Bonfire Night, also called Guy Fawkes Night or Fireworks Night, is celebrated on 5 November to mark the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A group of Catholic conspirators led by Robert Catesby and Guy Fawkes had planned to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament with King James I inside. Fawkes was caught guarding the gunpowder and the plot was foiled.
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Most communities mark the night with a bonfire, fireworks and the burning of an effigy known as "the Guy". It is not a public holiday, but it is one of the most widely celebrated traditional events of the year. The Houses of Parliament are still ceremonially searched by the Yeomen of the Guard before each State Opening.
You may be asked what Bonfire Night commemorates, what year the Gunpowder Plot took place (1605), or who the conspirators were trying to kill (King James I).
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