Littledown fires three displays on Sat 7 November, adults from £9.90 in advance. Plus the Bear Cross bonfire, free Poole Quay on the 5th and two laser shows.
Bournemouth’s bonfire night display is at the Littledown Centre on Saturday 7 November 2026, and there are three of them in one evening: 7pm, 8pm and 9pm. One ticket covers all three. That is the whole point of the event, and it is worth knowing before you plan the night, because the three shows are deliberately different.
Two things catch people out every year. The gate takes cash only, with no card facilities at all, and sparklers are banned on site. Both are stated on the organiser’s own FAQ page.
If you want a free alternative, BCP’s tourism service has Poole Quay on Thursday 5 November, free entry, display at 8pm. Details are further down.
If you would rather have a real bonfire, or no bangs at all, there are three more options this year: the Scouts’ bonfire at Butchers Coppice, and two laser shows on Friday 6 November.
The three displays, and how they differ
The organiser, Bournemouth Fireworks, describes each show on its displays page:
- 7pm. “This is our first display of the night and is very popular with families. Very colourful and although it can be very loud at times, it is the quieter of the three displays.”
- 8pm. “The middle display is the most popular and busiest.” The organiser adds that it is “currently discussing something very special” for this one, so the 8pm show is the least settled part of the programme.
- 9pm, billed as White Knuckle. “The last and the noisiest of the three displays! We save back some of the biggest shells for our final show. It’s a little bit shorter but full of colour and noise!”
If you are bringing young children or anyone noise-sensitive, the 7pm show is the one the organiser itself recommends, and leaving before 9pm avoids the loudest set.
What else is on, and what your ticket does not cover
The headline act in the live music arena is Born Jovi. The fire performers are included in the ticket and run before the fireworks start.
The funfair is not included. The organiser is explicit: “the fun fair is not included in the price of your ticket and that rides are pay as you go.” Food stalls are the same, pay as you go.
Inside, the indoor family zone timings published on the organiser’s what’s on page are:
- Bouncy Castle Zone, 5.15pm to 9pm, in the main hall, extra charges apply
- Revolution Cheerleading Academy at 6.10pm and again at 7.30pm
- Lookout Bar live music, 6.15pm to 6.45pm, 7.15pm to 7.45pm and 8.15pm to 8.45pm
- Astro pitches, BH Live multi-sports dodgeball and penalty shootout, 5.25pm to 5.55pm, 6.25pm and 7.25pm to 7.55pm, for ages five and over
The have-a-go sports on the astro pitches are free for children under 12, no booking, and this year’s line-up includes Winton Cricket Club, RNLI life skills and American football, which the organiser lists as new for 2026.
One inconsistency to note: the organiser’s home page credits the Lookout Bar music to Gemma Leanne Music, while its what’s on page names Carley Varley for the same slot. Both pages were live on 3 September. Treat the act as unconfirmed and the timings as the reliable part.
Nothing on the programme mentions a bonfire. This is a fireworks and funfair event, not a bonfire-and-fireworks one.
Tickets and prices
2026 prices are now on the ticket page. It also confirms the times: gates open at 5pm and the event runs until 10.30pm. Advance prices, as listed on 27 September:
| Ticket | Super early bird, to 12 October | Early bird, to 2 November |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (16 and over) | £9.90 | £11.00 |
| Child (4 to 15) | £7.15 | £7.70 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | £27.50 | £30.80 |
Children aged three and under go free. A cheaper launch offer, £8.80 an adult, £6.60 a child and £25.30 a family, was still listed on the same page when we checked. The page does not give a price for paying on the gate.
The rules around buying are clear enough:
- You can buy in advance online, or over the counter at the Littledown, or on the gate on the night
- Advance tickets give you the fast-track entry queue
- “PLEASE NOTE we can only accept cash on the gate - we do not have credit card facilities.” Bring notes
- Carers go free, but you must apply first: email proof such as a PIP letter or Access Card to info@bournemouthfireworks.co.uk no later than two weeks before the event, so by roughly 24 October
- Children cannot be dropped off. Every child must be with a responsible adult
You may bring your own food. You may not bring alcohol, and there is a licensed bar on site.
Parking, and why walking is better
The organiser’s advice on this is blunt, and the geography backs it up. The Littledown Centre is at Chaseside, Bournemouth BH7 7DX, tucked behind the Cooper Dean roundabout.
- The site car park has limited spaces and closes once they are gone
- Residents’ streets around Chaseside are narrow, and the organiser asks people not to park there
- There is road parking on the Castlepoint side of the Cooper Dean roundabout
- If you walk in from Castle Lane, use the additional gate just off the roundabout rather than walking round to the main entrance
- Buses run along Castle Lane
The council’s own car parks in the town centre are no use here, but if you are driving in from further out and parking up before travelling on, our Bournemouth parking prices page has every central tariff. Check roadworks and travel before you set off, because the A338 and the A31 have both been closed at short notice this autumn.
Access
The site is mostly on the playing fields. For wheelchair users the organiser directs people to “follow the path to the kids play area on the Littledown site”, where “there is a good area for people in wheelchairs to watch the event”. There is no separate accessible viewing platform advertised.
If it rains
The organiser’s answer, verbatim: “The firework has never been cancelled in the last 20 years.” It points to the indoor facilities if the weather turns. That is the organiser’s own claim rather than a guarantee, and note that BCP Council did cancel two of its summer seafront displays in August 2026 over wildfire risk before reinstating the season. Those are a different event, run by the council on the beach, and they finish in early September.
The other displays: a bonfire and two shows without bangs
Littledown is not the only choice this year. Three more events in Bournemouth have published their 2026 dates on their own pages.
Butchers Coppice, Bear Cross: the one with a bonfire
A local Bournemouth Scout group runs a bonfire and aerial display at Butchers Coppice Scout Camp, Duck Lane and Holloway Avenue, BH11 9JW, also on Saturday 7 November. The event page gives the running order:
- Gates open at 4.30pm
- The bonfire is lit at 6pm
- The guy competition is judged at 7pm
- The firework display starts at 7.30pm
| Ticket | Before the day | On the day |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £7 | £8 |
| Child | £4 | £5 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | £17 | £20 |
Advance tickets are sold at the centre on Holloway Avenue and at local sales points listed on the page. Pets, personal fireworks and sparklers are not allowed. If the display is postponed, advance tickets are valid the next day; if it is cancelled, there is a full refund. To enter the guy competition, hand your guy to a bonfire steward before 7pm with a name label on it.
Talbot Heath Laser Show: no bangs
Talbot Heath School’s parents’ association ran its first laser night last November instead of fireworks. The school says more than 700 people came, and that the aim was to reduce the environmental impact and avoid distressing pets.
It returns on Friday 6 November at the school, BH4 9NJ, from 5.30pm to 9pm. The ticket page lists laser shows at 6.30pm and 7.45pm, plus a fire show, music and hot food. It is open to everyone, not only Talbot Heath families.
| Ticket | Early bird | On the door |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £8.00 | £10.00 |
| Child | £5.50 | £7.50 |
| Family of four | £22.50 | £27.50 |
Under-twos are free. Blue Badge holders can book a parking space on site by emailing pssevents@talbotheath.org. Sparklers are not allowed.
The Big Glow Show, Boscombe: new for 2026, no bangs
Stir Events CIC is putting on The Big Glow Show in Shelley Park, off Boscombe Overcliff Drive, BH5 1LN. It bills the evening as “a magical alternative to traditional fireworks”.
The Eventbrite listing opens on Friday 6 November at 5pm and is set up as a multiple-date event, with a second date running to Saturday 7 November. Check which night your ticket is for. The running order has three laser shows:
- 6.45pm: The First Big Glow
- 7.45pm: The ABBA Glow
- 8.45pm: The Big Glow Finale, set to rock music
In between there are sets from singer Gem Rose and pianist Matt Black, plus circus and fire acts. The listing’s FAQ says:
- Dogs are not allowed, because the crowds and lights could still be too much for them
- Do not bring your own alcohol; there are licensed bars on site
- Under-16s must be with a parent or legal guardian
- Refunds are available up to seven days before the event
For drivers, the listing gives BH5 1LN as the sat-nav postcode. By bus, it points to Boscombe bus station, served by the m2, 1a, 1b, 1c, 22, 33, U3 and X3. The nearest railway station is Pokesdown.
Poole Quay, 5 November, free
The free option in the conurbation is on the actual fifth. BCP’s tourism service lists November 5th Fireworks at Poole Quay, Poole BH15 1BW, with start 5 November 2026 at 5pm and end at 8.15pm.
The listing says the display itself starts at 8pm, with live music, family entertainment and activities from 5pm. Its parking advice: “We highly recommend parking at either the Dolphin Shopping Centre or Harbourside Park as the car parks at the seafront and Quay can get really busy,” and expect delays leaving the main Quay visitors car park straight after the fireworks.
No road closure order for this year’s Poole Quay event had been published on the Public Notice Portal when we checked on 3 September.
One warning about what you will find online
Bournemouth’s official visitor site, bournemouth.co.uk, still shows 2025 dates on both its Poole Quay fireworks page and parts of its November events page. Its Poole Quay entry still read “05 November 2025” when we checked again on 27 September. BH Live’s Littledown programme was also last year’s on 3 September. For each event, the organiser’s own page is the one to trust, and those are the pages linked here.
What is still to come
- The 8pm display’s “something very special”, which the organiser has trailed but not described.
- More school and club displays, which often announce later in October. We will add any that publish a 2026 date on a page we can check.
Sources
- Bournemouth Fireworks, the organiser’s own site, for the 7 November 2026 date, the Littledown Centre BH7 7DX venue, Born Jovi, the funfair exclusion and the fire performers.
- Bournemouth Fireworks, displays and what’s on for the 7pm, 8pm and 9pm display descriptions and every indoor and astro-pitch timing.
- Bournemouth Fireworks, FAQs for the cash-only gate, the sparkler ban, the no-pets and no-drop-off rules, the carers ticket deadline, the parking and Castle Lane gate advice, the wheelchair viewing area and the never-cancelled claim.
- Poole Tourism, November 5th Fireworks for the 5 November 2026 date, the 5pm to 8.15pm window, the 8pm display, free entry and the parking advice.
- Bournemouth Fireworks 2026 ticket page for the 2026 prices, the 5pm gate time and the 10.30pm finish.
- Butchers Coppice, fireworks for the 7 November bonfire, running order, prices and rules.
- Talbot Heath PSS, Laser Show 2026 and Talbot Heath’s report on the 2025 laser night for the 6 November date, times, prices and last year’s attendance.
- The Big Glow Show on Eventbrite, Stir Events CIC’s listing, for the venue, dates, laser show times, line-up, FAQ rules and travel advice.
Updated 27 September 2026: added the 2026 Littledown ticket prices and gate time, now published, and the Butchers Coppice bonfire, the Talbot Heath Laser Show and the new Big Glow Show in Boscombe.
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