Lewes - Lewes Bonfire

Lewes Bonfire

Arguably the town's most important annual event is the Lewes Bonfire celebrations on the 5th of November, Guy Fawkes Night. In Lewes this event not only marks the date of the uncovering of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, but also commemorates the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs burnt at the stake for their faith during the Marian Persecutions. The celebrations, which controversially involve burning an effigy of the Pope, are the largest and most famous bonfire night celebrations in the country.

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