Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels

What to expect

The organiser describes children’s barrels from about 4pm, evening barrels from around 7pm and the largest barrel at midnight. These are indicative timings: routes and arrangements can change during the evening. Use the event programme for the detailed schedule.

The story behind it

Nobody knows exactly when Ottery began setting light to tar barrels, and the organisers are refreshingly honest about that. Some link the custom to celebrations after the Gunpowder Plot of 1605; others suggest more practical beginnings, such as fumigating cottages or raising the alarm along the coast. Burning barrels and torchlight processions were once common across the West Country, but most of those customs faded away. Ottery's survived, and at some point rolling barrels through the streets gave way to something bolder: hoisting full-sized, blazing barrels on to the shoulder and running with them. Today twenty-seven barrels are carried over the evening, from children's and women's barrels through to the huge final one at midnight, a tradition handed down through local families from one generation to the next.

Getting there and home

Use the official event car parks, follow signs and allow time to walk into town. The organiser currently lists a £20 car-parking charge and road closures from 5pm. Agree a collection point before arrival because mobile reception can be unreliable.

Children and access

The organiser advises against bringing children after 7pm, prohibits pushchairs and says the crowded evening is generally unsuitable for people with limited mobility. Read its full attendance guidance before deciding whether the event suits your group.

Where to watch

First decide whether you've come for the moving barrels, or want the separate bonfire in your evening too. The organisers put the grand bonfire at St Saviour's Meadow and give only a rough lighting window, pointing visitors to the programme for the details. That isn't a timetable for every barrel in every street. A spot that's perfect for one part of the night may be no good for the next, especially if stewards have to redirect the action.

The attendance guidance says barrels can be diverted if the crowd gets too dense, and access roads and car parks can close once the event reaches capacity. Go with those decisions rather than squeezing through another crowd to reach a favourite photo spot. Plan an evening that doesn't hinge on seeing every barrel, or catching the last one. The real question is whether you can stay comfortable in the space you've got, not whether you can tick off the fullest possible set of views.

What to bring and wear

Carry little enough that you can move promptly when a steward asks. The organisers' guidance is refreshingly blunt: don't touch a burning barrel, and don't run away from one heading towards you. Instead, do as they say: step back and lean away. Read the full attendance guidance before you come, rather than trying to learn the rules while a barrel is passing you. None of this is an invitation to get up close to the fire.

Agree a meeting place that everyone can describe without opening a map on their phone. The organisers warn that mobile reception can be patchy, and they ask any child or adult who gets separated to find a steward or barrel marshal. Take note of the large evacuation-route signs when you arrive. If someone in your group needs help, go to a steward rather than improvising your own way through the crowd. And build in the option of calling it a night early if conditions stop suiting you.

Make a day of it nearby

If you're staying in Exeter, give the city a slice of the trip rather than treating it as somewhere to pick up a room key. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery on Queen Street is free to enter, with collections covering Devon and Exeter alongside natural history, world cultures and changing art exhibitions. Its visitor page has access and transport information; check the current hours before planning a connection around a museum stop.

Exeter Cathedral makes another good daytime visit. Its official planning page separates sightseeing admission from worship and prayer, and lists tours, family activities and the Treasures Exhibition. Some of these have their own availability, so use that page to see what your visit includes. If time is short, pick just one. Remember that neither a museum trip nor a cathedral booking gets you into Ottery on barrel night: sort that journey out separately, and leave room for the event's changing traffic arrangements.

Eating and drinking

Tar Barrels is a glass- and plastic-free event, and the organisers encourage reusable cups. Build that into your food-and-drink plans before you leave your accommodation, and don't turn up expecting to carry glass bottles around the streets. Ask sellers what containers they use, and make sure anything you buy is easy to manage without getting in the way of the people around you. Keep somewhere to stash your litter, too, rather than putting it down where it could get in someone's way.

We'd suggest an unhurried meal before you head into the busiest streets, especially if your group has different appetites or dietary needs. Confirm any booking with the business itself and mention that you're coming for Tar Barrels; we haven't checked for a special event menu or late kitchen hours. Eating beforehand also leaves you freer to follow the marshals' instructions. Local businesses will be glad of your custom, but buying food or drink doesn't earn you a viewing spot or permission to cross a closure.

Questions people ask

Where it is

Map pin shows the approximate area where the event happens. Open in OpenStreetMap ↗

Go straight to the source

Independent research. The organiser’s own information always wins — we have not visited or tested the journeys.

• Organiser date and event homepage ↗
• Organiser attendance and travel guidance ↗
• Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels: the history ↗
• Tar Barrels: official attendance, safety, food-container and bonfire guidance ↗
• Ottery St Mary Town Council: Tar Barrels event information ↗
• RAMM: plan a museum visit ↗
• RAMM: location and current opening arrangements ↗
• Exeter Cathedral: plan your visit ↗