Crowds of people lined the streets of Burnham-On-Sea on Monday (November 8th) when the town’s carnival made a welcome return after a two year absence due to the pandemic.
In what organisers called a “lower-key affair”, the famous illuminated carts were missing this time around and instead the spectators were treated to a Masquerade walking parade.
The event had a new format after preparations were hampered by the lockdowns and restrictions during the first half of the year when many carnival clubs were unable to commit to building their carts which can often take many months to build.
Instead, the focus shifted to the masquerade parade involving hundreds of performers, as pictured here, who wended their way along a shorter-than-usual route along Burnham’s Marine Drive, Highbridge Road, Abingdon Street and Old Station Approach.
The parade was led by Burnham Carnival’s 2019 Queen Jessica Smith and Princesses Belle-Seren Tetsell and Chloe Herowych, as pictured above.
Among the popular local entries was Burnham and Highbridge’s Hillview Carnival Club with their spooky Halloween themed walking entry, pictured below.
The organisers of the carnival said they were “delighted” with how the event had gone and they hope to run a full carnival next year if further Covid restrictions are avoided.
Mayor Cllr Mike Facey told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I am congratulate everyone who took part and who organised this event – it was great to see the carnival returning, albeit in a different format.”
