A walk down the steep, cobbled streets of Lewes on November 5 is not for the fainthearted: the atmosphere of this costumed torchlit parade is raucous, and the air thick with smoke. The procession is accompanied by deafening bangers, and burning barrels and crosses are tossed into the River Ouse. The festival commemorates the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes failed in his attempt to blow up the Parliament in London. Elaborate effigies, known as “Guys,” are thrown onto a vast bonfire, and the evening culminates in an impressive firework display.
Lewes Bonfire, or Bonfire for short, describes a set of celebrations held in the town of Lewes, Sussex, England, that constitute the United Kingdom’s largest and most famous Bonfire Night festivities, with Lewes being called the bonfire capital of the world. Wikipedia