GRIFFENS CARNIVAL CLUB
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ABOUT US.....


'The Griffens Carnival Club' was established in 1968 by a group of employees at C & J Clark Ltd of Redgate Street Bridgwater who all became members of the club. The club first started out in the comic feature class before moving over to the open class in 1975. Griffens joined forces with bath bridge in 1976 to bring out their cart of “war, love and peace” (pictured).
Griffens first year on stage was in 1979 with “taste of port” and called “anchors away” on road.
In 1980 Griffens won stage which was their second year of being there with “its magic”, that’s a difficult record to beat unless a club can win it with their first year on stage!…. And the rest is history…..

At present our carnival home is located at Bridgwater & Albion Rugby Club since January 2020, this is where we hold meetings, carnival sporting events and help to support our home with their own events. Unfortunately COVID-19 struck in March 2020 just as everyone in all carnival sectors were busy getting their dancing shoes, paint brushes and bright ideas at the ready! For the first time in history all carnivals were postponed due to a worldwide pandemic!.
Now that’s one for the history books!
In 2021 Griffens took part in the Bridgwater Parade which was a procession done on foot, this was the first time in many years that the carnival has been carried out this way by all clubs.
Now we are looking forward to 2022 which should be the year of carnival normality.

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​Griffens are one of many clubs to take part in Bridgwater Carnival Concerts..

The concerts are held in Bridgwater Town Hall for the first 2 weeks of October. This is when we compete against 13 other clubs with an 8 minute performance. On the last night of carnival concerts all of the carnival clubs gather round to hear the results , held by gangs and features. There are a wide range of categories that a carnival club could compete for , such as;
. Tableaux (entries where members stand or pose completely still)
. Front of curtain                                 
. Local feature

. Most improved club
. Best costume
. Over all winner of Bridgwater carnival concerts
. Best stage set
. Best single vocalist
( and many more ! )
​ There is a lot of prop making, stage set designing, costume making and much more hard work put in to help contribute towards a memorable show!

Below is a couple images of our stage shows throughout the years.............

Griffens also take part in Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival
this is the UK's oldest carnival and one of the largest illuminated carnival processions in Europe! This event is held annually on the first Saturday in November, this takes place in Bridgwater, Somerset.
There are many local carnival clubs that take part in the illuminated procession route that travels through the heart of Bridgwater Town Centre.
Carnival floats were originally constructed on hay carts or log carts. The name 'cart' has stuck and that is what they are now known as.
The route is just over 1.7 miles long and takes roughly two hours to pass if you were to stand and watch. 
Carnival clubs entries are voted on by a variety of judges and are celebrated with trophies at the end of the year for a variety of different categories!
Multiple walking entries also enter the illuminated route and are also creative with their routines and costumes.
Ideas for our themes are created by a member, brought to the club ideas meeting, then picked by the clubs majority of votes. Those carts that you see club members performing on are an idea from a creators head which are put onto paper and then brought to the club and ideas changed/added. Teams of engineers, carpenters, painters, welders and more all come together to make some incredible life sized entries with MOVING PARTS & PLATFORMS. Some of our club carts are pictured in the slideshow just to give you an idea of how the ideas evolved throughout the years.

HEAD OVER TO OUR GALLERY TO SEE MORE....




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MEET THE CLUB

In 2021 Griffens took part in Bridgwater Carnival Parade which was different to the many years of bringing out a carnival cart filled with lights and movement... the club were the movement!

We tackle all obstacles and welcome new members with open arms, whether you have a special skillset or are willing to learn!

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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • OUR SERVICES
  • HISTORY
  • GALLERY
  • BECOME A MEMBER
  • OUR SPONSORS
  • CONTACT US