OUR wider promotional activities for this year’s carnival on Saturday, November 4 are beginning to ramp up.

The results from last year’s post-carnival public experience survey really helped us to understand which publicity activities work for us.

The survey showed that apart from the obvious and proven word-of-mouth method, the majority of people found out about the carnival last year through our presence at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in London, from our official website and digital and social media channels, and via local radio and newspapers.

Our eye-catching promotional leaflets are also a popular source of information, and the 2023 edition has already been designed and is available to download from our website.

Like most things, general advertising costs are very high at the moment.

So any help and support you could give us with spreading the carnival word would be very much appreciated by us all.

Simple things like downloading the flyer from our website and sharing it with family and friends would help enormously.

For those who prefer hard copies, please drop into the carnival centre and collect one.

Since my last column, I am pleased to report we have secured our first two official sponsors for this year’s carnival.

Wetherspoons (The Carnival Inn) and Resolve Recruitment Services have both confirmed their involvement in Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival 2023, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their generous help and support.

If it wasn’t for the backing we receive from the local authorities and business sector, our carnival would not be as successful as it is.

If you would like to learn more about becoming an official carnival sponsor, email me at davestokes@bridgwatercarnival.org.uk, drop into the Carnival Centre in the High Street, or visit our official website (www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk).

The demand for tickets for our all seater grandstands continues to increase, and this year we have brought forward the date of pre-ordering them to Wednesday, February 1.

Costing £28 each, the tickets can be purchased online from Bridgwater Carnival’s official website shop (www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk), or from the Carnival Centre, from 9am on the day.

Tickets may again be limited this year due to the ever increasing price of hiring the grandstands.

These cost increases are caused mainly by elevated fuel prices and securing driver resources, and unfortunately has inevitably led to an increase in the ticket price being charged for 2023.

Tickets will be dispatched from mid-June 2023, and tickets which require posting will incur an additional £1.50 charge.

And finally, a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to vote for Jubilation, (the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant carnival cart) in the national and prestigious Creative Lives People’s Choice Awards.

Voting closed at the end of January, and we should know in the next month whether we have been successful. As always, we will of course keep you posted.

Until the next time,

Dave Stokes
Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival
www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk