Axbridge Pageant

Where:	Axbridge, Somerset in The Square
When:	August Bank Holiday - all weekend Saturday to Monday inclusive (only every 10 years not annually)
Time:	3 pm each day

The Axbridge Pageant is a huge event which only happens every ten years, and is a rare survivor of the pageant craze which swept the British Isles through the twentieth century but which has now all but disappeared. Around 300 dedicated participants swap their modern apparel for a variety of costumes to reenact scenes from the history of the town from the last 2000 years. With opportunities to dress as anything from a Roman farmer to a suffragette or evacuee, by way of Tudor miscreants, Viking and Saxon warriors, rioters, revellers and roundheads, who can blame them? You can expect sprinted dramatic performances, music and plenty of entertainment. The event began in the 1960s and has become a much-loved integral part of community life, involving many backstage roles as well as the stars of the costumed dramas. Each generation of performers add their own unique take on the history of the town, with popular scenes including the drunken vicar, the visit by Queen Henrietta Maria, bull baiting, and the condemnation of the Monmouth Rebels by Judge Jeffries. In 2022 there was an act of Remembrance with a minute’s silence following the Last Post as part of the Great War scene. Equine and canine stars also featured throughout the Pageant in 2022- there was even a goat!

Helpful Hints

In 2022 it took place from Saturday 27th to Monday 29th August, having been postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic. Next performances should be in 2030. Programmes should be available in town from about the end of May, and tickets from late April (follow the website link below for details). You need a ticket to attend and in 2022 they cost £26.50 each, with tiered seating for all ticket holders on grandstands in the Square.

Click here for the event website:https://axbridgepageant.com

here for Instagram: https://instagram.com/axbridgepageant2022?utm_medium=copy_link

and here for the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Axbridge_Pageant-280866086149324/

Thanks to Paul Hughes for the 2010 photo and to Zak Preston for drawing the event to my attention.