Lewes Bonfire is Thursday 5 November, with no trains from 5pm. Chailey is listed for 7 Nov, South Heighton (£5) is undated and Barcombe confirms 21 Nov.
Sussex bonfire season runs for six weeks, and Lewes on 5 November is only one night of it. Eight societies hold a procession and a display within a short drive of Lewes between the middle of October and the end of November, and most of them are cheaper, calmer and far easier to park at.
Every date below was checked against the society’s own website on 5 September 2026, or against East Sussex Fire and Rescue’s Choose Local list, published on 3 September.
Updated 1 November: Newick was last night, so every village bonfire before Lewes has now been. Next is Lewes on Thursday 5 November, with no trains stopping from 5pm. Barcombe’s site still confirms Saturday 21 November (Barcombe Bonfire Society, checked today). South Heighton says only that its night is on the second Saturday in November and to watch for posters (village hall page), so its date is still unconfirmed.
Updated 31 October: Isfield’s bonfire was last night, so the next one is Newick on Saturday 31 October, with roads closed from 6pm to 11pm (society diary, checked today). After that: Lewes on Thursday 5 November, Chailey on 7 November, South Heighton (still undated) and Barcombe on 21 November. Barcombe’s home page still confirms the 21st.
Updated 28 October: Firle’s night has been and gone, moved to Sunday 25 October after the Saturday cancellation. Next up is Isfield on Friday 30 October: the society’s calendar lists road closures from 6pm, the bonfire lit at 8.20pm and fireworks at 8.45pm (timings below). Newick’s diary still shows Saturday 31 October, roads closed 6pm to 11pm.
Updated 25 October: Firle called off Saturday’s bonfire for the weather and has moved it to Sunday 25 October. All Saturday tickets are valid for Sunday, and the society says revised times and gate times will go up on its site on Sunday morning (society statement). Isfield (30 October) and Newick (31 October) have posted no change.
Updated 24 October: Firle says it still plans to go ahead on Saturday night despite Storm Austen, but will make a final decision after a site assessment on Saturday afternoon and post it on its social media by 5pm (society statement, 23 October). Check before you set off.
Updated 3 October: Firle’s £10 early bird closed on 14 September, so advance tickets are now £12.50. Every other date was re-checked against the societies’ own sites today and has not moved.
| Date | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 17 Oct | Seaford | Not published |
| Sun 25 Oct (moved from Sat 24) | Firle | Past |
| Fri 30 Oct | Isfield and Little Horsted | Past |
| Sat 31 Oct | Newick | Past |
| Thu 5 Nov | Lewes | £10 fire site tickets |
| Sat 7 Nov | Chailey | Not published |
| Not announced | South Heighton | £5 |
| Sat 21 Nov | Barcombe | Not published |
Saturday 17 October: Seaford
The procession leaves the White Lion Hotel on Claremont Road at 7.15pm and the fireworks go up over Martello Fields at 9pm. The A259 through the town closes at 7pm. Full timings, closures and the parking problem are on our Seaford Bonfire page.
Sunday 25 October: Firle (moved from Saturday, now past)
Storm Austen: Firle called off its bonfire on Saturday 24 October for the weather and moved it to Sunday 25 October. Saturday tickets were valid on the Sunday. The society’s Sunday update brought the procession forward to 5.30pm, with the bonfire and fireworks from about 6.30pm to 7pm. The details below were the original Saturday plan, kept here for next year.
The best-organised night of the lot, and the only one that publishes a full price list. Firle Bonfire Society has the torchlit procession through the village at 7pm and the grand bonfire and fireworks at around 9pm.
Tickets were tiered:
- £12.50 advance
- £17 on the day
- Children under 13 go free on every tier
- The £10 early bird closed at 8am on 14 September
The society’s Badge Night is on Wednesday 21 October at the Ram Inn, its headquarters in the village.
Advance tickets carry a booking fee and are non-refundable. Parking is free in the field at Firle Park, signposted from the A27 and stewarded, with accessible parking near the main gate. There is strictly no parking in the village itself. Licensed bar, hot food and toilets are on site.
One trap: the village website at firle.org.uk still advertises the 2025 date. Use the society’s own site.
Friday 30 October: Isfield and Little Horsted (now past)
Isfield’s night was on Friday 30 October. The society holds it on the last Friday of October each year, so the next one is expected on Friday 29 October 2027.
Just over the boundary in Wealden, and free, although the society asks for donations to pay for the following year. The display is in the Isfield Community Enterprise field behind the Laughing Fish pub, and it is held on the last Friday of October every year.
The society is a small one, about 100 members, founded in 2008. Up to 15 visiting societies join its torchlit procession through the village, and it holds a remembrance service with the Last Post before the fireworks start.
The society’s calendar entry for its bonfire night gives approximate timings. This year there is a children’s procession for the first time.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6pm | Road closure in force |
| 6.15pm | Children’s procession |
| 7pm | Procession leaves the field for Isfield Mill |
| 7.45pm | Procession returns to the field |
| 8pm | Remembrance and bonfire prayers |
| 8.20pm | Bonfire lit |
| 8.45pm | Aerial fireworks display, finishing about 9pm |
| 9.30pm | Road closure lifted |
| 11pm | Event closes |
One oddity: that calendar entry carries a 15 October date, while the society’s home page says “our bonfire night on 30th October”. The last Friday of October, the society’s usual night, is the 30th.
Saturday 31 October: Newick
Newick Bonfire Society’s diary puts the roads closed from 6pm to 11pm, and asks people to keep the procession routes clear. The village makes a day of it: guys for the Make a Guy competition are dropped at Newick Village Hall by 9am, and the Bonfire Breakfast is at 10am. Before that, the society’s Badge Morning is at Newick Community Centre on Saturday 10 October.
The society does not publish a procession time or an admission charge on its website.
Thursday 5 November: Lewes
The one everybody has heard of, and the one the council asks non-residents to skip. No trains stop at Lewes from 5pm, five main routes close at 4.45pm and on-street parking is suspended from noon. See Lewes Bonfire Night.
Saturday 7 November: Chailey
East Sussex Fire and Rescue lists Chailey on 7 November, but we could not confirm it with the society. The chaileybonfire.co.uk domain has lapsed: it expired in 2026, was caught and auctioned for £55, and now shows a domain sale page. The fire service’s link still points at it.
Until the society publishes somewhere else, treat 7 November as indicative and check locally before setting out.
Not announced: South Heighton
South Heighton Bonfire Society holds its night on the second Saturday in November, which would be 14 November this year, but it has published no date. Its own advice is to “look out for the date on posters and flyers distributed in the local area”.
Everything else about the night is set out on the society’s page:
- Torchlit procession leaves the Flying Fish area in Denton at about 6.30pm, going via Denton Road, Thompson Road, Wellington Road and Heighton Road to South Heighton Recreation Ground
- Fireworks at about 8pm
- £5 for adults, accompanied under-18s free, up to three per family
- Cash only on the gate. No cards, no advance tickets
- Under-18s are not admitted unless an adult is with them
Roads on the procession route close between 5pm and 9pm, with Heighton Road from the village green to The Hollow and The Hollow itself fully closed for those four hours and no access from the A26. There is no parking anywhere in the village and no disabled parking, and the society is direct about it: do not come if you cannot arrive on foot or by bus.
Saturday 21 November: Barcombe
The last one of the season. Barcombe Bonfire Society has confirmed Saturday 21 November 2026 on its home page. Times, route and admission are not published yet.
Before you go
Two things are worth saying about every night on this list. Village fire sites are dark, muddy fields, so wear boots. And several of these societies run on volunteers who close their own roads, so the published times slip.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue’s own advice this year is to go to an organised display rather than light anything at home, after the hot summer. It has already cost one event: Uckfield Bonfire and Carnival Society cancelled its Friday night firework display and dropped traditional torches from the Saturday procession because the ground was too dry.
More on the roads and parking: Lewes roadworks and travel and parking in Lewes.
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