Bonfire Night 2026 — How Many Days Until Bonfire Night?
About Bonfire Night
Bonfire Night — also called Guy Fawkes Night or Fireworks Night — is observed across the United Kingdom on 5 November each year, commemorating the failed Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605. Guy Fawkes and a group of Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I by placing 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster. The plot was discovered the night before, Fawkes was captured, and the conspirators were executed.
Parliament passed the Thanksgiving Act the same year, making 5 November a day of national celebration. Bonfires were lit across London to mark the King's survival, a tradition that has continued for over 400 years. Effigies of Guy Fawkes — called "guys" — are burned on the bonfires, and in Lewes, East Sussex, the most extravagant Bonfire Night celebrations in England take place, with torch-lit processions, multiple bonfire societies, and burning effigies of both historical and contemporary figures.
Today Bonfire Night is primarily a fireworks celebration. Major public displays are held in parks and stadiums, and private fireworks in gardens have become increasingly regulated for safety reasons.
- Bonfire Night commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot on 5 November 1605
- Guy Fawkes was found guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of Parliament
- The Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations in East Sussex are the largest in England
- The rhyme "Remember, remember, the fifth of November" dates to the 17th century
- Bonfire Night is not a public holiday — it is observed on 5 November regardless of the day of the week