[Sussex] Lewes Bonfire Night

[Saunders]

I wonder how many adults living in Lewes these days were actually born or grew up in the town.

I have a massive amount of my family buried in Lewes but because i now live 10 miles away I am not welcome to Tarquin who moved there last summer.

 

[atomised]

I've been twice - the first time they were still actually rolling burning tar barrels down the road! - and would love to go again, but I don't think I could do it now. Apart from not being allowed to get off at he station, I'm not sure about standing in a packed jostling crowd for three hours or more - without a toilet in sight!
I wonder how many months in advance you need to book an hotel or B&B - if indeed you can?

Now for next year if you're lucky

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Or indeed, how many of the 'bonfire boys' are actually from Lewes.

My aunt & uncle, who belonged to Commercial Square, were outsiders. From Cooksbridge.

 

[Happy Exile]

As a Lewes resident of 62 years. I think it`s brilliant and that it`s sad that we don`t encourage visitors to what is a special spectacle.

I sympathise with the bonfire societies. Did you know they don't organise it as a huge event? As in there's no central event organiser? I understand it's all independently arranged by each society working alone with minimal coordination together just to avoid clashes on routes and timings and notify authorities. Everything they do is independent of each other. There's a reason there is a bit of tension between them. So if people were encouraged, the question is, who would encourage them if there's no "event team" or organisation responsible?

This must be part of the challenge they have. Who is responsible for crowd control in that case? Societies are self funding and don't sell tickets, don't publicise it (they are often secretive) and are proactive in asking people not to come so why should they pick up the tab for people watching? And how would they fund security if they did encourage people?

Add to that the fact that every year all the arrests and most of the injuries are members of the public being drunk, and/or stupid with fireworks. Public throwing them into the procession from the graveyard at St Anne's happens as just one example, and terrifies a mate of mine who doesn't want things going off at head height having seen the damage that does to someone in a previous year. So the biggest threat to the event continuing as it does probably isn't the people taking part but the people who come to watch. I can understand why they don't want to encourage lots of people because a minority of idiots who are nothing to do with it might ultimately bring down health and safety and the police to ruin what for those taking part is a special tradition that binds the community.

I reckon they should treat it like new year in Edinburgh with the town council providing tickets for residents and guests, and a paid lottery for selected limited numbers of other people to then fund the police and security for those people. That turns it into an event though, which the societies don't actually want it to be..!

 

[Brovion]

I do like the way the Lewes website says "Don't drive, use public transport." Fair enough. However a few lines down it then says "No trains will be stopping at Lewes." I know the railways are privatised, but they still qualify as 'public' transport.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

I've been twice - the first time they were still actually rolling burning tar barrels down the road! - and would love to go again, but I don't think I could do it now. Apart from not being allowed to get off at he station, I'm not sure about standing in a packed jostling crowd for three hours or more - without a toilet in sight!
I wonder how many months in advance you need to book an hotel or B&B - if indeed you can?

Did they stop the barrel rolling?
If they have, and you like a bit of tar soaked barrel fun, which must be carried out by people with a history of generations in the town, then get yourself down to Ottery St Mary near Exeter.
I find the whole caper medieval and bizzare.

 

[rippleman]

I have been to Lewes bonfire night many times and always felt welcomed and never experienced any trouble and always thoroughly enjoyed.

It was a big day for the commercial enterprises of Lewes and the societies used to raise a lot of cash not only to fund the following year's festivities but charities as well. Many times I enjoyed explaining to tourists / visitors the political and religious significance of the event.

It's all gone a bit precious now and if the good folk of Lewes don't want me and my ilk supporting the event and spending my money in the town..well.......sod 'em!

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Best part is, I don't think this is the "comedy persona" Thunderbolt keeps on about him having.

 

[Wellesley]

Did they stop the barrel rolling?
If they have, and you like a bit of tar soaked barrel fun, which must be carried out by people with a history of generations in the town, then get yourself down to Ottery St Mary near Exeter.
I find the whole caper medieval and bizzare.

Oh come on, it can be great fun if you make a game of it.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Oh come on, it can be great fun if you make a game of it.

View attachment 116881

Hitting a flaming barrel with a hammer you found hanging in mid-air whilst also collecting umbrellas. What could go wrong?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Best part is, I don't think this is the "comedy persona" Thunderbolt keeps on about him having.

Comedy persona/stirrer is a better description.

 

[Leegull]

I think it’s a bit of a myth that the people of Lewes don’t want visitors on the 5th.

The vast majority of Lewes residents are rightly proud of the celebrations and the town and love to show off and share their hard work. I’ve lived in the town my whole life and am yet to meet one person (either in or out of a society) who takes the view that visitors aren’t welcome..

Although it’s absolutely true that it would still go ahead, even if there wasn’t a single person watching, there’s no doubt in my mind that the bigger the crowd the better the spectacle.

The powers that be, council and police etc etc just seem determined to sanitise the whole night and make it so difficult for people to visit. I think that’s really sad but unfortunately it’s the way of the world nowadays . Don’t forget that the societies are run by volunteers, no one is paid and they all have day jobs, they just can’t afford to fight that position.

As a result it’s not quite the event that it was 20 or even 10 years ago but it’s still well worth a visit and everyone should take it in at least once... make an effort and don’t let the fun police ruin it.

And definitely don’t believe that the people of Lewes don’t want Visitors . As has been said on this thread, lots of money is made for local charities and good causes, not to mention supporting local business.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Comedy persona/stirrer is a better description.

Given that it essentially involves making himself look incredibly stupid to make people point out that he is being incredibly stupid, I am really struggling to see the attraction.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Given that it essentially involves making himself look incredibly stupid to make people point out that he is being incredibly stupid, I am really struggling to see the attraction.

Boredom. Even his own wife sends him out all the way from Haywards Heath to Portslade just to go to the butchers.
She's obviously desperate to get him out of the house for a bit of peace and quiet.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I think it’s a bit of a myth that the people of Lewes don’t want visitors on the 5th.

The vast majority of Lewes residents are rightly proud of the celebrations and the town and love to show off and share their hard work. I’ve lived in the town my whole life and am yet to meet one person (either in or out of a society) who takes the view that visitors aren’t welcome..

Although it’s absolutely true that it would still go ahead, even if there wasn’t a single person watching, there’s no doubt in my mind that the bigger the crowd the better the spectacle.

The powers that be, council and police etc etc just seem determined to sanitise the whole night and make it so difficult for people to visit. I think that’s really sad but unfortunately it’s the way of the world nowadays . Don’t forget that the societies are run by volunteers, no one is paid and they all have day jobs, they just can’t afford to fight that position.

As a result it’s not quite the event that it was 20 or even 10 years ago but it’s still well worth a visit and everyone should take it in at least once... make an effort and don’t let the fun police ruin it.

And definitely don’t believe that the people of Lewes don’t want Visitors . As has been said on this thread, lots of money is made for local charities and good causes, not to mention supporting local business.

Visitors, yes, but when the numbers are 40K, it becomes a problem.

 

[Scampi]

As leegull points out the thing to understand is that there are basically two groups with conflicting objectives . The first is the bonfire societies, who are independent groups made of volunteers who spend a lot of time and money organising their bonfire celebrations. These groups want to be able to get in and out of Lewes and celebrate in the traditional manner with rookies and firecrackers and flares etc. Then there are the authorities , the council , the police etc who want to put in as little effort as possible so are slowly strangling the whole night with draconian travel restricitons and gradually increasing bans on anything explosive.

 

[MattBackHome]

I've been a few times but not for about 15 years. Always had a good time there, and made to feel very welcome by all you weird denizens of Lewes.

Long may it continue to annoy:
a) the media
b) health and safety brigade
c) BG
d) catholics
e) Brighton people who can't get there
f) Lewes people who don't want visitors
g) people with pets
h) Piers Morgan

 

[Mr Putdown]

Societies are self funding and don't sell tickets, don't publicise it (they are often secretive)

All the Lewes Bonfire Societies bar Commercial Square have their own websites publicising all their events and most if not all do sell firesite tickets.

I hope the rest of your extensive post on the subject is more accurate.

 

[Leegull]

Visitors, yes, but when the numbers are 40K, it becomes a problem.

You’re right to say that the numbers in the past have been a bit on the high side and at times the town did struggle to cope, certainly Friday and Saturday nights can be more challenging. I don’t think that tonight will be busy in the traditional sense and neither was last year, which was very easy to get about.

It’s a shame that people are put off visiting by the authorities, who make it nigh on impossible for them to do so. It’s them and not the residents of Lewes who have made it that way though...

Ridiculously over Policed now as a result. There will be dozens and dozens just standing around chatting or sitting in their vans with very little to do, or crowds to actually police....

 

[ForestRowSeagull]

Not the event it once was which saddens this bonfire boy. Will still be marching tonight but the sanitised nature of it all is quite sad. Wont be long before the police & council have reduced it to a carnival style parade