With Halloween out of the way, most of us are now getting ready for the Christmas period. But before fully switching the focus to Christmas, the UK has one more holiday to celebrate – Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night. Celebrated on November 5th, it’s always marked by spectacular firework displays. In London alone, there are numerous shows taking place each year on the first weekend of November. Let me take you to some of those displays – in Alexandra Palace, Battersea Park and Victoria Park.

The origin of Guy Fawkes Night

Every November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day in Britain. On that day, we remember the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes and fellow Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up Parliament and assassinate James I of England. Fawkes was caught in the act, imprisoned and tortured at the Tower of London. He and most of his fellow conspirators suffered a traitor’s hideous death in Westminster. To celebrate the king’s survival, people lit bonfires around London. Over time, the tradition evolved to include burning effigies of Fawkes in the bonfires, followed by fireworks.

Alexandra Palace Fireworks 2024

Whilst Guy Fawkes Day is officially celebrated tomorrow, most of the official celebrations in London took place last weekend. I had a chance to visit two of them. First of all, on Friday 1st 2024, I went to one of the most famous firework shows in London, in Alexandra Palace.

I made sure to get to the venue early enough to beat the crowds and secure a good spot on the hill. Once I got there, I headed to grab a cup of mulled wine. Overpriced and not particularly nice, but I didn’t mind – it was my first mulled wine of the season and I had been looking forward to officially starting the festive season for weeks! Then, I went to quickly have a look at the huge bonfire about to be set on fire and headed to the top of the hill to find the best viewing spot.

The next couple of hours weren’t particularly exciting – I was just standing in place, waiting for the show to start. But it was worth it! The show is extremely popular and gets really crowded. The only way to ensure a good viewing spot is to get there early and wait.

This year, the main event was preceded by a drone show. It was an impressive display with hundreds of drones dancing in the air, creating various colourful, moving shapes. It looked like magic! I’m glad the weather conditions allowed it to take place.

Next, it was time for the main deal – the fireworks. And they didn’t let down. This year, the show was backed with popular contemporary pop hits. The fireworks came in all different shapes and colours and the explosions matched the energy of the song in the background. It was spectacular!

The drone and fireworks display started on time – bonus points for that! – and together, the show was 30 minutes long.

Besides the fireworks display, the Alexandra Palace festival also offers a funfair for the little ones. For an extra fee, you can also join a German beer festival or go ice skating. If you’d like to visit the Alexandra Palace fireworks festival in the future, do make sure to check their website from the end of September: https://fireworks.london/. Tickets sell out quickly and need to be purchased in advance, so don’t miss out!

Battersea Park Fireworks 2024

On Saturday, November 2nd, I went to another firework display, in Battersea Park in West London. But before the show, I also visited the new Battersea Power Station – a former power plant turned into a modern shopping centre. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area! I couldn’t do any shopping, knowing the bag restrictions for the fireworks festival, but at least I managed to gather some inspiration for the upcoming Christmas gift shopping.

After a brief stroll around the shops, I headed towards Battersea Park. The gates were due to open at 6pm and there was a small crowd waiting outside. After a while, I got through the ticket check and a bag search and made it into the festival.

The Battersea Fireworks festival had more to offer than Alexandra Palace in terms of food and drink, with numerous vendors. There was also a funfair with a few rides.

Armed with a cup of overpriced mulled wine, I headed to the main arena where the music was already playing. I accepted the fate of standing in one place, waiting, for about two hours, in order to secure a good spot. It didn’t feel as long as the day before thanks to the stage performances, some of which featured real fire.

And then eventually, it was time for the fireworks. 

It was a rich, colourful spectacle accompanied by music. I thoroughly enjoyed the display, even though it ran into technical issues half way through when the music stopped playing for about a minute while the fireworks were still going off. Eventually, the problem was fixed and music resumed. The fireworks show lasted around 25 minutes. It was my first time at Battersea Park Fireworks, but certainly not the last.

If you’d like to visit the Battersea Fireworks Festival, keep an eye out on their website: https://www.batterseaparkfireworks.com/. Tickets always sell out quickly!

Throwback to Victoria Park Fireworks 2019

Before I wrap up this post, I want to also share pictures from my favourite bonfire fireworks event. In 2019, just a few weeks after I moved to London, I accidentally found out about Victoria Park fireworks. It was a highly popular annual event, and, unlike most of London’s firework displays, it was completely free to enter. Was, because after being cancelled twice during the pandemic, it never returned for financial reasons. I was lucky to have a chance to see the very last Victoria Park Fireworks, and it was a spectacular display. It was themed around the anniversary of Apollo mission and the whole 20 minutes were filled with spectacular sparkles.

All in all, it’s fair to say that London knows how to do fireworks. If you’re in the English capital at the start of November and need ideas for things to do – consider going to one of the fireworks displays!

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