This week Guildford will be celebrating Bonfire night with the Farmers Market on the High Street on Tuesday 4 and with a Fireworks Display at Stoke Park on Wednesday 5 November. The weather is turning cold and the days are growing shorter, but there is no reason to stay at home when there’s plenty to see and do about the town!
The Guildford Farmers Market occurs on the first Tuesday of every month, providing the perfect appetiser for Bonfire Night this year. Guildford is still very much a market town and the High Street will be crammed full of stalls and happy shoppers looking for some delicious local produce from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
If you have never been to the Farmers Market in Guildford before then you should expect a whole array of different foods and not only can you pick up some delicious, freshly cooked snacks, but you can grab some raw ingredients. Why not gain some inspiration from our previous Farmers Markets Meals and rustle something up later that evening from scratch. There is a huge amount of organic produce on show and other features often include a Farm BBQ and other freshly cooked products such as paella, sausages, chestnuts, hog roast (all depending on season), there are usually live animals for petting, a selection of flowers and plants and local crafts such as jewellery, pottery and wicker baskets etc.
Normally there are stalls for fresh meat, fish, cheese and eggs along with fruit & veg, breads, patisseries, cakes & chocolates. You can sample from the wide range of pickles, chutneys, chilies, sauces, honeys, oils, spices, garlic and herbs as well as grabbing a local alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage.
Later on in the Week on Wednesday evening, there will be the Stoke Park Guildford Lions annual torchlight procession and spectacular fireworks display. The procession will leave Tunsgate Arches at approximately 7.45pm and is a lovely way to get over to Stoke Park with plenty of families sure to be involved with kids of all ages. Torches themselves will be available from the High Street at a cost of £5 each.
Entry is completely free for the firework display on Stoke Park which starts at 8.30pm, but there is a suggested donation of £2 a person to cover costs and to help raise money for charity. All of the profits will be donated to the nominated charities which this year is in aid of Oakleaf (a local mental health charity) as well as the Guildford Lions Club for their local community work.
It is sure to be a fun evening out for all the family with food, fireworks, a bonfire, torches, stalls, hats, gloves, scarfs, sparklers and everything else that goes with Bonfire Night. We cannot guarantee that it won’t rain, but it will be a great community night of entertainment!
James Martin