Swanage, the Dorset seaside town ranked the 14th best in the UK by Which? readers, offers more than just fantastic scenery and a beach. It is home to one of the most bizarre events on the British coastline: the Swanage Carnival. The carnival, formally known as the Swanage Regatta and Carnival, dates back to the mid-1800s when the first sailing regatta was held in Swanage Bay. The carnival portion was added in the early 1900s and reached a high point in the 1950s when author Enid Blyton, creator of Noddy and The Famous Five, served as its president. Blyton organised the closing firework display, a tradition that continues today.
What Makes the Carnival Bizarre?
During a visit to Swanage, I witnessed a lorry loaded with primary school girls dressed as Star Wars stormtroopers, complete with blasters and shiny white helmets. They were joined by Granny Tourismo, the world's first shopping trolley dance display team. An aerobatic wingwalking display team performed overhead. The year's theme was 'Swanage Goes Musical'. Previous themes have included 'Cirque du Swanage', which featured 20 clowns in rainbow wigs and a child in an electronic jeep pulling a large giraffe toy. Belly-dancers, majorettes, Oompa Loompas, and wrestlers like the Undertaker and Hulk Hogan competed in a wheelbarrow race. A woman dressed as a tiger watched from a cage on a lorry.
Carnival Details and Morris Dancing
The Swanage Carnival will take place for eight days from August 25, featuring more than 100 events. This year's theme is 'A wacky western in Carnival Canyon', with expected appearances of stormtroopers in cowboy hats. In September, the streets of Swanage are taken over by hundreds of morris dancers, part of Britain's longest-running morris dancing tradition.
Which? Ranking and Context
Swanage scored 77% in the Which? survey, placing it 14th overall. Bamburgh in Northumberland topped the list for the sixth consecutive year with 84%. The survey, conducted in January-February 2026, included 5,320 Which? Connect panel members who shared 11,999 experiences of visiting UK seaside towns for leisure in the previous 12 months. According to Which?, readers praised Swanage's fantastic scenery and beach, but did not mention its quirky carnival.
Other Top and Bottom Seaside Towns
The top 30 seaside towns include Tynemouth (82%), St Andrews (81%), Aldeburgh (80%), and Crail (80%). At the bottom of the list, Bognor Regis scored 41%, followed by Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth at 46%, and Blackpool, Fleetwood, and Bangor at 46%.
