Celebrating Guy Fawkes Night in Battersea Park London

Remember, remember the fifth of November is part of a saying that we’ve learned since living in London.

In the United Kingdom, people gather on November 5^th to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night which marks the anniversary of the discovery of a plot organized by Catholic conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605. The group planning the attack included Guy Fawkes, originally from York. The explosives would have been set off when King James I of England (King James VI of Scotland) and many parliamentary members were in the Parliament building. Afterwards, the conspirators were arrested, tortured and executed; and the king declared the day as a holiday to remember the act and prevent any future attacks.

Since this is our third autumn living in London, we decided to take advantage of the (slightly bizarre) celebrations and attend our local Bonfire Night party at Battersea Park, which features one of the city’s best fireworks displays. Luckily, we secured tickets in advance and attended an amazing 20-minute fireworks show. I was very impressed as you can see from my photos below.

Bonfire Night seems to be like a combination of our American Fourth of July and Thanksgiving rolled into one…or basically just another reason for Brits to drink, at least it was in our neighborhood. 😊

Cheers from London!

Have you experienced any different holidays/celebrations while living abroad?

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