Bonfire Night 2026: Lewes Braces for 40,000 as Truro Cancels Again and Fire Chiefs Beg Britain to Skip Garden Fireworks

The torches go up at 17:00 GMT. By then the roads into Lewes will be closed, the trains will be rolling straight through the station without stopping, and the town will be filling with a crowd that last year was put at 40,000. Lewes does not hold its Bonfire on the nearest Saturday. It holds it on the Fifth, and in 2026 the Fifth is a Thursday.

That is the sharp end of a night the rest of Britain marks more gently, with a council display, a parkin tin and a dog hiding under the stairs. This year the picture is uneven. Some towns are busier than ever, some have given up on fireworks altogether, and the emergency services have spent the week asking people, politely but firmly, to leave the rockets to the professionals.

What happens in Lewes on Bonfire Night?

Lewes's seven bonfire societies, from Cliffe and Commercial Square to the Nevill Juvenile, parade effigies through the town centre before each heads to its own fire site, and this year's effigy subjects, as usual, have been kept quiet until the night. BBC Sussex reported on Thursday morning that the processions begin at 17:00 and the event runs until 23:00, with Sussex Police describing it as one of the biggest single events the force handles. Chief Superintendent Graham Barnett said local and specialist officers would attend, along with a small number of armed officers whose presence, he said, was to reassure the public. Last year three people were arrested and seven were taken to hospital.

Josh Reed, manager of the White Hart, told the BBC the town would be "full to the brim". Eliot Parry, station manager at Lewes fire station, said crews had well-rehearsed plans and asked people to mind the torches and to look out for each other. The practical message from the authorities has not changed from previous years: if you do not live in Lewes, go to a display closer to home. A 2026 visitor guide puts the grand procession at about 21:00 and the main bonfire at 22:00, and notes that there is no car parking in the town on the night.

Which Bonfire Night displays have been cancelled in 2026?

At the other end of the country, Truro has no civic display for the second year running. Truro City Council said in September that its working group could not stage the Tremorvah Playing Field event safely within existing budgets, could not keep the ticket price affordable while meeting the required safety standards, and could not run it without disturbing people living around the field. The council also pointed to Martyn's Law: with up to 5,000 people expected, the display would count as an enhanced tier event under the new legislation, which does not take effect until 2027 but which councils have been encouraged to treat as if it already applies. Town clerk David Rodda said the council could only stage events it was satisfied it could run safely and within budget.