Seaford Bonfire Society has confirmed Saturday 17 October 2026. The procession leaves the White Lion at 7.15pm, the A259 shuts at 7pm, parking is the problem.
Seaford Bonfire is on Saturday 17 October 2026. The society has confirmed the date on its own site: “Bonfire will be returning to the streets of Seaford on Saturday 17th October 2026.”
East Sussex Fire and Rescue’s Choose Local list carries the same date, so this one is firm. It is three weeks before Lewes, on a Saturday, and it is the display most people in Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven can actually get to.
The running order
Seaford Bonfire Society publishes a full timetable on its event information page. The page is not dated and the road closure sheet attached to it is the 2025 version, so treat these as the pattern rather than as this year’s signed-off plan:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6am | First road closures around Martello Fields and the Esplanade |
| 3pm | Esplanade and beach close for the firework setup |
| 5pm | Road closures live around Martello Fields, fire site closures |
| 5.30pm | Westdown Road closes |
| 7pm | A259 and surrounding roads close for the first procession |
| 7.15pm | First procession leaves the White Lion Hotel, Claremont Road |
| 7.45pm | Procession reaches the war memorial |
| 8pm | Roads south of the A259 close |
| 8.15pm | Grand Procession leaves the war memorial for the fire site |
| 8.45pm | Grand Procession enters the fire site |
| 9pm | Grand firework display |
| 9.15pm | Fire site programme and bonfire |
| 10.30pm | All road closures around the fire site lifted |
The society’s own note applies: all times are subject to change, and closures are lifted as soon as the procession is clear and event control gives the word.
Background music plays over the fire site PA from 8pm to 10pm.
Parking is the real problem
There is no designated disabled parking at the event. The society says it tries to fit Blue Badge vehicles inside the seafront road closure, but once that space is gone it cannot take any more.
Part of the Esplanade parking is closed for the whole build. The society has an arrangement with Seaford Town Council to use it as the event compound and storage area, because it can no longer use Cliff Gardens. Pedestrian access through the area is not affected. Expect heavy plant moving around the seafront in the days before and after.
Roads around Martello Fields are restricted or closed to the public during the build and break, and the society warns that access may be held at other times even where no closure is advertised.
What is not published yet
- Admission. The society’s site names no ticket price for the fire site.
- The 2026 road closure sheet. The PDF linked from the event page is still the 2025 one. The closure list itself has been stable for years, but the dates on it are old.
- The programme and procession route map. Sold in Seaford shops in the run-up.
The society’s news blog has not been updated since 2023 and its events calendar shows only a car boot and craft fair on 20 September, so the event information page and the one-line date announcement are the only live sources. Its Facebook page moves faster than its website.
Getting there
Seaford station is a short walk from Claremont Road, and the trains run normally: the station closures that hit Lewes on 5 November do not apply here. The A259 through the town closes from 7pm, so if you are driving in from Newhaven or Eastbourne, arrive well before then or expect a diversion.
Seaford Bonfire Society is supported by Seaford Town Council’s Large Grants Scheme.
If you want the rest of the season, we have listed every bonfire night in the district, and the big one is Lewes on 5 November, where the travel restrictions are a different order of problem. For anything else on the roads this autumn, see Lewes roadworks and travel.
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