Remember, remember the fifth of November. Every autumn, towns, villages, schools and sports clubs across the UK light up the sky in early November, and a well-run public display can draw thousands of people out into the cold for an evening they’ll talk about all year. If you’re wondering how to organise a firework display, whether for a PTA, a rugby club, a parish council or a charity, this guide is for you.
We’ll start with a quick look at the tradition, then walk you through eight practical steps: from choosing your site and staying on the right side of the law to selling tickets, keeping queues moving and reviewing the night afterwards.
Summary
What is Bonfire Night?
Also known as Guy Fawkes Night, it’s celebrated on the 5th November to mark the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when a group of conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Londoners lit fires to celebrate the King’s survival, and an Act of Parliament soon made the day an annual thanksgiving.
Four centuries on, the celebration looks rather different. Today’s events usually feature:
- A large bonfire, sometimes topped with a “guy” made by local children
- A choreographed show, often set to music
- Food and drinks: hot dogs, toffee apples, parkin, mulled wine and hot chocolate
- Family extras such as sparklers, funfair rides, a lantern parade or live music
Most community events take place on the weekend closest to 5 November. For anyone running one, that means a very short season, high demand and a lot riding on the weather.
Planning your fireworks display in 8 steps
1. Decide on the purpose and format
Start by agreeing why you’re putting on the event. Is it a fundraiser for the school or a local charity, a thank-you to your community, or a way to bring new members into your club? Your answer will shape everything from the size of the show to the ticket price. If you’re raising money, our guide to running a charity event is full of ideas that apply here.
Then choose a format:
- Small and simple: a 10-minute show of smaller fireworks for a few hundred people, no fire
- Classic community evening: a fire, a firework display, food stalls and a warm-up act
- Full family festival: funfair, live music, several food traders and a headline show set to music
2. Choose your date and site
A playing field, park, farm or school ground can all work, as long as it’s a large open area. The site needs room for the audience, a firing zone and a fallout zone behind it where spent debris can land, with a clear safety zone between the firing area and the crowd. Check the safe distance printed on each product’s label, and allow more if it’s windy.
When visiting potential sites, look at:
- Distance from buildings and roads, plus any obstruction such as trees or overhead power lines. The firing zone should sit well away from buildings and parked cars
- Prevailing wind, which should carry smoke and debris away from spectators
- Access and exit points, including a clear route for emergency vehicles
- Parking and public transport, plus lighting on paths
- Neighbours with small children or animals, stables and care homes, who will appreciate a warning
- Flight paths: if you’re near an airfield, contact the Civil Aviation Authority
As for the date, Saturday evenings sell fastest, but competition is fierce. A Friday or Sunday can work well if a bigger event nearby has already claimed the weekend.
3. Get your safety and legal checks in order
This is the step you can’t skip, because firework safety starts with UK firework law. In England and Wales, the key rules include:
- Curfew: fireworks can’t be set off after 11pm, but on 5 November the cut-off is extended to midnight
- Types of fireworks: volunteers may only use F2 and F3 products; F4 (professional) fireworks must be handled by professionals
- Public places: you can’t let them off in a street or public thoroughfare, or within 50 feet of a highway
- Authorities: tell the emergency services about your plans at least seven days in advance; the fire brigade can also advise on your layout. Ask your local council for permission to use the site and, if you’re selling alcohol, apply to your local authority for a temporary event notice
- Marshals and responders: the government recommends one steward for every 250 spectators, plus qualified first aiders such as St John Ambulance
- Risk assessment and public liability insurance: put both in place well before the night, and have a plan in place for what happens if anything goes wrong, including who calls 999 in case of emergencies
The GOV.UK guidance on non-professional displays and the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance set out best practices, so they’re the best places to start. Rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check locally if you’re running your event there.
The bonfire needs as much care as the fireworks. Basic fire safety applies: build it no more than a day or two in advance, check the pile for sheltering hedgehogs and other wildlife before lighting, keep it well away from the display and never use petrol to get it going. Rope off a clear area so guests stay back and away from the bonfire.
4. Hire a professional fireworks company or train your team
For anything beyond a small private show, we’d strongly recommend hiring professionals. They’ll supply and fire the products, carry their own insurance, help with the risk assessment and often choreograph the fireworks to music. Book early: the best operators are fully booked for the first weekend in November months ahead.
If your team does the firing itself, appoint a competent display manager, choose one trained person, wearing the right safety equipment, for lighting the fireworks, follow the Firework Code and the manufacturer’s instructions, store the fireworks safely and give everyone involved a clear role.
5. Set a realistic budget
Costs can add up quickly. Typical items include the fireworks themselves, site hire, fencing and barriers, toilets, lighting, generators, insurance, security staff, signage and marketing. On the income side, think beyond tickets: catering, glow sticks, sparkler sales (with safety gloves), sponsorship from local businesses and pitch fees from traders all help.
Our guide to creating an event budget will help you build it line by line. And because adverse weather can strike at the last minute, set aside a contingency and read our 8-step event contingency plan before the big night.
6. Set up ticketing, even for a free event
Selling in advance tells you exactly how many people to expect, which makes it much easier to plan staff, toilets and catering. It also brings in money before you pay your suppliers, and protects you if rain keeps the walk-up crowd at home.
With WeezTicket, our online ticketing solution, you can create a ticket shop in minutes and share it everywhere you promote the event. A few ideas:
- Offer several ticket types: adult, child, family and early bird. See our guide to event ticket types for inspiration
- Cap capacity so you never exceed the numbers in your safety plan
- Add extras such as parking passes, sparkler packs or a hot food voucher
- Free events: ask people to book a free ticket so you still know your numbers
- Sell on the gate with on-site ticket sales, and make sure gate prices are a little higher than advance prices to encourage early booking
7. Promote your event locally and online
Most of your audience will live within a few miles, so focus your effort locally. Start promoting in early October, with a push after half term when families start making plans.
- Social media: post the date, ticket link and a short clip of last year’s show; share in local Facebook groups
- Schools and clubs: ask them to share your event in their newsletters
- Posters and banners in shops, pubs and on the approach roads to the site
- Local press and radio listings, which often run “what’s on this November” round-ups
- A dedicated page with all the key details, which you can build using our event website tool
For a full plan, read our guide to creating an event communication plan.
8. Make entry and payments quick, then review
Long queues in the dark and cold are the fastest way to spoil the evening. Scan e-tickets at the gate with the free WeezAccess access control app to get people in quickly and keep a live count of everyone on site, which matters for your safety plan.
Bars and food stalls are the next bottleneck. WeezPay, our cashless payment solution, and event POS systems speed up every transaction, reduce cash handling in the dark and give you clear sales data. Find out why cashless suits medium-sized events.
Don’t forget your team: use volunteer recruitment and volunteer planning tools to fill every shift.
Afterwards, clear the site thoroughly the next morning, picking up spent debris and checking the fire is fully out. Then review while it’s fresh: compare ticket sales against attendance, gather feedback, and email attendees with a thank-you and an early date for next year.
Light up your community this November
Now you know what’s involved, it’s time to book your site, line up your team and get tickets on sale. With careful planning and simple tools for ticketing, entry and payments, your event can be safe and memorable, and the highlight of the local calendar.
Looking for more seasonal ideas? Read our guides to planning a Halloween event and putting on a harvest festival, or discover our festival solutions.
Talk to our team about your event
FAQ
Q: What time do fireworks have to stop on 5 November?
In England and Wales, fireworks must not be set off between 11pm and 7am, but on 5 November the curfew is extended to midnight.
Q: Do you need permission to hold a firework display?
There’s no single licence for a display, but you should tell the police and fire service at least seven days in advance and check with your local council, which may need to approve the site, any alcohol sales or a large gathering. Your landowner and insurer will also need to agree.
Q: How far should spectators be from fireworks?
It depends on the category. Garden (F2) fireworks need at least 5 metres, while F3 display fireworks need at least 25 metres. Always follow the minimum distance on the label and add more if it’s windy.
Q: How much does a community firework display cost?
It varies widely with the length of the show, the size of the site and whether it’s set to music, so get quotes from two or three professional operators early. Add site costs, staffing, first aid and insurance before setting your ticket price.
Q: How do I make a free firework display safe?
Use free online registration to cap numbers, so you know how many people to expect and never exceed your site’s safe capacity.
Q: What should I do if it rains on the night?
Light rain rarely stops fireworks going ahead, but high winds can. Agree a weather policy with your display operator in advance, publish it on your ticket page and have a back-up date in mind.
