By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Alexandra Palace Fireworks and Drone FestivalFriday 30 October 2026
- Alexandra Palace second nightSaturday 31 October 2026
- Where
- Multiple venues across London
- Tickets
- Free to watch in places, ticketed at the main venues
- Runs
- October / November
- Held
- Annual
Displays spill across the surrounding weekend. Alexandra Palace moved to a Halloween-themed weekend and does not run on the night itself.
London does not have one Bonfire Night display, it has dozens, and they are spread across the night itself and the weekend either side. The ticketed park events are the reliable choice. The free option that most visitors miss is standing on high ground and watching several neighbourhood displays go off at once across the skyline.
What Bonfire Night actually is
Guy Fawkes Night marks the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot, and it is the most distinctively British thing in the autumn calendar. In practice it means fireworks in parks across the whole country, bonfires where space allows, and toffee apples and parkin sold at the gate. London runs the full range, from large ticketed events in the royal and borough parks down to school and pub displays that are essentially local affairs.
Where to watch Bonfire Night
- Battersea Park. One of the most reliable large ticketed displays, running over a weekend with an earlier, quieter family-timed show on the second night. Modest ticket prices and a Thames-side setting.
- Alexandra Palace. Runs a fireworks and drone festival with a funfair, ghost tour and beer hall. Note carefully that its programme has moved to a Halloween-themed weekend and it does not run on the night itself. Older guides still say otherwise.
- Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath. Free, and the highest natural viewpoint in inner north London. On a clear night you can see several borough displays firing at once across the city, which is a different and in some ways better spectacle than standing under one of them.
- Greenwich Park by the Observatory. Free, elevated, and looking north-west across the river towards Canary Wharf and the City. The same multiple-display effect from the other side of London.
- Borough displays. Wimbledon Park, Victoria Park, Crystal Palace and the Lambeth events are all worth checking. They tend to fall on the weekend rather than the night itself, they are cheaper, and they are where Londoners actually go.
- Primrose Hill, which is usually closed. It looks like the obvious viewpoint and it is regularly shut for crowd safety across the Bonfire Night period. Do not build an evening around it without checking.
Tickets and what it costs
The large park displays are ticketed and modestly priced, with children and family tickets cheaper again, and they sell out in advance for the best nights. Book rather than turning up. Everything visible from Parliament Hill, Greenwich Park or your own high street is free. Budget for the funfair and food separately at the ticketed events, where it adds up quickly.
Official information and booking: www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/whats-on/special-events/bonfire-night-in-london
Getting there
Use the Tube and expect it to be busy in both directions. Stations closest to the big displays operate crowd control and sometimes exit-only restrictions when a show finishes, so the walk to the next station along is often faster than waiting. Roads around the parks close early in the evening. If you are heading for a free viewpoint, go on foot from a station a little further out and skip the crush entirely.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Other London events
Frequently asked questions
Where can you watch Bonfire Night fireworks in London for free?
Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath and the Observatory viewpoint in Greenwich Park are the two best. Both are elevated enough to see several borough displays firing simultaneously across the skyline, which many people prefer to standing under a single show.
Does Alexandra Palace do fireworks on Bonfire Night?
Not any more. Its fireworks and drone festival has moved to a Halloween-themed weekend and does not run on Guy Fawkes Night itself. A lot of older guides still list it for the fifth, so check the venue programme before travelling.
Do you need tickets for Bonfire Night in London?
For the large park displays, yes, and they sell out for the best nights. Ticket prices are modest with cheaper children and family options. Watching from public high ground or your own neighbourhood costs nothing and needs no booking.
Is Bonfire Night suitable for young children?
Several of the big displays run an earlier, shorter, quieter show on a second night specifically for families. That is usually a better choice than the main event, which finishes late and involves a long cold wait and a crowded exit.
Why is Primrose Hill closed on Bonfire Night?
Crowd safety. It is a small hill with limited access that attracts far more people than it can hold on that night, so it is regularly shut across the period. Hampstead Heath is the alternative and it is a better viewpoint anyway.
What is the difference between Bonfire Night and Guy Fawkes Night?
They are the same thing. The night commemorates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot, and both names are used interchangeably in Britain, along with Fireworks Night in some parts of the country.
Sources
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2026. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.