Which Devon town carries flaming tar barrels on Guy Fawkes Night?

Which Devon town carries flaming tar barrels on Guy Fawkes Night? Ottery St Mary is the Devon town famous for this fiery tradition.

Ottery’s tar-barrel custom dates from the 17th century. Residents soak wooden barrels in tar, set them alight, and carry them through the town centre on their shoulders. The event is part of the wider 5 November Bonfire Night celebrations, but its scale and distinctive barrel-carrying make Ottery especially notable.

The evening traditionally includes separate children’s, youths’, and women’s events before the men’s barrel run. Seventeen barrels are lit outside each of four public houses, and the largest can weigh up to 30 kilograms. Traditionally, barrel carriers must have been born in Ottery or have lived there for most of their lives.

A common mix-up is to treat this as an ordinary bonfire procession found across Devon. Other towns hold Bonfire Night events, but Ottery St Mary is the canonical answer for the flaming tar barrels. The tradition was cancelled in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic but later resumed.