THE curtain opened for the hotly anticipated 2024 Bridgwater Carnival Concerts, which started on Monday, September 30. 

Over 600 ‘carnivalites’ are performing at Bridgwater Town Hall at the popular annual concerts, which run from Monday, September 30 until Saturday, October 12. The four-hour show is held for twelve nights, and performers consist of 26 different acts, including twelve carnival clubs, two dance troupes, and twelve front of curtain acts.

The event is officially all sold out. All 3,600 tickets for the 12 performances were snapped up by the end of August. This year’s concerts are being sponsored by FCS International Shipping Ltd, with MEH Alliance sponsoring the souvenir programmes, and Anderson and Wall sponsoring the front of curtain act auditions.

It is exactly 141 years since the historic Carnival Concerts were first held in the town. The concert, which is steeped in history and tradition, was first staged back in 1883, after the carnival committee at the time organised an evening of entertainment to raise enough money for fireworks and squibs to be let off as the carnival procession passed over the new town bridge, which was to be opened on carnival day.

Today, the concert is traditionally seen as a curtain raiser to the eagerly anticipated annual carnival procession, which this year start on Saturday, November 2, starting at 6pm.

During the twelve nights, the stage at the Town Hall Theatre will be in use for performances for a total of 40 hours and 24 minutes. Throughout the period, each club and dance troupe will perform on stage for 102 minutes (1 hour and 42 minutes). In addition, 108 different songs will be sung every night at the Carnival Concerts. The Town Hall Theatre has recently undergone a substantial renovation, thanks to a share of the £23.2 million funding from the Bridgwater Town Deal.

12 backstage crew, 4 sound and lighting operators, and 2 programme sellers, are in the Town Hall making sure the show runs smoothly every night. These are supported by a team of 25 stewards, including a Chief Steward and Assistant Chief Steward, throughout the concert fortnight. 112 stage lights have been installed for the concerts, and a total of 29 radio microphones are used every night by the cast.

The performances are scrutinised by nine judges, all who are on duty throughout, including two who will be judging at the carnival concerts for the first time. There are 16 impressive trophies up for grabs for those taking part.

Fifty different companies and individuals have donated prizes for the nightly raffles. Since the concert raffle was introduced in 2007, it has raised nearly £35,000 for carnival funds.

Over the past 18 years, the following carnival clubs have won the top prize at the Bridgwater Carnival Concerts: Gremlins CC have won 6 times; Ramblers CC won five times; British Flag CC won three times; Vagabonds CC won twice; and Renegades CC have also won twice.

The 2024 Bridgwater Carnival Concerts sees Brian Epps celebrating 31 years of being a judge of the Bridgwater Carnival Concerts. Including this year’s show, Brian has judged an incredible 903 different shows by carnival clubs, dance troupes and front of curtain acts in that time.