Welcome to Buxton Well Dressing website.
The 2026 Well Dressing will be held from 5th to 12th July.
For more information and entry forms please visit the Carnival page.
Thank you – The 2026 Carnival Day is on!
Buxton’s Well Dressing Festival’s Committee has issued a big THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to cover the cost of providing emergency medical cover for this year’s Buxton’s Carnival Day.
The well dressing festival and carnival is run by volunteers. We want to preserve this traditional celebration in Buxton, as well as economic benefits it brings. We hope everyone enjoys the day and stays safe.
We hope to continue with a similar programme of events next year, and support the town with extended carnival day events, dependent on sufficient funds being available.
The added cost of providing emergency medical cover will be a liability each year going forward.
The Crowdfunder page is still open for contributions to next year’s emergency medical cover: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/buxton-carnival
The popular carnival parade and Well Dressing Festival combine with Buxton International Festival & Fringe audiences, road race, fun fair and other summer events and visitors to make Carnival Day Buxton’s busiest, with an estimated 15,000 people in the town centre. Due to its size the whole day is classified as a major event, with a stringent list of safety requirements and regulations, including emergency medical cover.
Future dates for the Well Dressing Festival & Carnival can be found here.
Book on Buxton Well Dressing published
It was a long held dream of Anne Gould, who had dressed the Buxton wells since 1987, to publish a book on Buxton well dressing. This book is based on the extensive archive collected by Anne. Sadly Anne died in 2019 and the book is dedicated to her memory and her love of the art of well dressing.
The book tells the story of the start of the Buxton well dressing from 1840 onwards, against the back -drop of the town’s history. It is fully illustrated with over 90 photographs of wells dressing.
The book is available to purchase at many locations around Buxton; all proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Buxton Well Dressing Festival to help keep this beautiful tradition alive.
History of Buxton Well Dressing
Buxton Well Dressing and Carnival is celebrated each year during the first two weeks of July. In 2020 it was 180 years since the tradition first started in Buxton.
In 1840 residents of Higher Buxton were overjoyed when fresh water arrived at the Market Place Fountain. As thanks to the Duke’s workmen local people arranged a floral dressing and tea party accompanied by Brass Bands and dancing children.
These events could not happen in Buxton without the great community support we receive. We could always use the help of a few more willing volunteers, if you could spare just a couple of hours please get in touch.
We have many opportunities for volunteering as both the Well Dressing festival and carnival are organised by volunteers. We work closely with the council but provide all the organisation ourselves. We always require many people on the week of the festival to help organise and marshal the parade as well as prepare the well dressings. Our organising committee meets throughout the year and is always looking for people to lend a small amount of time to ensure this local community festival continues.
That is how Buxton Well Dressing and Carnival Parade began, a custom that continues today and thrives as a wonderful part of Buxton’s illustrious heritage.
Other Well Dressing festivals
There are many Well Dressing festivals within Derbyshire and the High Peak.
Click here to visit an excellent website maintained by Glyn Williams with a calendar of Derbyshire Well Dressings, history and photos.
Click here to visit VisitPeakDistrict website.
