PLANS to revive the Ross Carnival have begun with a working group being formed to bring the annual event back to the town for its traditional outing in August.

Councillor Ed O’Driscoll told members of the town council at its recent meeting that because of the time factor and the lack of established infrastructure that the carnival would be a non-motorised parade, ending at the riverside with a funfair and that grants of between £50 to £100 to be made available by Ross Town Council to groups to decorate their parade entry.

The Ross-on-Wye Carnival Working Group is exploring the possibilities of the reintroduction of a town carnival or similar community celebration, in response to strong public support expressed through the Autumn 2025 budget consultation.

The option being advanced is a smaller-scale event for this year as a stepping stone to a larger carnival in future years.

The Working Group will consider appropriate models for delivery, scale, timing, governance and funding and will explore different delivery models, including that of a Town Council–led event or a partnership model involving volunteers and/or community organisations.

A third option is for the carnival to be independently run event supported financially by the Town Council.

The Working Group has no delegated decision-making powers as its role is only advisory.

The origins of Ross Carnival date back to circa 1887 and was very prominent in the town by the 1920s, but it has not been held every year.

The carnival was revived in 1977 by a dedicated committee in celebration of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee having been absent prior to this date for numerous years.

And up until 2019, the annual procession made its way around the town’s centre, showing off a magnificent display of floats and fancy-dress costumes which was followed by a bustling event at the Ropewalk.

The carnival didn’t return during the covid pandemic lockdown in 2020 and the ongoing restrictions in 2021. And it hasn’t been held since.