Frome’s monthly Sunday street market and celebration of community spirit is back on 1st April, after the heavy snow stopped play earlier this month.
The team behind The Frome Independent were very disappointed to have to cancel March’s market, which was set to be the first of the year. The “Beast from the East” settled into Somerset at just the wrong time, meaning that Frome and the surrounding area was covered in a blanket of snow and ice, making it impossible to run the market safely.
They are now looking ahead to Sunday 1st April, which is also Easter Sunday, when Frome town centre will come to life with artists, designers, craftspeople, vintage traders and local food producers. Market-goers can expect mouth-watering street food, live music in the Market Place, DJing and children’s activities down on the pop-up Village Green next to Frome Library.
For foodies, The Frome Independent’s award-winning food sections can be found in the Market Place and Stony Street. There, shoppers will find local producers offering cakes, pastries, charcuterie, local cheeses, preserves and more. Somerset Farmers’ Markets will be out in force next to the newly-refurbished Boyles Cross with their dedicated group of local farmers, cider-makers, veg-growers, bakers and cheese-makers.
For those looking to eat on the move, there will be street food traders offering everything from handmade Cantonese dumplings to rustic sausage rolls from Mells. There’s also bubble waffle ice creams, vegan dosas, venison burgers, wood-fired pizzas and good old breakfast baps from our local butchers.
For Easter gifts, there’s ethical clothing, hand-made jewellery and porcelain homewares, as well as leatherwork, ironmongery and illustration from the market’s craftspeople and makers, and you can find up-and-coming designer-makers in the Suitcase sales on Catherine Hill, Cheap Street and The Bridge, where new businesses show off a selection of their work.
Spreading across the Market Yard car park, the Frome Flea offers antiques, collectables, vintage fashion, and mid-century homewares. Last year, the market expanded this section to include a new “Homes and Gardens” area, which is where you’ll find freshly cut flowers, houseplants and seeds, as well as artwork for the home and garden.
But for those not so thrilled at the idea of a day of shopping, there are other ways to while away the hours on Market Day. The Market Place is home to the Market Place stage, which showcases an eclectic lineup of local acoustic bands and performers, whilst The Flea Market is also home to the market’s pop-up Village Green. This stretch of artificial grass becomes a market day meeting point, where you can spend a few hours enjoying a local cider and a vintage vinyl soundtrack, supplied by local DJs, the Vintage Mobile Disco.
For those with friends or family members visiting from out of town, the market’s free Park & Ride service will be running throughout the day from Frome Medical Practice on Enos Way and Selwood School.
The Frome Independent is a not-for profit, social enterprise based in Frome. Markets take place on the first Sunday of the month until December. For full information, visit www.the fromeindependent.org.uk
