates: 

• Saturday 1 November
• Saturday 8 November
• Saturday 15 November 

You can book a session via this link: https://www.madeinashford.com/products/carnival-of-the-baubles-2025-lantern-workshop-county-square-old-h-m

If you can't attend, feel free to make your own at home and bring it on the day.

As if that wasn’t enough, throughout the day they’ll be plenty of festive fun for the whole family – with the St Mary’s Christmas fayre, a Christmas markers market and live performances at the Bandstand and Elwick Place. 

A huge thank you goes out to our sponsor, Ashford Designer Outlet, for supporting this year’s events and joining the parade. 

Cllr Heather Hayward, Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Culture at Ashford Borough Council, said: “The Carnival of the Baubles is a much-loved event, and I am looking forward to seeing it return in all its glory this year. Every year, I look forward to seeing the fabulous creations from our community and am truly delighted that so many residents, schools, community groups and businesses are so eager to get involved in the event. A huge thank you to everyone who makes Carnival of the Baubles happen, as I know it’s not easy, and I hope that everyone joins us on the day, which promises to be truly magical.” 

For further information and to begin planning your visit to Ashford Town Centre this Christmas, please visit www.loveashford.com.