Men and Women run up and down the streets passing flaming tar barrels to each other in Ottery St Mary, Devon, England. (William Dax via SWNS)
By Georgia Cook
A historic event saw competitors carry burning tar barrels through the streets.
The annual spectacle returned on Nov. 5 when brave locals raced through Ottery St. Mary in Devon carrying blazing barrels on their shoulders.
The event is free to attend and attracts between 14,000 and 20,000 visitors every year. (William Dax via SWNS)
It is one of the U.K.’s most extraordinary annual traditions — thought to date back centuries.
The event is free to attend and attracts between 14,000 and 20,000 visitors every year.
It sees local people carrying flaming, tar-soaked barrels through the narrow crowded streets.
It's a British folk tradition where local residents run through the crowded streets carrying full-sized, blazing wooden barrels soaked in tar on their backs and shoulders. (William Dax via SWNS)
It attracts thousands of spectators, with smaller barrels carried by younger participants earlier in the afternoon before the larger barrels take center stage.
Celebrations traditionally culminate in the famous Midnight Barrel in the town square.
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