Guy Fawkes Night: Evensong, Burning of the Guy, and Sausage Sizzle

Remember, remember the Fifth of November: Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot!

On 5 November 1605 Guy Fawkes and other conspiritors attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. Their attempt was foiled. The date of 5 November was kept thereafter as a day to give thanks for the deliverance of King and Parliament. Community celebrations have involved fires, burning of an effigy of Guy Fawkes, and community sharing of food and drink.

The Church of England's Book of Common Prayer of 1662 also contains special prayers and readings for the occasion, the 'Gunpowder Propers'. This is all declaimed and sung in beautiful Early Modern English (Jacobean and Caroline).

Guy Fawkes celebrations came to Australia in the 1780s and to Brisbane particularly in the 1820s.

This family-friendly Fortitude Valley celebration begins at 6.30pm with 1662 Evensong (sung very simply to plainsong) with the Gunpowder Propers. Following Evensong a small effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned in a fire-pit on the lawn and hot sausages, Houses of Parliament Sauce, English beer, and soft drinks are enjoyed around the fire.

Modern Guy Fawkes celebrations are community expressions of the rejection of terrorism in all its forms and of the upholding of the principals of Parliamentary Democracy. In keeping with Brisbane fire safety codes the Guy is less than life-size and the fire-pit camp-fire in scale.

This event is free to attend put please register here for catering purposes.

There is meter-free parking around the church. The church is a five minute walk from Fortitude Valley train station.