THE stunning pictures coming out of Brazil at the end of last month, showing the Sambadrome filled once more with people and entries as the world-famous Rio de Janeiro Carnival returned for the first time since 2020, really were a sight to behold.

The carnival, which is commonly referred to as the ‘mecca’ of carnivals, is one of the largest cultural events in the world, and like Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, its origins can be traced back to the 1600s.

The spectacular entries, the extravagant costumes, the energetic dancing and the constant drum beats attracts millions of people every year. If the photographs and videos are anything to go by, 2022 was no different, and is yet another sign that the world is beginning to open up again and transition back to some kind of normality following the Covid pandemic.

From our own experience over the past month, it would very much seem the appetite from the British public for the return of live events is stronger than ever. The demand for our procession grandstand tickets has been unprecedented this year, and within the first three weeks of going on sale, over 1,200 seats had been sold. The extent of the demand has indeed been so strong, we have even had to temporarily suspend their sales, to give us some extra time to find and secure additional affordable grandstand units to hire for the big night on Saturday 5 November.

It is a very similar story with our 2022 carnival concert tickets. There was a queue of people outside the carnival centre wanting to buy tickets on the morning they first went on sale in early May, and together with online sales, over 500 had been sold within the first 36 hours. Concert tickets can still be purchased either online at www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk, or from the Carnival Centre, High Street.

All of this bodes well for our 2022 carnival activities, and we sincerely hope the strong start with ticket sales continues over the coming weeks and months. If you would like to After two years without our usual carnival celebrations, it gives us great pleasure in saying the countdown to this year’s carnival activities has well and truly begun.

And finally, while talking about the carnival concerts, there is just one week left to apply to be a front of curtain act in our 2022 concerts.

Until the next time…

Dave Stokes