Bonfire Night 2026: Party Ideas, Food and the Fireworks Rules

Bonfire Night falls on Thursday 5 November 2026. Many towns hold their public displays on the nearest weekend, so check your local council's listings if you would rather watch than host. If you are planning your own evening, here is everything you need, from food that keeps hands warm to the rules on when fireworks can go off.

Why we celebrate Bonfire Night

On 5 November 1605, Guy Fawkes was caught guarding barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords, part of a plot to kill King James I. Londoners lit bonfires to celebrate the king's survival, and the tradition stuck. Today it is mostly about bonfires, fireworks and getting together on a cold autumn night.

Party ideas for a garden Bonfire Night

• Keep it small and early. A gathering from 6pm suits families and leaves time for fireworks before the curfew.
• Set up a warming station. A table of blankets, hand warmers and spare gloves near the back door.
• Light the path. Jam jars with LED tea lights are safer than candles around excited children.
• Make it a fancy-dress night. Wellies and bobble hats are compulsory; the best scarf wins a prize.
• Watch a display instead. If you have pets or a small garden, a public display is safer and often cheaper.

Bonfire Night food

Food that can be eaten standing up, with gloves on, works best.

• Jacket potatoes wrapped in foil, with butter, cheese or beans
• Sausages in soft rolls with fried onions
• A big pot of chilli or soup served in mugs
• Parkin, the sticky ginger cake from Yorkshire and Lancashire
• Toffee apples and bonfire toffee
• Hot chocolate with marshmallows, and mulled apple juice for the drivers

Sparkler and fireworks safety

• Buy fireworks marked with the UKCA or CE mark from a registered seller.
• Keep fireworks in a closed metal box and light them at arm's length with a taper.
• Never return to a firework once lit, even if it seems to have gone out.
• Give children gloves for sparklers, never more than one each, and put used sparklers hot end down in a bucket of water.
• Keep pets indoors with the curtains closed and some background noise.
• Build bonfires well away from sheds, fences and trees, and check them for hedgehogs before lighting.

The fireworks rules in the UK

Times. In England and Wales fireworks must not be set off between 11pm and 7am. On Bonfire Night the cut-off moves to midnight, and it is 1am on New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year.

Ages. You must be 18 or over to buy, carry or use most garden fireworks (categories 2 and 3). Over-16s can buy only category 1 items such as party poppers.

When shops can sell them. Without a special year-round licence, shops can sell fireworks from 15 October to 10 November, from 26 to 31 December and in the three days before Diwali and Chinese New Year.

Penalties. Breaking the curfew can bring a fine or even a prison sentence, and police can issue an on-the-spot fine. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so check locally.

For the full rules, see the fireworks guidance on GOV.UK.

Planning ahead for winter? See our Christmas party ideas and the UK bank holidays for 2027.