STRAP yourself in and hold on tight because the Weekly News is taking you on a journey through carnivals past.

Monday night saw the 42nd Highbridge and Burnham Carnival pass through the two towns, so we decided to look back at some of the processions throughout history.

Thanks to the Highbridge History Project's fascinating book, 'Highbridge - A Market Town and its People', we can bring you a taste of what carnival night used to offer.

According to the history society, the first Highbridge Carnival took place at the end of the Second World War in 1945 and included a procession, giant bonfire, and a squibbing display on the town square.

Back in those days the carnival was very different - held by torchlight and bonfire consisting of thousands of cartons and cartridge cases.

In 1948 the carnival committee brought the show back from the dead after it was cancelled the year before but entry numbers began to dwindle as the harsh November weather bit hard.

A few years later appearance money was introduced to attract more carts and the event began to grow throughout the 1950s.

A series of dances were held in 1954 to find a carnival queen, two princess and 11 other girls as attendants on the night.

Reconstruction work on the River Brue Bridge and Bristol Road Bridge meant there was no carnival in 1958 but the following year firms like Weetabix and John Player were entered into the line-up.

By 1960 the first County Carnival Ball was held in Highbridge but organisers decided they hadn't raised enough money to hold a procession in 1961 and it turned out to be the last Highbridge Carnival.