If 5 November falls on a Sunday, on what date is Lewes Bonfire held?

If 5 November falls on a Sunday, Lewes Bonfire is held on 4 November.

Lewes Bonfire normally takes place on 5 November, the date associated with the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. The town’s celebrations also commemorate the seventeen Protestant martyrs from Lewes who were burned during the Marian Persecutions under Mary I.

The Sunday exception means the event moves to the preceding Saturday, rather than the following weekend. This is a long-established Lewes convention and is why 4 November is correct when 5 November is a Sunday. The change also helps preserve the event’s traditional Saturday-style evening programme of processions, bonfires and fireworks.

Lewes Bonfire is much larger than an ordinary local fireworks display. Several town societies organise separate processions and fires, while visiting societies from across Sussex join the festivities. The event is famous for flaming crosses, burning tar barrels, elaborate effigies and historical references that combine Gunpowder Plot traditions with Lewes’s Protestant-martyr history.