BRIDGWATER GUY FAWKES CARNIVAL’S CART FOR THE QUEEN FEATURES ON NATIONAL TELEVISION
The entry Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival is constructing for the Queen was featured on BBC1’s The One Show earlier tonight (Wednesday 23 February).
The ‘Happy and Glorious’ themed cart is being built by a dedicated team of Bridgwater and Somerset carnivalites in readiness for the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant in London on 5 June. And with just over 100 days to go before the big day, the public got their first sight of the entry, after a camera crew from the BBC TV’s flagship magazine programme along with presenter, Richie Anderson, visited Bridgwater last week to see how things were progressing and to record some footage for tonight’s show.
Nearly 200 carnivalites are involved in the prestigious project, with the cart being constructed to the same high standard which makes Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival so very popular. During The One Show team’s visit to the shed where the cart is being built, they saw for themselves the progress being made, with the engineering and carpentry teams working hard to construct the cart’s main structure. The TV crew also took the opportunity to speak with and interview some of the individuals involved with the project, including a couple of the performers who will be participating on the day.
The 100ft long cart has been designed to reflect many regal elements of the monarchy, including the royal crest, crowns, royal carriages, Yeoman of the Guard, etc, with additional links to the commonwealth. During the parade 32 costumed performers will sing and dance on the entry, with a further 110 dancing in the street in front of the cart. The dance parade will represent street parties, which have been a feature of previous jubilee and royal celebrations in towns and cities throughout the UK.
Dave Stokes, Publicity Director for Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, said: “We are so excited to be building a carnival cart for the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant, and we were absolutely delighted to show The One Show the progress we have made and what we have planned for the big day.
“Of course this nationwide television coverage is great publicity for the town of Bridgwater, Bridgwater Carnival itself, and all of the illuminated carnivals in Somerset, and all of the carnivalites involved in this special project are very proud of what they are doing and have a very unique story to tell.”
For those who missed The One Show episode featuring Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival earlier tonight, it is available to watch through the iPlayer – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014sxk.