Bridgwater's third link with the 17th century commemorates an event from 1605. Every British schoolchild knows that on November 5th of that year one Guido Fawkes failed in his attempt to blow up Parliament, and the then King, the Protestant James I, with it. Few of them remember that this was actually a plot by hard line Catholic extremists, and not an early attempt at Republicanism. It isn't exactly clear whether Bridgwater celebrates Fawkes' failure, or the boldness of his attempt, but it is clear that the local festivities are spectacular.

There are larger carnivals in the world that come to mind. Rio, New Orleans and Notting Hill in London are all famous for their street festivals. The Gay Pride parades of San Francisco and Sydney are a riot of colour and fun. But all of these events are intended to be primarily daylight events. The Bridgwater Carnival takes place in the evening, and consequently every float is floodlit. It is, apparently, the largest illuminated carnival in the world.

Traditionally the Carnival takes place on the nearest Thursday evening to November 5th (Guy Fawkes Day). However, recently the Town Council has tried to cash in more on the popularity of the event which now attracts around 130,000 people. The Council is seeking to move to a hopefully more lucrative weekend date. The 2002 event will take place on Friday 9th November. Local traditionalists are outraged, but if it brings in more money the date change will doubtless stay. More information, and some photographs, can be found at the carnival web site.

Although the actual carnival takes place on only one day, there is a lot more to it than that. Smaller carnivals featuring most of the main floats take place in nearby towns on days close to the Bridgwater date. Earlier in the year, the various clubs that build the floats put on concerts to help raise money. Competition for the various prizes is fierce and the local people spend far more money on their floats than they ever take in. Most of the clubs are based around local pubs - the regulars at each pub making up the core members.

Once the procession is finished the town centre is given over to a large firework display. This is done mainly with so-called "squibs" - large roman candles fixed on the end of long poles which the "squibbers" wave about their head like crazed, firey drum majorettes. The current safety scare over fireworks has had a dampening effect on this part of the event, but it should still be worth seeing.