Source: Ally Pally
Spoiler: the fireworks aren't on Bonfire Night this year.
It's a Thursday, so most displays land on the weekends either side.
A few local ones have been cancelled too. But here's what I found.
Town Park Fireworks: Halloween Spooktacular | 📍Enfield Town Park, EN2 | 31 October | (£)
Enfield’s big annual fireworks display falls on Halloween this year, so fancy dress is coming to Town Park too. Thousands usually turn out for this one, and alongside the fireworks there’ll be a funfair, fire dancers, music and a fancy dress competition for anyone arriving in costume. Gates open at 5pm, costumes are judged at 6.30pm and the fireworks start at 7pm. You’ll need to book beforehand as there are no tickets on the gate, and unusually, online tickets are physical tickets that need to be collected from DAC on London Road by 5pm on 30 October.
Ally Pally Fireworks & Drone Festival | 📍Alexandra Palace, N22 | 7 & 8 November | (£)
Ally Pally’s fireworks are becoming a two day affair this year, and Saturday and Sunday are quite different. Saturday is the grown up one, with Eats Everything playing an outdoor DJ set and a huge German beer festival where a Queen tribute band is headlining. Sunday starts earlier for families and gets wonderfully random: a jungle rave for kids followed by a karaoke singalong with Barry from EastEnders. Whichever day you pick, there’s still the enormous bonfire, marshmallows to toast around the fire pits, ice skating, funfair rides and, at the end, fireworks and drones above Ally Pally with London behind them.
Totteridge Fireworks Night | 📍Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club, N20 | 6 November | (£)
Most fireworks nights pack up not long after the last firework. Totteridge keeps going until 1am. The cricket club opens at 5.30pm with food stalls and children’s rides, the bonfire is lit at 6.30pm and fireworks follow at 7.45pm. After that, the fire pits stay lit, bands play and the bars remain open for the rest of the night. Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but the organisers told me they’re expecting to release them at the beginning of October. It’s card only on the night.
The Walker Ground Fireworks & Drone Show | 📍Southgate, N14 | 7 November | (£)
The Walker Ground is swapping cricket and sport for fireworks for the night. From 5pm, the Southgate playing fields fill up with a funfair, bouncy castles, live music and food stalls, including jerk chicken, toffee apples, doughnuts and candy floss. Then at 7.30pm, everything stops for the fireworks and drone show over the ground. Adults £14, children £9.50 and a family of four is £43. They recommend coming on foot as Waterfall Road will have closures and bus diversions.
Brent & Harrow Fireworks | 📍Byron Park, Harrow, HA3 | 7 November | Free + paid
You could spend most of the day at this one. Byron Park starts with a free Diwali celebration from midday, with Indian dance, henna and children’s entertainment. Then the funfair takes over with more than 15 rides, from little kids’ rides to the stomach dropping ones, plus a big food area. Stick around until dark and the day ends with 20 minutes of fireworks timed to music at around 7.45pm. The Diwali part is free from 12pm to 3pm, with tickets needed for the later fireworks event.
Source: Ally pally
Coram’s Fields Fireworks Night | 📍Bloomsbury, WC1N | 5 November | Free
There aren’t many places in central London where families can watch fireworks for free, but Coram’s Fields has been doing it every year for its local community. The children’s park opens from 3.30pm with fairground rides and food stalls, followed by live performances from 4.15pm and fireworks at the unusually early time of 6pm, handy if you have little ones who won’t make it to a 9pm display. Entry is free and you don’t need a ticket, but it is first come, first served. One important rule: because Coram’s Fields is a children’s park, adults can only come in when accompanied by a child.
Charity Fireworks Night | 📍Barnet Elizabethans RFC, EN5 | 7 November | (£)
This Barnet fireworks night has thought about the little ones who love fireworks right up until the first enormous bang. At 6.15pm there’s a separate low noise display with the colour and sparkle but much less of the sound. Then at 7.15pm, the full fireworks begin for everyone else. In between there’s face painting, family games, hot food, mulled wine and the rugby club bar. Gates open at 5.30pm, and 100% of the profits from ticket sales go to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. Early bird tickets are £8 for adults and £6 for children until 18 October.
Hadley Wood Fireworks | 📍Hadley Wood Association Centre, EN4 | 1 November | (£)
Hadley Wood is keeping things fairly traditional for Bonfire Night. The gates open while it’s still getting dark, the bonfire is lit at 5.30pm and everyone gathers for the fireworks at 6.15pm. Before that, there are funfair rides, food stalls, a bar and mulled wine, plus a raffle with the winners announced after the display. It’s an early one too, with everything wrapped up by 8pm. There are no tickets on the gate and this one usually sells out in advance.
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