Thaxted is a town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of north-west Essex, England. The town is in the valley of the River Chelmer, not far from its source in the nearby village of Debden, and is 97 metres (318 feet) above sea level (where the parish church stands). The town is 15 miles (24 km) north from the county town of Chelmsford, and 5.5 miles (9 km) east from the M11 motorway. The parish contains the hamlets of Cutlers Green, Bardfield End Green, Sibleys Green, Monk Street, and Richmond's Green. Much of its status as a "town" rests on its prominent late medieval guildhall, a place where guilds of skilled tradesmen regulated their trading practices, and its English Perpendicular parish church.

Between 2007 and 2009, a village design statement was produced for Thaxted to describe the character of the town and parish and to inform any future development. It was drawn up after consultation with local residents and under the auspices of Thaxted Parish Council and the Thaxted Society, and was published after further consultation with the rural community council and Uttlesford District Council.

The Thaxted Society is a conservation charity founded in 1963 to safeguard and promote Thaxted's legacy. It publishes the Thaxted Bulletin twice a year, with the 100th edition appearing in winter 2017. The society's remit is to scrutinise and respond to local planning and Government planning regulation and policy.

The annual Thaxted Festival takes place over four weekends in June and July every year, presenting a programme of musical concerts.

Thaxted Cricket Club represents the town and parish. The club's teams play in the Herts & Essex Border League, play Sunday Friendlies, and in under-12 and under-15 competitions.

Thaxted's football club, the Thaxted Rangers, was formed in 1998 and has a senior team and youth teams.

Thaxted Bowling Club was founded in 1965 and has a green and clubhouse off Park Street.

Thaxted Tennis Club operates from tennis courts situated on Dunmow Road at the southern entrance to the town.

Thaxted Morris Men is a morris side, which was founded in 1911 under the instigation of Conrad Noel, Vicar of Thaxted, as a response to a renewed interest in morris dancing. The side performed locally as part of coronation celebrations for George V.

Since 2001, Thaxted has been twinned with Saint-Vrain in the French department of Essonne. A twinning association aims to promote friendship and cultural understanding and to foster the relationship between the two towns and their people.

According to a local vicar, in local Essex dialect the word "thaxted" meant "sharp, clever" - an apparent reference to the former cutlery industry.