At the end of the Carnival season, many think that that’s it ‘till next year but for the Carnivalites, the season never ends. Before Christmas new club officers are voted in for the following year, and by the end of January the idea for next year has already been chosen and plans are being made. Then the fundraising begins: bars, buffets, race nights, bingo nights, anything to keep those all important pennies rolling in.

Everything that the club needs to put on a stage show and produce a cart is raised by club members, this in itself is an amazing achievement when you consider everything that the club needs: from material for costumes, makeup, scenery and sheet music for the stage show to wood, metal, paint, electrics and of course those all important light bulbs for the Carnival cart. The club also need to have insurance to take the cart on the road, and ensure the safety of not only it’s club members but the public as well, they need diesel to power the generators and drive the tractors which pull the floats, then there’s maintenance on the tractors, the upkeep of the sheds where the floats are built, and so the list goes on.

It is surprising with all these expenses that anyone pulls out a cart or puts on a show at all, but that’s where the spirit of Carnival comes into play. Being a member of such an organisation not only gives you plenty to do in your spare time and an excellent social life, but the sense of pride when everything comes together for the opening night of concerts or the feeling you get when you pull the cart out of the shed on carnival day is incredible, that’s the moment you can say ‘we did that, out of nothing we made that'.

The Bridgwater Illuminated Carnival is truly the most spectacular free show on earth and long may it continue.