On the night of November 5, towns across Britain build bonfires, burn effigies and fill the sky with fireworks. Ask most people why and they will say 'Guy Fawkes' — but the full story of the Gunpowder Plot, and how a failed act of terrorism became a national celebration, is far stranger. In 2026, November 5 falls on a Thursday.
The Plot to Blow Up Parliament
In 1605, a group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby planned to kill the Protestant King James I by blowing up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, and then to place a Catholic monarch on the throne. The conspirators rented a cellar beneath the House of Lords and filled it with barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes, a soldier with explosives experience gained fighting for Spain, was given the job of guarding the gunpowder and lighting the fuse.
Discovered at Midnight
An anonymous letter warning a Catholic peer to stay away from Parliament reached the authorities. Searchers entered the cellar around midnight on the night of November 4–5, 1605, and found Fawkes with the gunpowder — some 36 barrels, according to the UK Parliament's account. Fawkes was taken to the Tower of London and interrogated. The other conspirators fled to the Midlands, where several were killed in a shoot-out; the survivors, including Fawkes, were tried and executed in early 1606.
A Celebration Written Into Law
Bonfires were lit in London on the night the plot was uncovered, in thanksgiving for the King's survival. In January 1606, Parliament passed the Observance of 5th November Act, often called the Thanksgiving Act, which required an annual church service of thanksgiving. That law stayed on the statute book until 1859. Over the centuries, the celebration took on strong anti-Catholic overtones — effigies of the Pope were burned as well as of Fawkes — before gradually becoming the community fireworks night most Britons know today.
Penny for the Guy and Other Traditions
The 'guy' burned on top of a bonfire is an effigy of Fawkes, and the word 'guy' itself — now used for any man — comes from these effigies. Children once wheeled their homemade guys around the streets asking for 'a penny for the guy' to buy fireworks. Many people still recite the rhyme that begins 'Remember, remember, the fifth of November'. Traditional Bonfire Night food in the north of England includes parkin, a sticky ginger cake, and toffee apples are common everywhere.
Lewes: Britain's Most Extraordinary Bonfire Night
The small town of Lewes in East Sussex stages the most famous Bonfire Night in Britain. Several rival bonfire societies parade through the streets in costume with burning torches and flaming crosses, and the night also commemorates seventeen Protestant martyrs burned in the town in the 1550s. Each society builds its own bonfire and satirical effigies of public figures. It is spectacular and genuinely wild — and crowded. Lewes's celebrations are traditionally held on November 5 itself unless it falls on a Sunday.
Travel tip: Lewes regularly asks visitors not to come unless they have somewhere to stay, and trains are restricted on the night. If you go, check the bonfire societies' and Southern Rail's announcements in advance. For an easier experience, most British cities run large ticketed public firework displays on the nearest weekend.
Visiting the Places of the Plot
In London, the Houses of Parliament still hold a ceremonial search of the cellars before the State Opening, a direct legacy of 1605. The Tower of London tells the story of Fawkes's imprisonment, and a lantern said to have been carried by Fawkes is held in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Bonfire Night on November 5?
Because the Gunpowder Plot was uncovered in the early hours of November 5, 1605, the day Parliament was due to be opened by King James I.
Is Bonfire Night a public holiday?
No. It is not a bank holiday in the UK, which is why many organised displays take place on the nearest weekend.
Was Guy Fawkes the leader of the plot?
No. The plot was led by Robert Catesby. Fawkes became the most famous conspirator because he was caught with the gunpowder.
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Editorial Team
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