Trains stop calling at Lewes from 5pm on Thursday 5 November. The council has confirmed the last services: 3.24pm from Victoria, 5.02pm out of Lewes.

Anyone who commutes from Lewes to London needs to be on a train home by 3.24pm on Thursday 5 November. Lewes District Council has now published the Bonfire Night travel restrictions in full, and the last-train times it previously flagged as provisional are confirmed.

The council’s statement, last modified on 17 September, repeats what the town already knows: trains are not expected to stop at Lewes, Falmer, Cooksbridge, Glynde or Southease from 5pm on 5 November until the start of service on Friday 6 November.

What is new is the detail underneath it.

The last trains, now published

Commuters heading home from London Victoria have two departures:

  • 3.24pm to Eastbourne
  • 3.54pm to Ore

Both were marked “to be confirmed” when we wrote up the arrangements on 5 September. They now appear without that caveat.

The council has also published the last trains out of Lewes, which it had not done before:

Time Service Calling at
16:44 Brighton all stations to Brighton
16:55 London Victoria Cooksbridge, Wivelsfield, then the usual pattern
16:59 Ore Polegate, Eastbourne, then all stations to Ore
17:02 Seaford all stations to Seaford except Southease

Some smaller stations lose their service earlier still. The council names Berwick and Southease as examples where the last train goes before the times above, and points passengers at southernrailway.com, where it says the timetable has already been updated.

The wording matters here. The council says trains “are not expected to be stopping”, not that they will not. Check on the day.

Last trains before Lewes Bonfire, Thursday 5 November 2026 A chart of the last trains. From London Victoria the last departures are 15.24 to Eastbourne and 15.54 to Ore. Out of Lewes the last trains are 16.44 to Brighton, 16.55 to London Victoria, 16.59 to Ore and 17.02 to Seaford. Trains stop calling at Lewes, Falmer, Cooksbridge, Glynde and Southease from 5pm. The last trains before Lewes Bonfire, Thursday 5 November No trains call at Lewes, Falmer, Cooksbridge, Glynde or Southease from 5pm until Friday morning. Last trains FROM London Victoria 15.24 to Eastbourne 15.54 to Ore A 3.24pm departure is a half day for London commuters. Last trains OUT of Lewes 16.44 Brighton 16.55 London Victoria 16.59 Ore 17.02 Seaford Roads: five closure points from 16.45. Residents told to be home by 16.00. On-street parking on the procession routes is suspended from noon. Berwick, Southease and other smaller stations lose their last train earlier than the times above. Source: Lewes District Council, "Public safety is the top priority for Lewes Bonfire celebrations", 17 September 2026. Graphic by The Lewes Post
The confirmed last trains, and the times the roads shut.

Why the council expects a bigger crowd this year

5 November falls on a Thursday in 2026, and the council says that means “higher levels of attendance are anticipated”. Combined with what it calls “significant amounts of fireworks and narrow streets”, that is the reason the restrictions exist at all.

The message to anyone outside the town has hardened into a single line: do not travel to Lewes Bonfire, and support a local celebration instead. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service runs a Choose Local listing of firework events across the county, and we have our own guide to bonfire nights near Lewes and Seaford Bonfire.

The council is also blunter than usual about who the night is not for. Because of the crowds, the layout of the town, the noise and the smoke, it says the event “is not suitable for children, young families or dogs”.

Roads: five closure points from 4.45pm

The road closures are unchanged from the arrangements published earlier this month. From 4.45pm on Thursday 5 November:

  • A27 junction with A277 Brighton Road, the Ashcombe roundabout
  • A275 Offham Road with B2116 Plumpton Road
  • C7 Kingston Road junction with C324 Wellgreen Lane
  • A26 junction with A2029 Malling Street
  • A26 Church Lane junction with Mayhew Way

Residents are told to get vehicles home before 4pm. Visitors are told not to bring a car into the town at all.

What it means for you

  • If you work in London, 5 November is a day to leave early or work from home. A 3.24pm departure from Victoria is a half day, and there is no later option that stops at Lewes.
  • If you work in Brighton or Eastbourne, you have until roughly 5pm to get back, and the 16:44 and 16:59 are the trains to plan around.
  • If you live in Lewes and drive, be home by 4pm. The closures go in at 4.45pm and on-street parking on the procession routes is suspended from noon.
  • If you live at Berwick, Southease or another smaller station, do not assume the times above apply to you. Check your own station on Southern’s site.
  • If you were thinking of coming in for the night from elsewhere, the council, the societies, the police and the fire service are all saying the same thing: go to a local event instead.

St John Ambulance volunteers will provide first aid on the night. The charity asks people not to pick up spent fireworks or torches, and publishes first aid advice for burns and scalds.

Our full guide to the night, including the fire sites, the societies and the parking suspensions, is at Lewes Bonfire Night. Everything else moving on the roads this autumn is on our roadworks and travel page.

Sources