Bonfire Night 2026 is on Thursday 5 November. Because it falls midweek, most of the big organised firework displays move to the weekend after, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, while the oldest traditions, Lewes and the Ottery St Mary tar barrels, stay on the night itself. Here is what is on, when, and how to plan it, with every date checked against the organisers' own 2026 announcements.
Thursday 5 November: Lewes Bonfire, Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels, Arcnight in Sheffield. Saturday 7 November: Battersea Park, Alexandra Palace, Blackheath, Manchester's three free park displays, Bridgwater Carnival, Rawcliffe Country Park in York. Sunday 8 November: Battersea Park and Alexandra Palace family nights.
When is Bonfire Night 2026?
Bonfire Night, also called Guy Fawkes Night, is on Thursday 5 November 2026. It marks the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. It is not a bank holiday, so most large displays are held on the nearest weekend: in 2026 that is Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November.
The traditions that stay on 5 November
Lewes Bonfire, East Sussex
Lewes holds the most famous Bonfire Night in Britain, and it always takes place on the Fifth unless that falls on a Sunday, so in 2026 it is on Thursday 5 November. The town's bonfire societies stage torchlit processions through the narrow streets from about 5pm, carrying burning crosses and effigies, before lighting bonfires and setting off fireworks at their own firesites. The celebrations commemorate the Gunpowder Plot and the seventeen Protestant martyrs burned in Lewes during the Marian persecutions.
Watching the processions from the street is free. The societies' firesites are ticketed, and tickets are sold in advance through each society. Plan the journey before anything else: roads into Lewes close from 4.45pm, trains are not expected to stop at Lewes or the surrounding stations from 5pm, and the local councils ask people not to travel in unless they have to. Arrive early, wear old clothes you do not mind getting smoky, and expect very large crowds.
Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels, Devon
On Thursday 5 November, Ottery St Mary runs a tradition found nowhere else: barrels soaked in tar are lit and carried through the streets on the shoulders of runners, with the crowd pressed in along the route. The children's barrels start in the afternoon, the town bonfire on St Saviour's Meadow is lit at about 6.30pm, the adult barrels begin at about 7pm, and the last and largest barrel is carried through the town square at around midnight. It is free and there are no tickets: you simply find a spot. Roads close early in the afternoon, so park on the edge of town.
Arcnight, Sheffield
New for 2026, Arcnight at the Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield is held on the night itself, Thursday 5 November, with two firework displays, live music, lasers, street food and fairground rides. It is ticketed.
The big weekend displays: 7 and 8 November
London
Battersea Park Fireworks, run by Wandsworth Council, is on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, with the display at about 8.30pm on Saturday and 7pm on Sunday. Tickets are sold in advance only, with nothing on the gate, and adult tickets are around £17 to £18. Saturday and Sunday have different entertainment, so check which night suits you before you book.
Alexandra Palace has become the Fireworks and Drone Festival, and in 2026 it runs across a weekend for the first time: Saturday 7 November is the Party Night, with the fireworks and drone show at 8pm, and Sunday 8 November is a Family Fun Day with an earlier display at 6pm. The view across London from the hill is the reason to go.
Blackheath Fireworks is back on Saturday 7 November on a bigger site, with gates at 5pm and the fireworks at 8pm. It used to be London's biggest free display, but the last free one was in 2019: it is now ticketed and is expected to sell out.
Not every old favourite is running. Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets and Crystal Palace Park have had no council display for several years, so check before you travel to any park on the strength of past years.
Manchester
Manchester City Council's free community fireworks return on Saturday 7 November at three parks at once: Heaton Park, Platt Fields Park and Wythenshawe Park. No tickets are needed. Each park has a reduced-noise, low-impact display at 5pm for young children and anyone sensitive to bangs, lantern parades at 7pm and the main display, set to music, at 8pm, with the events closing at 9pm. Funfair rides, food and drink are paid for on site. Heaton Park has its own Metrolink stop on the Bury line.
Yorkshire
In York, the main display is at Rawcliffe Country Park on Saturday 7 November, in aid of The Fire Fighters Charity: gates open at 5pm, a quieter display for children and families starts at 5.30pm, and the main fireworks are at 7.30pm. In Leeds, the council's Roundhay Park bonfire and its other park displays stopped after the 2023 budget cuts, so Leeds now relies on club and community displays. In Sheffield, Arcnight (above) is the big one, with free pub and community displays around the city on the Saturday.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh has no single city-run display. Bonfire Night there means community and club displays around the city, such as the annual bonfire and fireworks at The Grange Club in Stockbridge, and free skyline views from the hills: Calton Hill and Blackford Hill both look out over fireworks going up across the city.
Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, Somerset
Bridgwater's illuminated carnival procession is on Saturday 7 November 2026, starting at 6pm and reaching the town centre at about 7pm. Its organisers describe it as one of the largest illuminated carnival processions in Europe: enormous floats covered in thousands of lights, followed by the squibbing, when rows of squibs (large fireworks held aloft on poles) are fired together along the High Street. It is free to watch from the streets, and grandstand seats are sold separately and can sell out.
Smaller and family-friendly displays
Away from the headline events, the best Bonfire Night for a family is often the one down the road: school, PTA, rugby club, scout group and village displays, usually with an earlier start, a shorter show and a sparkler area. They are cheaper, less crowded and the money raised usually goes back into the club or school. You can find firework displays listed on tickts, all with no booking fees, and the live ones are shown at the end of this guide.
Quieter displays are easier to find than they were. Manchester's 5pm reduced-noise shows and York's 5.30pm family display are both designed for young children, and many smaller displays now advertise low-noise fireworks for people and pets who struggle with loud bangs.
Sparklers burn at extremely high temperatures. Hold them at arm's length, wear gloves, never give one to a child under five, and drop finished sparklers into a bucket of water or sand straight away.
Running your own Bonfire Night event
Community displays remain a mainstay of the UK calendar. If you are organising one:
- Licences and permissions: check with your local council about licences for bonfires and fireworks, especially on public land.
- Safety: use a professional display operator for anything beyond a small private show. The Health and Safety Executive publishes guidance on bonfire and firework safety for organisers.
- Insurance: public liability insurance is essential for any event involving fire and pyrotechnics.
- Ticketing: advance tickets tell you how many people are coming and let you cap numbers for safety, even when the tickets are free. Our guide to planning a community fireworks display covers the rest.
- Accessibility: make sure viewing areas work for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility, and publish information about the ground and facilities in advance.
Bonfire Night food and drink
Toffee apples, treacle toffee, parkin (a sticky ginger cake from Yorkshire and Lancashire), jacket potatoes and mugs of soup are the traditional fare, with mulled cider for the adults and hot chocolate for the children. Most large displays sell food on site and many are cashless, so bring a charged phone or card.
Is Bonfire Night a bank holiday?
No. 5 November is not a bank holiday anywhere in the UK, which is why most organised displays move to the nearest weekend. In 2026 the busiest nights are Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, with Lewes and Ottery St Mary keeping to Thursday 5 November itself.
Do I need to book tickets for Bonfire Night displays?
For the big ticketed displays, yes, and early: Battersea Park sells in advance only with nothing on the gate, Blackheath is expected to sell out, and the Lewes firesites sell their tickets in advance through each bonfire society. Free events such as Manchester's park displays, the Lewes processions, Ottery St Mary and the Bridgwater Carnival need no ticket, but arrive early for a good spot.
