Twisted Firestarter: We went to Lewes bonfire celebrations

If you visit Lewes on any other day of the year, you’ll find yourself in a sleepy, old-fashioned town, but come November 5^th, Lewes undergoes a Miley Cyrus-esque transformation into the Bonfire capital of the UK.

For 200 years, Lewes has hosted a unique bonfire night parade.

Lewes is home to seven so-called bonfire societies, who meet throughout the year to prepare for November 5^th.

While other Brightonians may see a night out at Pryzm as quality, these guys prefer rolling barrels of tar into the River Ouse, carrying lots of fire, and precariously leaping over said fire. What nutters.

The societies also dress up in amazing fancy dress costumes year on year. Costumes this year included Queen Victoria, the Tudors, the Vikings, the metalheads, and knights. Even the Zulu made an appearance.

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It is traditional for bonfire societies to parade and then burn effigies of people they dub ‘enemies of the bonfire’.

Old favourites Guy Fawkes and Pope Paul V are burnt year on year, and 2014 was no exception.

2014’s enemies of the year were Vladimir Putin (complete with fetching green mankini) and Alex Salmond.

However, following mass complaints about Salmond being paraded around town, the society responsible for his effigy kept it away from public view before blowing it up on a bonfire towards the end of the night.

Attending the Lewes bonfire celebrations is a tradition among Sussex students, and for the past 3 years, the walking society has led hundreds of students from Campus to Lewes – a gruelling 3 hour walk across the downs.

This year, over 1000 students said they were attending on Facebook.