Bridgwater Carnival 2024: Thousands line streets as procession lights up Somerset town

People travelled from all over the country to soak up the atmosphere at Bridgwater Carnival

Thousands of people packed the streets of a Somerset town to watch one of Europe's largest carnivals.

Dozens of bright carts lit up the streets of Bridgwater on Saturday 2 November as people travelled from across the country to experience a tradition spanning centuries.

Carnival club members were excited to bring their carts out of the sheds and share their work with the huge numbers of spectators, after spending months preparing for the procession.

The event traces its roots back to the Gunpowder Plot 419 years ago and sees a spectacular illuminated procession snake its way through the town on the first Saturday of November every year.

It marks the start of the Somerset County Guy Fawkes Carnivals circuit, which sees the clubs travel to Burnham-on-Sea, Weston-super-Mare, North Petherton, Shepton Mallet, Wells and Glastonbury in November.

While the procession did not get underway until 6pm, the build-up began several hours earlier with a full programme of street entertainment for the revellers who arrived early.

Around 1,000 people performed in the procession, which was made up of 99 entries, including carts and walking participants.

The event ended with its traditional finale - a unique fireworks display known as "squibbing".

People travel from all over the country to attend the event
Bridgwater Carnival marks the start of the Somerset County Guy Fawkes Carnival circuit.
Thousands of people of all ages attend the event every year
More than 500,000 individual lights illuminated the skyline as the carts snaked through the town
The event ended with its traditional finale - a unique firework display known as 'squibbing'.