Over ten thousand people are expected at this year’s Rye Bonfire this weekend. The procession starts from Tilling Green at 7pm on Saturday November 9, with the bonfire and fireworks on the Salts beginning after 8pm.
Here’s the full timetable for the event which will see bonfire societies from all over Sussex joining the parade through Rye town centre.
4pm – Parking restrictions apply to processional route.
6pm – Vehicular access restrictions apply.
6pm – Processional route to be clear of all vehicles
7pm – Loud maroon signals the start of the procession from Mason Road, Tilling Green Estate
The route is as follows – Ferry Road to the Crown Inn, turn left into Cinque Ports Street, Tower Street, through Landgate Arch, Hilders Cliff (East Cliff) in to High Street, The Mint, turn right into Wish Ward, Cinque Ports Street, Tower Street, left down Landgate, right into Bedford Place and on to the Bonfire site.
7:40pm – The chairing down of Rye Fawkes 2024
8pm – The bonfire lit by Rye Fawkes 2024
8:15pm – Grand fireworks display
Rye Bonfire receives no public funding and it costs over £20,000 to put such a big event says James Foster, Chair of Rye Bonfire Society. “The whole of Rye Bonfire are no strangers to hard work and fundraise tirelessly each year to stage a spectacular evening. We have the hard-working society members to thank for their fund raising efforts with auctions, boot fairs, quiz nights, etc. to make this spectacular event; not forgetting the assistance of members of neighbouring societies.”
You can help with future funding by sharing the link to the society’s crowdfunding page or by donating on the night to official collectors. To keep costs down Rye Bonfire is encouraging all visitors to help keep the streets clean for Remembrance Sunday by carefully disposing of any rubbish.
One of the highlights of the procession is the appearance of the impressive, fire-breathing green dragon, Scorcher, which is pulled around the town belching smoke and flames, delighting the crowd by leaning towards them as she passes. You can read about Scorcher’s history here.
Another integral part of the parade is the Ryebellion Drummers. This Rye News story explains the history of the group.
With such a big event, road and rail users are being warned of changes which will affect journeys. The A259 through Rye will be closed for times between 7pm and 10pm, with diversions in place.
Southern Railway have confirmed Rye railway station will be closed from 3pm. A spokesperson for the company said the train service could not accommodate the number of people expected to visit the town. “As well as long queues at neighbouring stations, there would be a very real risk that visitors would be stranded trying to get home because they would not be able to board the last train home. Trains will run through Rye without stopping.”
The decision to close the station has the backing of the Rye Bonfire Society says James Foster. “We want to keep our event safe, family friendly and enjoyable which is why we fully support the closure of Rye station, as we have in previous years.”
Rye News will have a full report on Rye Bonfire in next week’s paper. Send us your pics and let us know your thoughts on the evening by emailing info@ryenews.org.uk
Image Credits: Kt bruce , James Ratchford , Rye News library , Steve Hutchings .
Love it and I will donate to lots of the collection buckets
As mentioned before, I used to be a part of Section 5 Drummers from Hastings, and Rye was always my favourite event. Very happy memories of old school days and the atmosphere has never changed. My one ‘niggle’ would be the increasing bad behaviour of a few youngsters who become rowdy after drinking and the bravado of being in a group. Being in the procession can prove quite tricky when trying to manoeuvre spent torches and crowds etc, particularly in bad weather. Marshalls try their best to ensure the safety of both the spectators and the members of the procession. They do an excellent job, but they should not be expected to police any bad behaviour.