Bonfire Night in London 2026: The Best Fireworks Displays and How to See Them

Bonfire Night in London 2026 is on Thursday 5 November, but the big ticketed fireworks displays at Battersea Park, Alexandra Palace and Blackheath all take place on the weekend of Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, with adult tickets from roughly £10 to £20. If you want something free, Coram’s Fields in Bloomsbury puts on a family display on the 5th itself. This guide is for visitors from abroad who have never met Guy Fawkes: it tells you which display suits you, how to book, how to get home again on a very crowded Tube, and what on earth everyone is celebrating.

When is Bonfire Night 2026 in London?

Bonfire Night, also called Guy Fawkes Night, is always on 5 November. In 2026 that is a Thursday, which matters more than you might think. Londoners work on Thursdays, parks need stewards, and councils prefer a Saturday, so almost every large public display has been moved to the following weekend.

The practical calendar for 2026 looks like this:

• Sunday 1 November: Richmond Fireworks kicks off the season early, according to Londonist’s round up.
• Thursday 5 November: the actual night. Coram’s Fields in Bloomsbury holds its free family display, Morden Park runs two displays, and Stow Firework Spectacular in Walthamstow begins a three night run.
• Saturday 7 November: the big night. Battersea Park, Alexandra Palace, Blackheath, Wimbledon Park, Bromley, Dulwich and Beckenham all go up on the same evening.
• Sunday 8 November: Battersea Park and Alexandra Palace repeat, with earlier start times aimed at families.

You will also hear private fireworks all week. Neighbourhood gardens light up from about Halloween onwards, so even if you do not book anything, you will notice sudden bangs and bursts of colour over rooftops on any clear evening in early November. Nobody is under attack. It is just Britain being Britain.

If your trip lands later in the month, the season rolls straight on into Christmas: see our guide to Christmas in London for the markets and lights, most of which open in mid to late November.

The best fireworks displays in London for 2026

London has no single citywide display on the Thames the way it does at New Year. Instead, each borough and park runs its own event, and the quality is genuinely high. These are the ones worth crossing town for, with the details published by the organisers and councils at the time of writing.

Battersea Park

Wandsworth Council’s display is the classic south London choice: a big riverside park, fairground rides, music and a long, choreographed show. On Saturday gates open at 6pm and close to new arrivals at 8pm, with fireworks from about 8.30pm. On Sunday gates open at 4.30pm, close at 6.30pm, and fireworks start around 7pm. Youth tickets (ages 5 to 15) are £11.50 and under 5s go free. Note the rule of a maximum of four under 18s per adult.

Alexandra Palace Fireworks and Drone Festival

Ally Pally, as everyone calls it, sits on a hill in north London, so the view back over the city is part of the show. For 2026 it runs a full weekend for the first time. Saturday is the grown up night, with a German Bier Festival, a headline DJ set from Eats Everything, street food and an 8pm display. Sunday is a family day with marshmallow toasting, a jungle kids’ rave and an earlier 6pm show. Both days include a giant bonfire, funfair rides, ice skating and a drone show before the fireworks. Gates open at 4pm. Under 10s were £6.50 including fees at the time of writing.

Blackheath

Blackheath is a vast, open heath between Greenwich and Lewisham, and its display is back for 2026 with a bigger site and around 40,000 people expected. It runs on Saturday 7 November from 5pm to 10pm, with a fairground, a street food village, bars, and a line up that includes DJ Luck and MC Neat. Tickets are £16 for adults, £10 for ages 11 to 15 and £5 for under 10s, with family packages available. Lewisham Council notes that last year’s event sold out within weeks, so do not leave this one to the last minute.

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Battersea, Ally Pally or Blackheath: which display should you choose?

All three are excellent. The right one depends on where you are staying, who you are with, and how you feel about hills.

• Choose Battersea Park if you are staying in central or south west London, or want the easiest journey home. The park is flat, close to Victoria and Clapham Junction, and within walking distance of Battersea Power Station on the Northern line. It is the safest bet for first timers.
• Choose Alexandra Palace if you want the full festival: bonfire, drones, beer tent, ice rink and a view over the whole of London from the hill. It is the most atmospheric of the three but the furthest out, and the walk up from Wood Green is steep in the dark.
• Choose Blackheath if you are staying in Greenwich, Canary Wharf or south east London, or want a huge open air crowd with a more local feel. Pair it with a daytime visit to Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory.
• Choose Coram’s Fields if you have small children, want to go on the actual night, and would rather not pay. It is short, sweet and over by 7pm.

With children under ten, Sunday is almost always the better day. The shows at Ally Pally (6pm) and Battersea (7pm) start early enough for small people to see the finale awake, crowds are thinner, and the soundtrack is gentler. Saturday is louder, later and more of a night out, which suits couples and groups who plan to finish in a pub. Our guide to the best pubs in London has plenty of cosy options for afterwards.

If you cannot face a crowd at all, consider a quieter evening instead: book one of the night tours of London, and you will probably spot neighbourhood fireworks from the top deck anyway.

Are there free Bonfire Night fireworks in London?

Fewer than there used to be. Several borough displays that were once free have been cancelled or turned into ticketed events in recent years, largely because of costs. Blackheath, which was famously free for decades, now charges for entry.

What remains:

• Coram’s Fields, Bloomsbury: on Thursday 5 November, gates open at 3.30pm, fireworks start at 6pm and the event closes at 7pm. Entry is free and no ticket is needed. The catch: adults may only attend with a child, as Coram’s Fields is a children’s park. Russell Square Tube is the nearest station.
• Ealing and Harrow Fireworks, Byron Park: Londonist reports free entry until 3pm on Saturday 7 November, with tickets required after that. Useful if you want the funfair during the day, less so for the fireworks.
• Hilltop views: on the weekend of the big displays, high ground such as Primrose Hill and Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath gives wide views over the city, where you can often see several distant displays and a sprinkle of garden fireworks at once. There is no official show, no facilities and no guarantee, but on a clear night it is a lovely, free way to watch London celebrate.

What about Lewes?

You may read that the biggest Bonfire Night in England happens in Lewes, a small town in Sussex, with torchlit processions and burning effigies. It is extraordinary, but it is not for visitors. The local council asks non residents to attend events closer to home, and trains do not stop at Lewes and nearby stations from 5pm on bonfire night until the next morning. Please do not attempt it as a day trip from London.

How to get to the fireworks (and home again)

Every display ends with tens of thousands of people heading for the same few stations at the same moment. Plan the journey home before you plan anything else.

Getting to Battersea Park

The nearest rail stations are Battersea Park and Queenstown Road, both a couple of stops from Victoria or Clapham Junction. Battersea Power Station on the Northern line is a short walk. The organisers suggest using Albert Gate, which they describe as much quieter than Sun Gate on both evenings.

Getting to Alexandra Palace

Alexandra Palace station has direct Great Northern trains from Moorgate (via Highbury and Islington) and from King’s Cross. On the Tube, take the Piccadilly line to Wood Green, about 15 minutes from King’s Cross, and then walk for around 20 minutes uphill. There is no public parking at the venue or in surrounding streets. Last entry is 8.05pm on Saturday and 6.05pm on Sunday, and the organisers recommend arriving before the peak rush of 7.15pm to 7.45pm on Saturday or 5.15pm to 5.45pm on Sunday. The closest step free station is Finsbury Park.

Getting to Blackheath

The heath has three main entrances: Blackheath Gate, Lewisham Gate and Greenwich Gate. Blackheath and Lewisham rail stations and Greenwich are all within walking distance, and Lewisham also has the DLR. Choose the gate that matches the station you intend to leave from, because the heath is enormous and very dark.

Pay for every journey by tapping the same contactless card or phone on the yellow reader at the start and end. Daily capping means you never pay more than a set amount in a day, so there is no need to buy paper tickets. If you are coming straight from the airport, or have children and bags in tow, a pre booked car is far calmer than a crowded platform: Chauffeurz can meet you at the airport or collect you from your hotel.

What to wear, what to bring and the rules at the gate

Early November in London is cool and often damp. Weather Spark’s long term averages at Heathrow put daily highs at about 13°C (55°F) at the start of the month, falling to 9°C (49°F) by the end, with lows of 7°C to 4°C (44°F to 39°F). You will be standing still on wet grass for two or three hours after dark, which always feels colder than the numbers suggest.

• Wear: a warm waterproof coat, a hat, gloves and shoes you do not mind getting muddy. White trainers are a mistake you will only make once.
• Bring: a small bag only. Ally Pally has no cloakroom and bans large bags, and both Battersea and Ally Pally carry out bag checks on entry.
• Do not bring: sparklers or fireworks (banned at both Battersea and Ally Pally), pets (only registered assistance dogs are allowed), or your own food and drink at Ally Pally, apart from small sealed bottles of water and food for young children or medical needs.
• Children: ear defenders are a very good idea for toddlers. At Ally Pally, children must be with an adult aged 21 or over.
• Payment: cards and phones work almost everywhere, but a little cash is handy for smaller stalls and fairground rides.

Displays go ahead in rain. Ally Pally states plainly that the festival will go ahead come rain or shine, and will only post updates if severe weather affects safety. Check the event website on the day if wind is forecast.

Sunset on 5 November 2026 is at about 4.28pm, so the city is fully dark by 5pm. That leaves a long evening even if you catch an early display. If you want ideas for what to do next, our guide to London after dark covers the best late openings, bars and walks.

Who was Guy Fawkes, and why does London set off fireworks?

On the night of 4 to 5 November 1605, guards searching the cellars beneath the House of Lords found a man called Guy Fawkes guarding a large store of gunpowder. He was part of a group of Catholic conspirators who planned to blow up Parliament, and King James I with it, at the State Opening. Fawkes, born in York in 1570, was not the ringleader, according to UK Parliament’s own history pages; he was probably chosen for his explosives experience and because nobody in London knew his face.

Parliament then passed an Act appointing 5 November as a day of thanksgiving for the “joyful day of deliverance”, and it stayed in force until 1859. People lit bonfires to celebrate the King’s survival, and over the centuries that turned into the fireworks, the bonfires, and the stuffed figure (the “guy”) that is burned on top. It is a strange tradition to explain at a dinner party, but it is very old and, these days, entirely good natured.

Where to find the story in London

• The Houses of Parliament: the target itself. Guided tours take you through the Palace of Westminster, and the building is still searched by the Yeomen of the Guard before every State Opening, now as a picturesque custom rather than a security measure.
• The Tower of London: Fawkes was brought here and questioned in the King’s House. Historic Royal Palaces notes that James I personally authorised torture, and that Fawkes’s signature visibly deteriorated during his interrogation. Read more in our guide to the history of the Tower of London.
• The Gunpowder Plot immersive experience: a theatre and virtual reality show in the Tower Vaults on Tower Hill, right beside the Tower, which puts you inside the plot. It is a fun way to get the history before your fireworks night.

Fawkes and his fellow conspirators were executed at Westminster on 31 January 1606. You may still hear children chanting “Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot”, which is the country’s way of making sure nobody forgets.

Can tourists buy and set off fireworks in London?

Technically yes, but think twice. Under UK law, set out on GOV.UK, you must be 18 or over to buy adult fireworks, and registered sellers can only sell them from 15 October to 10 November and from 26 to 31 December, plus the three days before Diwali and Chinese New Year.

The more important rule for visitors: you must not set off or throw fireworks, including sparklers, in the street or other public places. That rules out parks, squares, the riverside and your hotel’s front steps. Fireworks are also banned between 11pm and 7am, with the curfew extended to midnight on Bonfire Night itself. Unless you have a private garden and a very understanding host, leave it to the professionals, who have a far bigger budget than you do anyway.

If you are travelling with children, a ticketed display is the best way to give them the full experience safely. Pair it with a daytime family outing, such as a museum or the Tower, and you have a perfect November day.

Visiting from abroad? What to know

Where to stay for Bonfire Night

Before you fly: the essentials

Keep planning your trip

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Frequently Asked Questions

What date is Bonfire Night 2026 in London?

Bonfire Night is on Thursday 5 November 2026. Most of London’s large public fireworks displays, including Battersea Park, Alexandra Palace and Blackheath, take place on the weekend of Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November instead. A few smaller events, such as Coram’s Fields, happen on the 5th itself.

What is the best fireworks display in London for Bonfire Night?

The three largest are Battersea Park, the Alexandra Palace Fireworks and Drone Festival, and Blackheath. Battersea is the easiest to reach from central London, Ally Pally has the best views and the most festival extras, and Blackheath draws the biggest open air crowd. For young children, choose a Sunday display with an earlier start.

How much are Bonfire Night fireworks tickets in London?

Adult tickets for the major displays cost roughly £10.60 to £19.50 in 2026, depending on the event and which release you buy. Blackheath adults pay £16, Battersea runs from £10.60 to £18.10 across releases, and Ally Pally adults start from £18. Children’s tickets are cheaper, and under 5s are free at Battersea.

Are there any free fireworks in London on 5 November?

Coram’s Fields in Bloomsbury holds a free display on Thursday 5 November 2026, with fireworks at 6pm, but adults may only attend with a child. Blackheath, once free, now charges for entry. Hills such as Primrose Hill and Parliament Hill offer free, unofficial views of distant displays on clear nights.

Do Bonfire Night displays go ahead in the rain?

Yes, in almost all cases. Alexandra Palace states that its festival goes ahead come rain or shine and will only post updates if severe weather creates a safety risk. Wear waterproofs and sturdy shoes, and check the event website on the day if strong wind is forecast.

Can I bring sparklers to London fireworks displays?

No. Sparklers and fireworks are banned at both Battersea Park and Alexandra Palace, and bags are checked on entry. UK law also forbids setting off fireworks, including sparklers, in streets and other public places, so keep them for a private garden if at all.

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