Bridgwater Carnival galleries online westerndailypress.co.uk/pictures
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8-page picture review
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Bridgwater Carnival
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Colour, light and drama – it’s carnival! BY TINA ROWE t.rowe@b-nm.co.uk Wow, anarchy ruled at Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival on Saturday night, with ninetimes winners Gremlins knocked off their pedestal, and a superb evocation of anarchists derailing an underground train capturing the spirit of the night, if not the top points. Thousands gathered to watch the astonishing twomile, two-hour parade of creativity, which lit the night with an 18 megawatt display involving 250,000 light bulbs. The biggest illuminated carnival in Europe may launch in Bridgwater, but over the next two weeks the parade will wind through the streets of Burnham on Sea; Westonsuper-Mare, North Petherton, Shepton Mallet, Wells and Glastonbury. Midsomer Norton is not in the official county carnival circuit, but it will also welcome some of the stalwarts. With Bridgwater’s own Gremlins Carnival Club set-
250,000 The number of light bulbs used in Saturday night’s carnival parade
ting the standard as the top entry for the last nine years the stakes were incredibly high. But although Gremlins produced a typically complex and thrilling feature cart in Xtinct, featuring skeletal tryannosaurs and pterodactyls, they were beaten into second place in the local feature section by Ramblers Carnival Club’s Swarm Force. Ramblers produced a sci-fi attack force of giant bees and their human drones. The heroism and horror of the Paris Uprising as told in Les Miserables has won Gemini Carnival Club of Ilminster top place in the South Somerset carnival circuit, and the downtrodden triumphed again with first place in the open tableau. Proof that the talent to create original and spectacular themes is spread far and wide came with Huckyduck Carnival Club of Coleford’s realisation of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds. Spider-legged silver aliens bestrode a ruined landscape, in which even Army cannons gave no protection to terrified Londoners, and won them second place. A stampede of highly realistic bison won Masqueraders Carnival Club, of Meare, the open feature award, while Bridgwater’s Ramblers CC took the local tableau with Priscilla.
The hilarious F*rtbusters, saw Newmarket Carnival Club of Bridgwater taking on a job that surely no-one else would want in fine comic style. Their determination won them the Comic feature class. The spirit of the night was set early by Marketeers’ terrific feature entry. The illuminated union flag on the front of their cart parted to reveal the title, Anarchy, and as the big vehicle swung past the crowd leather, chain and union flag-bedecked anarchists raised fists to the sky as the carriages of an underground train,,. with wheels spinning rocked dangerously out of control. Masqueraders were, as always, among the most inventive, endearing and scary of the night’s offerings. They included a giant slinkey dog, a skeletal tyrannosaur, a victim of the electric chair, mermaids, well-drilled majorettes, veterans of hundreds of carnivals and toddlers making their debut. The show moves on and Monday sees the Highbridge and Burnham on Sea parade move off at 7.30pm. The entire circuit ends in Glastonbury on November 16.
More pictures online – westerndailypress.co.uk RESULTS Tableau Open 1, La Barricade, Gemini CC; 2, Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, Huckyduck CC; 3, Oz: The Emerald City, Pentathlon CC. Tableau Local 1, Priscilla, Wills CC; 2, House of Tudor, Centurion CC. Feature Open 1, Stampede, Masqueraders CC; 2, City of Rock, Harlequin CC; 3, Head Hunters, Globe CC. Feature Local 1, Swarm Force, Ramblers CC; 2, Xtinct, Gremlins CC; 3, Kabuki, British Flag CC. Comic feature 1, F*rtbusters, Newmarket CC; 2, Pirates of the Curried Beans, Cary Comedians CC; 3 Nutters Health Service, Nunsford Nutters CC. Juvenile cart 1, Jitterbug Boogie, Marina Sydenham JCC; 2, Luck of the Irish, Hillview JCC; 3, Caelum Infernum, South Brent JCC. Towing vehicle: 1, Xtinct, Gremlins CC; 2nd equal, Swarm Force, Ramblers CC and La Barricade, Gemini CC. Best costume, mounted entries Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, Huckyduck CC. Most original mounted entry Swarm Force, Ramblers CC. Best decorated generator Swar m Force, Ramblers CC. Towing vehicle and driver (local): Xtinct, Gremlins CC. Best lighting (local) Swar m Force, Ramblers CC. Most improved mounted entry
Xtinct, by Gremlins Carnival Club of Bridgwater, main picture. Above: Legend of the Crystal Skull, by Sidvale Carnival Club. Right: Xtinct by Gremlins, regular winners but second this year PICTURES: CLARE GREEN
Voodika, Renegades CC. Championship cup, local mounted Kabuki, British Flag CC. Runner-u: Swarm Force, Marketeers CC. Best local entry comic feature F*rtbusters, Newmarket CC. Best local juvenile cart Jitterbug Boogie, Marina Sydenham JCC. Group of Masqueraders, adult, best local entry After a Quarter of a Century it’s becoming a Bit of a Habit, Wilfs CC. Single Masquerader, adult, best local entry Fetch the Bone, Tex, Academy of Carnival. Groups of adult masqueraders 1, Immortal, Motiv8 CC; 2, Xtraterrestrial, Xtreme CC; 3, After A Quarter of a Century it’s A Bit of a Habit, Wilfs CC. Groups of Masqueraders juvenile 1, Somerset Sapphire Majorettes; 2, Swing, Thatchers CC; 3, Oh What a Night 2, Crusaders CC. Group of masqueraders 3-5 1, Aurora Bore, Smandy’s CC; 2, Guardians of the Pearl, Next
Generation CC; 3, Oh My Gods!, Just Peachy CC. Pairs 1, Woof, A&A CC; 2, Clean Sweep, Dee Gee’s CC; 3, The Ladies of Terror Tower, Samvantra Juniors. Single masquerade, adult 1, The Arrival of Jardis, Roger Muspratt-Hamilton; 2, Fetch the Bone, Rex, Academy of Carnival; 3, Flaming Hot Hot Hot, Andy Tizzard. Single Masquerader, juvenile 1, Winter Comes to Fairyland, Rio Welsh; 2, Astrological, AJ CC; 3, King of the Fishers, Izzy Wheeler. Entries with Disabilities 1, The Dag Arrows, The Disability Action Group; 2, The Chair, Academy of Carnival. Towing vehicle 1, Xtinct, Gremlins CC; 2, Swarm Force, Ramblers CC; 3, La Barricade, Gemini CC. Vehicle driver 1, Priscilla, Wills CC; 2, Legend of the Crystal Skull, Sid Vale CC; 3, Head Hunters, Globe CC.
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Pictured above, top to bottom: End of the line by Westonzoyland CC; Avatar by Toppers CC; Stampede by Masqueraders CC PICTURES: CLARE GREEN
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Winners! Although Bridgwater’s own Gremlins produced a typically complex and thrilling feature cart in Xtinct, they w
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ey were beaten into second place in the local feature section by Ramblers Carnival Club’s Swarm Force
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Pictured clockwise from top left: Xtinct by Gremlins CC; La Barricade by Gemini; Rio Birds by Cobra CC; Poppy Appeal; Kabuki by British Flag PICTURES: CLARE GREEN
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Pictured clockwise from top left: Avatar by Toppers; JitterBug Boogie by Marina Sydenham JCC; two images of Priscilla by Wills CC; Swarm Force by Ramblers; Luck of the Irish by Hillview; JitterBug Boogie by Marina Sydenham JCC (centre) PICTURES: CLARE GREEN
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Clare Green’s stunning photography captures the drama and excitement of Bridgwater Carnival, clockwise from top left: Anarchy by Marketeers; Voodika by Renegades; another perspective of Anarchy by Marketeers; a return to the Voodika cart; an angelic view of the night’s drama; Luck of the Irish by Hillview; the Renegades wow the crowds with a bright and brilliant performance. Enjoy more pictures at westerndailypress.co.uk/pictures