Astronaut Neil Armstrong follows Guy Fawkes’ footsteps with firework night in Victoria Park
Guy Fawkes Night 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon landing in Victoria Park! Picture: Walk the Plank - Credit: Walk the Plank
Tens of thousands of spectators turned up for Guy Fawkes fireworks in Victoria Park to mark both the 1605 Gunpower Plot and the 1969 Apollo moon landing.
The astronomical explosion of pyrotechnics drew an estimated 75,000 people to watch the display put on by Tower Hamlets Council on Sunday, the night before the historic anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament.
The cold night air of Bethnal Green was shattered with a cosmic blast of music tracks, soundscapes, spoken word storytelling and special effects created by Walk the Plank pyrotechnic outdoor theatre company.
Even the mayor John Biggs turned up to gaze at the extraordinary display.
"The firework show was a visual treat," he said. "Around 75,000 came along to the park to watch our spectacular firework display."
The annual show normally marks the failed Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament and assassinate King James and his parliamentarians.
But this year had a special theme to celebrate half-a-century since Neil Armstrong took that "giant step for Mankind" to walk on the moon.