IT’S very apparent our carnival would not be as successful or popular as it is without the generosity and sponsorship we receive from the local authorities and the business sector.

This is why securing and developing strong working relationships with our sponsorship partners is so vital to us.

There are of course mutual benefits for every sponsorship arrangement, and we try our very best to maximise those opportunities.

Sponsorship can come in an array of many forms, including financial support, the provision of services in kind, or giving us free publicity to name just a few, and there are many available opportunities and realised benefits for businesses and organisation who become an official Bridgwater Carnival sponsor.

We first started formally seeking sponsors to help us with carnival activities back in 2001.

At that time we were able to secure a total of 12 sponsors, including the Bridgwater Mercury, ARCO, ATMOS, Bridgwater College, Bridgwater Times, Bridgwater Town Hall, Gerber, Robson Electrics, Sedgemoor District Council, UCB Films, Wessex West Country Finance, and Wyvern Fruit.

Over 150 different companies and organisations, both local and national, have been a sponsor of our carnival in the 23 years since, and we gratefully thank every one of them.

At this point, we need to recognise and thank Bridgwater and Taunton College, Somerset Council / Sedgemoor District Council and Bridgwater Town Council who have all been a sponsorship partner since 2001.

JD Wetherspoon (The Carnival Inn) also deserve a special mention, as this year marks 20 consecutive years (excluding the Covid years) of the town centre pub sponsoring the carnival.

I am pleased to report we have recently secured further official sponsors for this year’s carnival.

Somerset Web Services, Maxwells Chartered Accountants, P Phillips & Sons, Taylor Woodrow, Gap Group Ltd, Ambersil, Somerset Care and EDF’s Hinkley Point B have all confirmed their involvement, and again we thank them for their generous assistance.

We keep our sponsorship packages reasonable and affordable, and with the carnival just over two months away, we are seeking a sponsor for our official Guy Fawkes Cart.

The tableau themed cart traditionally leads the carnival procession, and the cost to sponsor it for 2024 is £1,000 + VAT.

The cart will of course display relevant sponsor branding, and it’s an effective way of promoting a business to the 100,000+ spectators who we expect to watch the carnival, both on the streets and via our on-line live stream.

If you would like to find out more about sponsoring our Guy Fawkes cart or learn more about becoming an official carnival sponsor, email me at davestokes@bridgwatercarnival.org.uk, or drop into the Carnival Centre in the High Street and speak to Chris Hocking (chris@bridgwatercarnival.org.uk).

Written by Dave Stokes