About Us

The origins of our annual carnival in Somerset can be traced back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators failed in their attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. That story is well known to everyone, but what is not so widely acknowledged is that it was King James 1st and his parliament who decreed that the events of 5th November should be commemorated annually with the lighting of bonfires, a tradition which is celebrated across the nation to this very day.

Bridgwater was staunchly protestant in those days and the townsfolk celebrated with greater vigour than anywhere else, creating a tradition of widespread merrymaking on the annual anniversary of the fifth. Whatever the reason, those celebrations have now grown into the magnificent spectacle which takes to the streets of Bridgwater and six other Somerset towns each year in early November.

Wick Carnival Club was founded in 1961 with the motto "let's go in carnival for a laugh". The first cart was called Megaton Maisy and was based upon a nuclear cow supplying milk to Clarence House for the new royal birth.

Wick is a hamlet at the back of Glastonbury Tor and the club has been intrinsically linked with the local community for many years. During this time we have had many successes in carnival including using roller skates, first water on a cart, and building a giant King Kong (it was later hired by the Boomtown Rats for their tour promotion).