Seven bonfire societies traditionally take part in Lewes Bonfire Night.
The societies organize the town’s processions, bonfires, fireworks and commemorative ceremonies each year. Their separate identities reflect the long-established neighborhood and community structure of Lewes’s celebrations.
Lewes Bonfire Night is held on 5 November and is among the largest and best-known Bonfire Night events in England. It commemorates the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, while also remembering people from Sussex who died for their Protestant faith during the Marian persecutions.
The seven societies are often confused with the many individual groups and visiting societies that participate in the wider festivities. The number refers specifically to Lewes’s main local bonfire societies, not to every organization appearing in the procession.