'A fitting tribute to Her Majesty's reign' - the cart is almost ready!
We've been to see work taking place on the Bridgwater carnival cart for next week's Platinum Jubilee Pageant
Last updated 27th May 2022
It's taken months of work, and today we've been given a special preview of the Bridgwater carnival cart - which will be unveiled at next Sunday's Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
The famous, huge and elaborate style of carts are well known in Somerset - but will now get a worldwide audience of up to a billion people on TV,
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant is a celebration of Her Majesty The Queen and her 70 year reign.
Almost 200 carnivalites from many different carnival clubs are involved with the prestigious Bridgwater project.
The 100ft long cart has been designed to reflect various regal elements of the monarchy, including the royal crest, crowns, royal carriages, Yeoman of the Guard, etc, with additional links to the commonwealth.
It contains over 40 engineered moving parts and 18 spectacularly crafted models.
For some of the local carnivalites taking part in the jubilee pageant parade, the occasion will bring on some extra personal significance.
Sue Duddridge from Newmarket Carnival Club is one of the cast members who will be dancing in front of Bridgwater Carnival’s entry on the day. She was very keen to get involved as a tribute to her father, Dave Hodge, who had the honour of marching in the Queen’s coronation back in 1953. It is very much a family affair because Sue’s daughter, Christie Sidebottom is also involved with Bridgwater Carnival’s pageant entry.
Another two carnivalites who will have an extra reason to celebrate over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend are Alex Evans and Gemma Lewis of Renegades Carnival Club. The couple are getting married on the Friday before the pageant parade, and this will be third time lucky for the pair after their wedding got cancelled twice because of Covid restrictions. Just 48 hours after tying the knot, the bride and groom will be part of the Bridgwater Carnival entry, in front of Her Majesty the Queen and the watching world.
At 2.30pm on June 5, the pageant will process along a 3km route to echo the Coronation seventy years prior, and travel through the streets of Westminster, up the Mall and to Buckingham Palace.
An estimated one billion people across multiple platforms, including a live television broadcast on the day, will view the pageant across the world, some at home, many together at community events and others in crowds lining The Mall.
Bridgwater Carnival's entry will be in Act Two of the pagenant, which will show twelve chapters telling the story of The Queen’s reign 0 such as the Coronation and the royal wedding - the and personal interests with which Her Majesty is associated.
The act is described as: "Harnessing creativity, ingenuity, humour and community spirit, it involves around 2,500 people drawn from communities across the UK. Each section is unique, combining street theatre, music-on-the-move, urban dance, and the very best of Carnival, May Day, Mela, Fiesta and Mardi Gras. It has been conceived as an interpretation and celebration of The Queen’s extraordinary life experience."
For more about the Platinum Pageant click here
For more about Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, which returns in November, click here