FRIDAY 2nd DECEMBER 2022

6pm until 9pm

Road closures from 4.00pm

The whole of the Market Place and road leading to it, will be closed to all vehicular access.

Wantage Dickensian Evening

The Wantage Dickensian Evening is always held on the first Friday in December. It is a free social community event organised by a group of volunteers and supported by the Wantage Town Council and local sponsors. It is an evening of various activities which has a nice Christmas feel with seasonal music and light. Initially it was designed to promote Christmas shopping and allow the local retailers to thank their customers for supporting them over the year, but over the last 20 years it has evolved into a richer experience for our guests.

Wantage Dickensian Evening 2019 © Howard Hill

In the last few years we had various charity and commercial stalls, community groups featuring their work, local artists and performers featuring their seasonal programme, Christmas activities for children (Father Christmas arriving to his Grotto on a sleigh drawn by a magical sparkly pony, real reindeer, donkeys from the Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary, switch on of the Christmas Lights by the Mayor of Wantage and local radio presenter, Christmas Carols with Wantage Silver Band and the Parish Church Choir). Icknield Way Morris Men and folk band Greengage. We also have a fun fair on the night.

Enquiries – please email wantagedickensian@aol.co.uk

Dress up in Victorian costume if you possibly can – makes it even more fun!
You can visit a fancy dress shop, but many people prefer to make their own costumes from clothes bought from the charity shops mixed with old stuff from the back of the wardrobe :O)