West Kent Local News
1 / 14
Crowds line Edenbridge High Street as the torch-lit procession approaches, robed figures and torchbearers visible through the smoke. Image credit: West Kent Local News.
Thousands Pack Edenbridge High Street as Bonfire Society Burns Giant Infantino Effigy
Edenbridge's High Street was already filling up by early evening on Saturday, well before the town's roads closed at 6pm to make way for one of Kent's best-known Bonfire Night traditions. Pubs and food stalls did a steady trade as the crowd swelled, with more people arriving right up until the torches appeared - milder conditions than forecast made for a comfortable wait rather than a cold one. Edenbridge was just one of several organised displays across West Kent that weekend (see our full round-up of fireworks displays), and it's easy to see why this one has the reputation it does - thoroughly good fun, and well worth the trip.
A torch-lit procession through a packed High Street
Around 7pm, the torch-lit procession set off: more than 1,000 flaming torches carried past the crowd by around 20 floats, walking parties, visiting Bonfire Societies and marching bands, led by the Society's Bishop of Bonfire and its choirboys and girls. Among the traditional effigies carried through the town were Guy Fawkes, shown with the gunpowder barrel central to the 1605 plot the event still marks, alongside Anne Boleyn and General Wolfe. Collection buckets, shaken by marchers in fancy dress, raised money for local charities - the procession itself is free to watch.
Gianni Infantino's turn as the celebrity guy
This year's 'celebrity guy' - a tradition stretching back to 1994 - was FIFA president Gianni Infantino, rendered as an 11-metre caricature holding a small effigy of Donald Trump tucked under one arm, a nod to Infantino's close ties to the US president. Source: Edenbridge Bonfire Society
Fireworks over the Rec
After the procession, the crowd moved on to the firework field at Edenbridge Recreation Ground. Tickets were £9 for adults and £4 for children in advance (£24 for a family), rising to £10, £5 and £27 respectively on the gate. Food stalls were doing brisk business - the Bonfire Society runs a strict no-alcohol policy on the field itself - and the effigies went up shortly before 9pm, followed by a lengthy fireworks display that was still audible from the High Street as the crowds made their way back to their cars.
Nearly a century of bonfires
Edenbridge's bonfire tradition dates back to its first parade in 1928, run ever since by volunteers and raising money for local charities each year - meaning 2028 will mark its 100th anniversary. Source: Edenbridge Bonfire Society
