Founded in 1960 as the Sydenham Club, the club changed headquarters several times before a move in 1973 to The Market House (latterly The Valiant Soldier Pub and Remedies Bar) saw the club adopt the name The Marketeers Carnival Club.
Great success followed and the mid 1970s to mid 1980s saw the club secure first place at five Bridgwater Carnivals, as well as winning six county cups as either overall champions or feature category champions in the wider Somerset County Guy Fawkes Carnivals Association awards. This period also saw success on stage for the club, as they were awarded a top four finish 22 times in 23 years (1978 – 2001) at the annual Bridgwater Carnival Concerts.
Despite success on both the stage and in the carnival procession, the club is probably best known for their iconic red coats. Known in carnival circles as ‘Rat Jackets’, these have been worn by club members since 1979.
The new millennium has seen the club return to the top of the carnival tree, finishing in the top two at every Bridgwater Carnival since 2014, and even taking first place in 2018 with their spectacular entry ‘Consider Yourself (Dickensian)’.
Based at the Blake Arms Hotel, Penel Orlieu, the club has in excess of 120 personnel involved with the club, consisting of full members, junior members, vice presidents and honorary / life members.
If you’d like to find out more about the Marketeers Carnival Club, you can contact them through their various social media channels:
Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/Marketeerscc/
Twitter: @MarketeersCC
Instagram: marketeers_c.c
