Carnival

alex (moley) plummer
im from prattens cc i've been doing carnival all my life i can't live without it its great fun can't wait for future years

Scott
The 399th carnival was brill as all the other carnival. Wills c.c is the best!!!!!!!!!!!

xanthe Russell
It was amazing and I want to see it every year. aged 7

LISA MARIE PALMER
I REALLY LOVE THE CARNIVAL I JUST CANT WAIT TO SEE THIS YEARS

karen Prime
i really liked the carnival i go every year i just cant wait to see this years.

bob
i thought that renegades are really improving, and are the best carnival club. cant wait to see them this year.

Sophie Morris
I think carnival is amazing i was in it last year so i only saw half of the carts. Everybody involved in carnnival put hard work throughout the carnival but everyone enjoys the outcome. My familys been involved in carnival for years especially wills carnival club (the best!!!)an my brother and i intend to keep this family tradition going.

darcey
i love the carnival it is great

chelsea cummins
Its great and im going this year too.

Diane Fellows
Fantastic, amazing - and so many!

Em
carnival is brill. all the carts were great well done guys!!! hope another good one this year!!!!!

lucy slater
I think well done to all the pps who are doing carnival i think your doing a good job

Benjamin rowbrey-vigers
I love the carnival because we throw money in one of the money carts.And I also like it because we get to have some food like hotdogs and burgers.Last year I liked it best of all because I got to see my brother Jordon in the carnival walking and he was Roofio off of Peter pan. I also liked the pirate ship

jordon
i love the carnival because i am in the carnival YEAH

eloise reynolds
Its great! the really loud music and bright lights. hope I go this year!!!!!!!!!!!!

daniel
the carnival carts were so cool I could not beleave my eyes when I heard that one of the cart one I felt so sorry for the others and It was good that atlest one of them one COOL!

jade baker
carnival is great. all of the bright lights and all of the music.

Clair Peach
All the clubs were fantastic last year and will be this I am sure. Don't get the arguments over Masqueraders etc- Hubby was in the club and is now in a much Smaller one (Rascals), as far as I can see the workload is the same and everyone tries their best and has a laugh which is what matters! Good luck to EVERYONE this year

Tia Heenan
Last year i loved the carnival it was great i loved nummber 69 because it was may school peter pan

Abi Smtih
I love the carnival my dad has been involved in the Gremlis carnival club for years and have always been to watch it and loved every second of it!

trudie
i thought it was alrite but they need more carts

Peter Hallett
we are in Canada, but born in Bridgewayer. It is really nice to see the parade. Thanks Peter Hallett

EMMA HARRIS
IT WAS A VERY GOOD CARNIVAL I AM ON A FLOAT MYSELF I VERY ENJOYED IT WITH MY CARNIVAL FLOAT CALLED CLUB 2000 SO I REALLY LIKED IT

Fred Hayman
I love the carnival, but missed it i 2004, I am disgusted at the governments legislations as to the future of the carnivals, it seems to me that some shortseeing Europe lovers are literally trying to kill off the only remaining industry we have left, and that is the governments beloved Tourism industry, isnt it pathetic.It will effect steam rallies, country shows,and it may even upset the Annual exhibitions.of which some have been going for years. Anyway Carnival committees I wish you all the very best of what remains of a good excellent show.

Shamseer Ahamed Zaki- BANGLADESH
JUST WOW!

cameron edwards
it was a disapointment to shepton mallet

MINI
NO I DID NOT SEE THE CARNIVAL, ALTHOUGH I WAS IN TOWN ALL DAY AND NIGHT AS I HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST THIRTY PLUS SOMETHING YEARS YOU SEE WHEN YOUR ON A CART AND YOU HAVE TO PUT IT TO BED EVERY NIGHT YOU ONLY GET TO SEE IT ON DVD/VIDEO AFTER THE WHOLE CIRCUIT IS FINISHED

Mike Daniells
Hi hayley,i think you may need to have a talk to some of the members in masqueraders.I wish you and your club the very best for 2005

Hayley
Sue, I think you will find that there are more than enough pictures available via other sites if you want to see Masqueraders. Personally, I think it's nice to see the smaller clubs get a bit of coverage especially as each individual member probably has to work 10x harder than someone belonging to a club as big as Masqueraders. Consider the fact that Masqueraders are eligible to pay tax on their annual income, most clubs are lucky if they bring in a couple of thousand pounds a year, let alone enough to be eligible for that! My point being that Masqueraders can afford the better materials, and to pay people to help them make their floats as good as they are, and while I agree that they are always a spectacular sight to see, have some thought for those of us who have to put in a tremendous amount of time & effort just to put a float on the road for you all to see. Perhaps that is something the judges could also take note of, it’s all very well awarding a club with and award for best artwork, but I don’t think that any of you have taken into account the financial status of the individual clubs or what materials they had available. This is no dig against the clubs who do this, as I’m sure if my club had the funds, they would do the same, but surely more credit should be given to a club who spent hours and hours doing their artwork by hand, than to those who have had the money to pay artists to come in and do their artwork using a airbrush? And seeing as I am on a roll here, perhaps people who might be looking to join a carnival club, should look beyond how good the floats are each year, but remember that the smaller clubs don’t do so well because they are struggling to find members against the seemingly magnetic appeal of clubs such as Masqueraders, think how much more rewarding it would be to be part of a smaller club, and see them win awards, and know that you were responsible for helping that club achieve it!!! Well done to everyone who participated in 2004, and good luck for 2005!!!!

Sue
Brilliant, but give more coverage to the outstanding Masqueraders of Meare, not a single photograph!!

annonomous
i came down from sheffield to watch this years carnival and i thought it was amazing i loved the clown entry from limn kiln i love clowns!!

Waler John Pitman
The carnival is a great show and well worth seeing. I hope to see it again in 2005

fred
i havw sent off 1 billion emails to my pen friends to come see it all over the world hope fuly they will

lucas coombes
i did not see it as i was on a cart my selth

katie...
i take part every year and i can asure anyone that is one of the most amazing things you could ever experience! If you are taking part or just watching! Why not come and watch next year?!

Peter Colclough
well this is my first bridwater carnival. seen them all over the world and this one is awesome. fantastic the worlds best. i can see that every one has put in every ounce of effort in to this display and they deserve a medal each. I felt so sorry for the floats that has lost thier lighting at the last moment but i could still see the work that went into every inch of it. well done bridgwater you out shine them all. will be there next year to see you again my friends. until then good luck

Sarah
i find it funny that someone should say we should prepare for the delays. You try telling that to my 5 year old boys when they have stood in the freezing cold for an hour with nothing to see and there are underage drunken yobs hurling coins becaus they are bored and impatient ,making it a scary and uncomfortable place for the kids. This wasnt the fault of anyone but to say you should just prepare and accept the delays is silly. That aside, loved the carnival itself:-)

Steven
Mike, do you know why there were so many problems with the floats? Im asking this out of geunine interest not as a criticism. There are always a few problems and one or two unlucky ones who lose all power etc, but this year there seemed to be light sections missing on many floats, and it felt like there was a bigger technical problem than normal. A Lot of the floats seemed to have the same middle section of their cart blacked out. This is a genuine question not a criticism. It was still a great night and the effort put in by all despite the few hitches was still marvellous. JS I certainly wont be staying home next year just because I was a bit disappointed with the planning of the route - that was certainly not a fault of the crew or float workers but it was a bit too difficult for some of the floats to get round our section and its important to say where improvements can be made, it doesnt mean people dont appreciate the time and effort that is being put in. Roll on 2005 I am looking forward to celebrating the 400th.

anon
u would say that

KERRY
ALL THE FLAOTS WERE DSMASHING THIS YEAR. GOOG LUCK NEXT YEAR PEEPS

colin burnap
NEWMARKET CC WAS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike
As a member of a road crew I would like to thank Bridgwater Carnival Committee for the new route, it was a pleasure to walk, ok around St. Marys Church/Cornhill was abit tight, but for goodness sake this is a new route, and it still needs fine tuning, but is certainly better than the old one. Regading the comments about gaps, please spectators note that no-one can plan for breakdowns, you know it happens with cars. As for the lights out and generator failures, again you can build these carts and have everything working the night before only to start up in the procession to find something has gone wrong, and it is too late to do anything, these things are not intentional. All in all it was a excellent evening, and yes we were held up behind the breakdown with our float, but the crowd in Bath Road were fantastic. All I can say is roll on Bridgwater 400th, if this years planning was anything to go by, it will be spectacular

David graffham
I am 14 and this year was my 15th year in carnival (as i did my 1st entry when i was 6 months old lol) anyway i have to say that this years bridgwater carnival was amazing and wa sprobably one of the best yet and was definately not worth the miss!! I'm a memebr of britannia carnvial club if you managed to see it lol.....anyways see you all next year!!!!

jordan russell
i think it was great i cant wait untill the next one and i wounder which different floats there will be.

DJ master
it waz gud in it

jordan russell
it was the best carnival ive seen ever and i am sexy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

trust mate
cheeky cheeky

Jordan Russel
it was lovingly lovely

Amy Cooper
I recon it was very exthant

emily presley
the carts were amazing it was fantastic xxx

Abbie Brewer
The Carnival was brill i was in it and i had the time of my life. Markteers were brillant and well done to all.

Graham
This is my second carnival and I drove 160 miles to see it. The work and time involved in making these floats and then getting them to Bridgwater is staggering, I guess the longer some of the floats had to wait the more lights etc broke down, so maybe whoevers in charge should organise a few heavy duty tractors en route in Bridgwater so those floats that do conk out can quickly be on the move again and if one wont start at the starting point it should be left until last to be towed. There seemed to be a lot more Christmas and fun music last year and I still chuckle at some of the characters from last year even though it was much colder than this year it was better. I agree that half an hour gaps between floats is bad as a lot of people left thinking it was the end so maybe those in charge can take this on board so it doesnt happen for the big 400th year, I will be there.

Sarah lintern
As i am in Gorgons c.c and they rule i think we did ver well and i didnt see any pictures of our cart. (Ed: if you've got any photos you'd like to add to this page or the Gorgons' page, please send 'em in!)

JS
Steven should stay at home next year, then he can't moan. As a carnivalite we spend a lot of time and effort on the entries. Ok we were near the back and on the cart for about 1 hour 30 minutes before we even moved off, but people know how long the night is and want to see a good show. You prepare for that

Rich
I took part in this years Carnival on a 'comic entry'. One thing that strikes me about Bridgwater, when compared to the rest of the County Circuit is the length of the procession. Bridgwater should limit the number of entries which attend from the Devon, South Somerset and Wessex Circuits. There are too many entries which make the procession 'drag out'. Fair enough that Harlequins, Gemini, Hot Rock and Phoenix do Bridgwater, but the two men and a dog entries just get in the way. This is to the detriment of Bridgwater Carnival. When you are a Somerset County Guy Fawkes float, and you are near the back of the procession, and it is gone midnight before you get back to the pub to change out of your costume; it is pushing things a bit far. Entries from the other Carnival Circuits should be by invitation only.

T Brown , Family & Friends
FANTASTIC, SPECTACULAR WE LIVE IN LEICESTER AND HAVE BEEN TO THE CARNIVAL 7 TIMES IN THE LAST 10 YRS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED EVEN ENTICING FRIENDS TO TAKE THE M5 TRIAL EVERY NOVEMBER TO SEE SUCH AN AMAZING PERFORMANCE OF TALENT & ENTERTAINMENT COGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND HARDWORK WELL DONE KEEP IT UP!!!

Ross
I used to be a member of Gremlins cc and can remember people complaining when the night was moved to a Friday from a Thursday. Now it seems crowds are certainly larger, and this year must have been the largest so far. I also believe having the Notting hill dancers was brilliant. As for the carts (floats) i believe the standard for the large entries is as good as ever. however i would agree that smaller entries are struggling, not surprising with the economy today. I enjoyed the procession, and despite the long hold ups, I thought it was as magnificent as ever. Give the new route a chance and roll on 2005 the 400th anniversary is sure to be bigger and better than ever and end with a bang!

J
I have been involved with the carnival since i was six years old, and am now 32. so you could say i have the bug!! as a memeber of one of the largest clubs in Bridgwater it still amazes me that the quality of this production exceeds anything else to be seen in the word. it dissapoints me that everyones expectation seem so high! how could such a large event ever happen without technical hitches problems and stoppagges. due people realise wat we are actually pulling round the town, "MECANICAL WONDERS" from the smallest to the largest everything is amazing by any standard! on carnival night my particular club were devestaed to loose our generator power and have to complete the route half light and not much working. and as a club we viewed this entry as a comeback!! after a few years of stepping back to build our new shed and building quaters. we were all suprised how good our cart was, and very proud, we ednded up being extremly disapointed when all failed, " Iwonder how well we would have done if all was workin" but dispite this in true carnival spirit everyone gave one hundred percent as a performance and the crowd still loved our entry! not half as much as i did tho!! it was a great cart to be on with amazing atmosphere i hope we do well at the other carnivals.... One thing that is worrying tho, i do feel the carnival is getting smaller, The bigger clubs are getting so much better and the smaller clubs standard appears to be falling.... i wish there was something that could be done to put the yearly commitment, interest and funds back in for these clubs that seem to struggle... i wish some clubs like gremlins, masquarades, etc could be held back to allow the standard to hjust even out a little!! they always have great entries and deservedly win, but to win so continuously is taking the fun out of the competition and kiling the spirit a bit.. i know lots of people wont agree, but its just my opinion... and Guys at the top, drop the attitude. were ALL in this together.. no need to be so big headed,, you are good, but hopefully someone else will hve their day soon!!! Is there anyone out there who can answer a question? is there a rule regarding sponsership: do any of the clubs get sponsership.. if so i think this should be distributed evenly across the boared not to individual clubs. thanks to all involved for a fab carnival.. see ya next year..

Steven
My last comment had a paragraph missing so I just want to clarify that I am NOT criticising the dancers or floats , I am annoyed at the route and the shambles of the order, which was beyond their control, and I fully understand that. I can understand how they must have felt and am not having a go at them, I said I was saddened by it only because it was sad to see others not having a good time and suffering due to the poor organisation. Im sorry if it came across that I dont appreciate the efforts - I most certainly do and to have any sort of carnival at all is a priveledge. But I was probably in one of the worst spots and having to wait 30 minutes between floats isnt the best situation. I still enjoyed the carnival, the Notting hill dancers were fantastic and I partcularly liked the Heyoka and Rio floats. Chill:-)

Tom
Steven, if you dont find it fun to watch may i suggest you stay at home next year. Clubs work hard all year round, but there are many limiting factors, and if you don't have anything positive to say, please keep your opinions to yourself. And as for personnel on the floats not enjoying themselves, many will not have slept for over 30 hours before Bridgwater trying to get their floats finished, you try dancing for 2 hours after that!

Kym Jarvis
I thought it was brilliant as usual but the highlight was the notting hill costumes

Steven
In response to Andrew, I clearly said I was aware that there may have been severe problems. But if you look at other peoples comments you will see that many people didnt even get to see the whole carnival at all! the route was a mess, there were numerous holdups and the floats suffered. Im not for a moment suggesting that there was any less hard work from some of the clubs. But it is a fact that nearly all the floats suffered in some way, which I have never seen at a carnival before. Plus it is also a fact that some (repeat: some) of the floats were smaller than normal and clubs did not go the whole hog this year like they have before. But that wouldnt be a problem at all if the float was fully functioning. There was one little girl crying hysterically on her float To see many floats going by where the dancers are not enjoying themselves , be it because of technical problems or whatever, but when the people arent enjoying it, and some or all of the lights arent working, it isnt exactly fun to watch!

Amelia
I thought the floats where really good and i attend every year because Bridgwater carnival is the best. Although it was a bit annoying waiting for ages for another float. I think they should change the route back to how it was last year as there wasn't many hold ups last year. All the floats were brilliant. I especially liked Ramblers.I think I will continue to watch the carnival until I am an old lady and still enjoy it.

Matthew
I twent to this years carnival and i must say that it was one of the best ever! The introduction of the Notting Hill groups was a brilliant idea their costumes were absultely outstanding. One group that must be mentioned are the Masqueraders, ever year it seems to be the Gremlins Carnival Club who receive all the acknowledgement and recognision but the past few years the Masqueraders have had outstanding floats and I always look forward to seeing their float the next year. Only bad point was the blockages that occured there were definitely more stappoages this year but overall the weather was good and the atmosphere was as high as ever.

Anne Marie
I am a member of a club that took part this yr. We where right nr the back had to hang around waiting for ages. so much for no gaps this yr and it will all run smothly. There are a number of very good floats out this yr. Good luck to every one for the rest of the carnivals.

James
Great Carnival. The Best Ever

Andrew
I would like to congratulate everyone that took part in the carnival for all their hard work and effort in putting on the show. I would also like to register my sadness and disgust at the comments made on this site by ‘Steven’. How dare he suggest that the entries in this year’s procession were just thrown together, as clubs are saving themselves for next year’s 400th anniversary. As a member of a carnival club, I know exactly how much time and effort goes into building a cart and performing in a carnival. It takes all year to plan, raise money and then build the float, and to hear comments like his makes me sick. Also, if he was so disappointed by the carnival and the floats with failed, maybe he should think about how the people in those club feel. It’s a horrible feeling when you’ve worked so hard for something and then it doesn’t work on the night. To finish on a slightly happier note, I have just seen that 2004 had a record-breaking collection of over £30,000. So a big thank you to the crowd for their generosity.

S miller & S webber
we are in the carnival and thought there were a lot of unneccessary hold ups we also were stood around waiting to move off into the possesion an alful long time even though we were early numbers. but all in all a very good possesion and good crowd. thanks xxx

ALAN & MARGARET
I have been watching the Carnival for 60 years and this year it was as a good if not better than previous years.Congratulations to all concerned.

Joy Arnold
We were stood opposite the grandstand on Bath Street and for some reason didn't see the last 50 or so floats. Anyone know why?

rob
masqeraders is the best

nicola
i attend last years carnival and thought that the floats were slightly better than this year and last years carnival was more organised with less time between the floats. at one point we were waiting at least 10-15 minutes for another float to appear. people were leaving as they thought that the carnival had finished. i will not be attending next year as we are going to give it a miss, so that when we attend the year(2006) the carnival will be as good as 2003.

sylvia brueford
brilliantone word says it all

A.Parker
Glorius spectacle must attend next year.far exceeded my expectations.

julian
some one could have told me it was on

Steven
I dont want to sound too negative, but this was by far the poorest and most disorganised carnival I had seen. Nearly all the carts had light sections not working, were far smaller than normal and the dancers on many floats didnt look like they really cared. On top of this floats kept getting stuck, being pulled over to one side so that the side we were on became miles away from the floats, and then a breakdown stopped the proceedings altogether, by which time we walked up the route to rejoin it, as the thought of spending another 30 minutes waiting between floats was too much to bear. When we got to St Mary's Street it was very quiet and barely anyone was there, which was a shame as the last few, including Gremlins were amongst the best but there was no longer a crowd atmosphere. i love the Carnival and am amazed every year. But this year I was saddened and disappointed. I know how hard it is to put all together, and that some floats will inevitably have difficulty, but for every float to have such problems made me wonder if there had been some serious problem somewhere or whether the clubs know that they need to pull out the stops for the anniversary next year so just put out obligatory floats this year. I got the newspaper today with pictures, and the front picture was proclaimed to be one of the stunning floats. Even in the picture you can see a miserable dancer and more than half the bulbs arent working (Great Big Universe was the float). And yet this was the headlining picture. I guess that sums up the quality of the evening.