Tickets for the 2023 Old Folks Show will be available to collect from the Carnival Centre, High Street, Bridgwater, on Friday 24 February 2023 between 10am and 1pm.
The popular event, which this year takes place on Thursday 23, Friday 24 and Saturday 25 March at Bridgwater Town Hall, is organised by Bridgwater Gangs and Features and has been held annually in the town (apart from the Pandemic years) since 1962. It was originally designed to thank local pensioners for their continued support over the year and for helping to keep the carnival spirit alive. This overarching principle remains to this day, and every year the free tickets are highly sought after by the over 60s of the town.
The show is organised by local carnivalite, Wayne Anker, with support from the Bridgwater Gangs and Features members, and their president, Arthur Leigh, and his wife, Lynne. Local carnivalites also help with the stewarding, sound, lighting, compering, backstage arrangements and refreshments at the show.
Over the years, the show has gone from strength to strength, and even though the show is less serious than the prestigious carnival concerts in terms of content and stage setting, the standards of singing and choreography are very similar.
Arthur Leigh, President of Bridgwater Gangs and Features, said: “Every year we have brilliant feedback from those who watch the Old Folks Show, and the standard and entertainment value of the acts get better and better.
“The show is really good fun for everyone involved and it’s a chance for us all to relax and get into the carnival spirit”.
Any remaining tickets after they first become available on Friday 24 February, can be collected from the carnival centre during normal opening hours.
Last year Bridgwater Gangs and Features carnival clubs donated £800 to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance charity on behalf of the audiences from the 2022 Old Folks Shows.