EVER since I was very young, I have always loved this time of year.

A time when mornings and evenings get darker by the day, shiny conkers fall ungracefully from horse chestnut trees, and cooler weather means shorts and flip-flops are replaced by scarves and gloves.

It’s that exciting time of the calendar year when there are so many things to look forward to as we begin the final countdown to Christmas.

Following the two-year hiatus for the pandemic, this recurring sequence of Autumn and Winter events started again this year at the end of September with The Bridgwater Fair.

This was followed very closely by the opening night of the 2022 Bridgwater Carnival Concerts fortnight in early October – an incredible 1,087 days since the curtain last closed at Bridgwater Town Hall for a carnival concert performance back in October 2019.

I was a concert steward for the first two performances of this year’s carnival concerts, and I must say it is an absolutely brilliant show.

Despite the difficulties presented by Covid over the past two and a half years, the 13 carnival clubs, the two dance troupes and the 13 front-of-curtain acts who are taking part in the concerts have well and truly proved there is nothing like true carnival spirit, and they have done themselves and the town immensely proud with this year’s show.

The individual performances take hundreds of hours of rehearsals and huge amounts of commitment, and every single person involved with each performance, both on the stage and behind the scenes, should give themselves a massive pat on the back for what they have achieved.

The judges will have an extremely difficult task in selecting the winners this year, and I don’t envy them in having to make that decision.

The concerts end on Saturday 15 October, and there are still a very small amount of tickets left for the remaining performances.

Keep your eye on our official social media channels for more information.

Following the concerts, we hardly have time to pause for breath, before the big carnival procession takes place on Saturday 5 November, and the start of the Somerset County Guy Fawkes Carnivals Association circuit.

Preparations for this year’s event are going well, and we received a massive boost last month after the Hinkley Point C project agreed to be our main event sponsor.

This is just the second time the carnival has attracted a main event sponsor, and it could not have come at a better time as we combat ever-rising costs and the Covid economic impact.

A number of carnivalites are employed on the Hinkley Point C project, and the skills and competences gained by these individuals will undoubtedly benefit both the workplace and the carnival.

On behalf of everybody associated with Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, I would like to thank the Hinkley Point C project for its help and support.

If it wasn’t for the generosity and goodwill of the local business sector, our carnival would not be as successful and popular as it is.

Since Queen Elizabeth II sadly passed away on 8 September, there has been an outpouring of emotion and grief right across the nation.

These sombre events have led to a resurgence of interest in our spectacular royal-themed carnival cart ‘Jubilation’, which carnivalites built for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant back in June.

We have received many inquiries in the last couple of weeks from people all over the South West asking if and when they will be able to see the cart in its full glory.

I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the cart will be leading the procession at this year’s Bridgwater Carnival in November, and Griffens Carnival Club will kindly be providing the cast and road crew.

The Bridgwater-based club will also then take the cart to all of the other carnivals which make up the Somerset County Guy Fawkes Carnivals Association (SCGFCA) circuit - Highbridge and Burnham on Sea, Weston Super Mare, North Petherton, Shepton Mallet, Wells, Glastonbury, and Midsomer Norton (associate member).

The exact dates for these carnivals can be found on the official SCGFCA website - https://www.somersetcountycarnivals.com/.

The carnival committee and Griffens Carnival Club have also received and accepted a special invitation to appear at Exeter Carnival, as it returns for the first time in 24 years at the end of November.

We will release more information about this nearer the time.

As the ‘Jubilation’ cart tours the towns in the coming weeks, it will be a fantastic opportunity for us all to pay a fitting tribute and remember and celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II, and everything she stood for.

Until the next time… Written by Dave Stokes, Publicity Director Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival