Bonfire Night part 2

So on Wednesday we were talking Bonfire Night parade: fire torches, fancy dress, drums and pipers, one whole lot of excitement.  Today it’s the actual bonfire and fireworks part of the night.  The purpose of the parade as far as Im aware is to lead spectators into the field where the bonfire is.  The one at Fletching was a pretty decent size.  I didn’t see it pre-burn so I didn’t see the 'guy' go on but I presume he was on there, but there were definitely a lot of bangers being thrown by the Bonfire society members onto the fire, as it continually exploded.

The fireworks every year at Fletching are genuinely amazing.  Considering it’s a tiny village, and I believe all the money for the fireworks comes from fundraising during the year they are outstanding.  Im not sure what that fundraising involves, but it must be more than just the buckets they carry around for the odd pound at the end of the night.  A solid ten minutes of really good quality display and the whole thing is set to music, there surely must be connections to a pyrotechnic there somewhere.

I have been going to this particular bonfire night for over ten years and every year I go it always lives up to my very high expectations.  However I don't think any year will ever top the first time I went.  The father and I went this one year and parked a couple of miles away and walked along deserted country roads in complete darkness for almost an hour, a really lovely experience that I will never forget.  At the time we wondered what we were going to but eventually we started walking past parked cars and warmly wrapped people.  Turning up super late we were just in time for the fireworks, or more specifically the fire bombs, as I like to call them.  I have never seen anything like it at any other display.  I wish I had a picture but despite there being a countdown in the form of song, the wall of fire shot 7 foot into the night sky and still took me by surprise.

So for an excellent firework display Fletching is your bag, but if you are in Sussex around the 5th of November, you should go to Lewes.  A little Sussex town, it is the bonfire capital of Britain.  With I think 6 separate bonfire societies with individual displays and bonfires, it really is something to behold. They burn numerous effigies and the whole town is lit up in flame.  The crowds are huge, something like 80,000 people de-cend on a town that normally only has 16,000 inhabitants.  It can take half an hour to get from one end of the high street to the other, so not good for those who suffer from claustrophobia.  Don't believe its as amazing as I say?  Youtube it, you'll see!