It’s carnival season here in the west country. Bridgwater’s Guy Fawkes carnival was on Saturday, and tonight, down in Burnham-on-Sea, the town will have been alight with torches, floats, displays of the most fantastical variety: Our own carnival in Weston will be this coming Friday 13th! I hope that doesn’t prove to be unlucky!!
This link – https://www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk/ gives plenty of information about the Bridgwater Carnival which happens every year in November. This most famous of the Somerset carnivals dates back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. https://www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk/history/
https://www.visitsomerset.co.uk/festivals-events/somerset-carnivals :
Somerset has several carnival circuits, each with its own character, competitions and traditions. Clubs travel between towns, presenting their creations to different audiences and competing for recognition, while local organisers work hard to ensure each procession retains its own identity. As autumn progresses, anticipation builds towards the major November carnivals. Bridgwater is particularly renowned for the scale of its illuminated procession, while North Petherton, Burnham-on-Sea, Weston-super-Mare, Shepton Mallet, Wells and Glastonbury are among the towns that help sustain the tradition. The season’s journey reaches its finale at Glastonbury, bringing weeks of colour, music and community celebration to a close.
Damien Boyd, my favourite crime writer, set his 2022 novel at the Bridgwater Carnival when an unfortunate and terrible “accident” happened as the floats process past with the squibbers holding their squibs aloft. I wrote this a couple of years ago, and if you want to find out about the carnivals, plus be gripped by an absolutely ripping yarn, read more:
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Dixon arrives late for Bridgwater’s winter carnival. He’s come to see the squibbing, the traditional firework display that brings the town’s November festivities to a dramatic close. But when the squib of Avalon Carnival Club president Richard Webb is lit, it explodes, engulfing him in flames. Dixon knows he’s just witnessed a killer making a very public statement. And he can’t help feeling it’s only the beginning. After his suspicions are confirmed at the Burnham-on-Sea carnival forty-eight hours later, the race is on to find the killer before the next event in a nearby town.
