A year of work by volunteer carnival clubs went on display in Bridgwater as thousands of spectators lined the Somerset town’s streets for an illuminated procession of elaborate carts.

Rock shows, a circus big top and Del Boy with his three-wheeler from Only Fools and Horses were among the themes. Each cart combined synchronised lighting, movement and a soundtrack, with performers wearing costumes designed to match.

Behind the procession is a commitment that extends well beyond the parade itself. Volunteer-run clubs across the region spend the entire year preparing their entries, bringing together construction and performance for a competition judged on much more than the lights.

Categories include presentation, routine or comic content, lighting, costume and make-up, and cart construction. The finished entry must therefore work both as a moving structure and as a show.

Dan Prosser, from the Renegades Carnival Club, described the preparations as “more like a lifestyle than just a hobby”. He said his friends outside carnival thought his devotion was “absolutely nuts”.

The carnival closed with the traditional squibbing finale. About 210 people, including local MP Sir Ashley Fox, took part, lighting large fireworks fixed to solid blocks of wood at the ends of poles.