Special events week to replace Bridgwater Carnival

The toned-down events this year will boost fundraising for Bridgwater Carnival 2022

Somerset's traditional carnivals will be replaced by walking parades this year due to the pandemic.

The traditional illuminated carnival processions in Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea have been cancelled for a second year.

Sedgemoor Masquerade Week will feature a number of smaller events, including costume parades.

Bridgwater Carnival Committee said it was "exciting" to mark the occasion in a "low-key and symbolic way"

The carnival carts are often more than 15m (50ft) long and intricately designed with moving parts and thousands of bulbs

The week of events, launching on 31 October, has been pulled together by carnival committees across Sedgemoor.

The annual carnival processions in Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea, which commemorate the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, were cancelled in March, due to the continuing impact of Covid-19.

Somerset Guy Fawkes Carnivals are the largest illuminated processions in Europe with thousands of people usually lining the streets to see the spectacle pass by.

Dave Stokes from Bridgwater Carnival Committee said being able to celebrate without the elaborate carts was "very exciting".

"After we cancelled carnival earlier in the year we always said we would look at how we could continue our carnival tradition in a low key and symbolic way, if conditions allowed," he added.

The events will run until 4 November and include walking costume parades, a variety show, two grand firework displays and a virtual carnival course through the decades.

All money raised from the performances will go towards carnival funds.