Tired of travelling to England and seeing the same old sights and landmarks? Consider changing things up a little and planning your next trip to England to coincide with the Fifth of November.
It might seem like this date was picked at random. After all, it doesn’t coincide with any major holiday like New Year’s, Christmas, or Easter, but we promise you it isn’t a random date. It is Guy Fawkes Night!
Discover what Guy Fawkes Night is and what types of celebrations occur on this special day.
Guy Fawkes Night
What Exactly is Guy Fawkes Night?
Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night as it is more commonly known, is a day dedicated to celebrating a failed assassination attempt that occurred in 1605. A group of treasonous individuals gathered together to try and create an elaborate plot to not only bomb/destroy parliament, but to kill the reigning Protestant King – King James I.
Obviously, since we celebrate a failed assassination attempt, the plan failed. One of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes, was discovered standing over 36 barrels of gunpowder deep within the dark cellar under parliament.
There were many people involved with the plot and numerous people caught, but the most well-known individual is Guy Fawkes. He has since been associated with this historical celebration, which is why it earned the name Guy Fawkes Night.
When is Guy Fawkes Night?
Guy Fawkes Night is always held on 5 of November. However, depending upon the area and the day of the week, some areas will hold their Guy Fawkes Night celebrations and events on the closest weekend to that date.
What is there to do on Guy Fawkes Night?
Every town and area celebrate Guy Fawkes Night differently. Some areas hold a small local festival while others go all out and have huge bonfires, major fireworks displays and serve food from favourite street vendors.
If you want to go with a real traditional Guy Fawkes Night celebration, we recommend heading to Lewes in Sussex. Here the locals dress up in time-period appropriate costumes, light a major bonfire in the historic town centre and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes and other not-so-popular political figures from the past and present.
For a lower key celebration the small town of Ottery St. Mary’s in Devon has a parade. The people grab large barrels of tar and will march around the town. It is believed the tar is used instead of a bonfire, but no one is exactly sure why the locals use tar.
However, the biggest celebration is in London. A major fireworks display is set off in the evening. This fireworks celebration is often bigger than a New Year’s Eve celebration!
Sample Some Amazing Foods That are Available on Guy Fawkes Night
Fireworks and parades and bonfires aren’t the only things to look forward to on Guy Fawkes Night. The food is amazing!
There are unique foods that are often only made around Guy Fawkes Night. If you happen to be celebrating this year or next year make sure to try the following foods:
- Treacle Toffee – this is a dentist’s dream, but it is so good. Try a small sample if you don’t want an entire batch to ruin your teeth with!
- Parkin – a gingerbread flavoured cake
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Bangers and Mash
Don’t settle for celebrating the same old holidays in England. Plan your trip so you are there for the Fifth of November and experience Guy Fawkes Night. You won’t regret it!
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