THE village of Dunster is all set for an influx of visitors on Saturday and Sunday (December 7 and 8) as a brand new Christmas festival is held for the first time.

Dunster Winter Festival is taking over from where Dunster by Candlelight left off last Christmas.

The candlelight event had been held for nearly 40 years but stopped in 2023 because its ageing committee felt they could not continue to organise it.

So, a small group of Dunster traders came together and formed a committee to organise a new event, which has taken them all year to plan.

A committee spokesperson said: “A handful of volunteers have worked like crazy for nearly a year to put this event on so both the locals and visitors would have their traditional start of the Christmas season.

“We are aiming for a smaller, more magical Christmas festival, going back to its roots.”

The main difference with Dunster Winter Festival is that the activities are being held during the day rather than at night, and there will not be a ban on traffic driving through the village or any road closures.

A packed programme of events starts at 10 am on Saturday with the arrival of Father Christmas in the village’s National Park Centre, where a grotto has been built for him to meet children.

Other venues include Dunster Tithe Barn, St George’s Church, the Yarn Market, Dunster Castle, Reeves Restaurant, Born Appetite, the memorial hall, and The Steep.

Many shops and traders will be putting on their own individual offers and activities throughout both days.

With Storm Darragh forecast to sweep across West Somerset and Exmoor on Saturday, the festival organisers have warned that some events and times may be subject to change, and outside activities such as a medieval re-enactment could be relocated or postponed.

The committee spokesperson said further details would be issued if that happened.

They said: “Donations in the charity boxes would be very much appreciated and will help the festival committee bring this event to Dunster again next year.”

The cost of putting on the inaugural festival has been largely met with fund-raising events being held throughout the year.

The full festival programme and a map of the events can be found online here.