Keeping the Tar Bar’l flame alive in Allendale

The Tar Bar'ls celebration is a traditional village festival held annually on New Year's Eve in the Tynedale village and has been organised for more than 160 years.

A Pirates of the Caribbean inspired Paul Bowes carries a flaming barrel at Allendale Tar Bar'l Festival (Image: NQ)

In the customary tradition, the group of 'guisers', 45 local men, carry whiskey barrels filled with burning hot tar through a procession, wearing fancy dress.

Tarbar'ls Allendale. New years Eve. 1973 (Image: NQ)

To become a guiser, men must have been born in the Allen Valleys.

Past 'characters' have included Oompa Loompas and Donald Trumps, Storm Troopers, the cast of Dad's Army and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Previous years Tarbar'ls Allendale. (Image: NQ)

The guisers parade around the Market Square carrying flaming barrels, while hundreds of spectators look on.

Guisers William Stonehouse and Jonny Burns sporting traditional costumes at Allendale's Tar Bar'l Festival. (Image: NQ)

Barrels are filled with sticks and wood shavings on a bed of sawdust, to prevent the paraffin from leaking out.

Tarbar'ls Allendale. New years Eve. 1981 (Image: NQ)

At 11.30pm on New Years' Eve, the torches are lit and the barrels ignited. 

Each guiser lifts the flaming barrels up on to the top of their heads and falls in behind the band.

Allendale Tar Bar'l 2022 (Image: Kathleen Forsyth)

Crowds gather to watch the guiser's lift the flaming barrels up on to the top of their heads and falls in behind the band. (Image: Launa Robson)