Tar Barrel Rolling — Ottery St Mary 2026

On Bonfire Night (5th November), the small Devon town of Ottery St Mary holds one of the most extraordinary traditions in England — men and women carry flaming tar barrels through the packed streets on their backs. The barrels are soaked in tar, set alight, hoisted onto shoulders, and carried at a run through crowds who part like the Red Sea as each barrel passes. The evening starts with children's barrels (smaller, less terrifying) and builds through women's barrels to the men's barrels late at night, which are enormous and terrifyingly hot. The carriers are local families who've held the right to carry specific barrels for generations. The heat from a passing barrel is intense — you feel it on your face from several feet away. The event is free, chaotic, and by any modern safety standard, completely insane. Health and safety considerations have altered it slightly over the years, but it remains viscerally thrilling. The streets are packed and the pubs are rammed. Get there early to find a position. It's one of those English traditions that you simply have to see to believe.