Brackley's free fireworks are on Magdalen College School field on Saturday 31 October at 7pm, no tickets, with hot food, bars and live entertainment first.

Brackley’s fireworks display is on Saturday 31 October 2026 on the Magdalen College School field (the bottom site), with the fireworks starting at 7pm. Brackley Town Council announced it on 2 October in its Brackley Fireworks 2026 post: “the event is completely free to attend, with no tickets or booking required”.

The quick answer

  • When: Saturday 31 October 2026, fireworks at 7pm. Last year the gates opened at 5pm.
  • Where: Magdalen College School field, the bottom site, in the middle of Brackley.
  • Cost: free, no tickets or booking. Hot food vendors, bars, community stalls and live entertainment before the display.

Updated 4 October: the council’s 2 October announcement confirms free entry with no tickets, adds bars and live entertainment, and explains the earlier date.

What the council has published for 2026

The council’s 2 October announcement gives the date, the venue, the 7pm start and free entry with no booking, with “hot food vendors, bars, community stalls and live entertainment” before the display. It marks the tenth display supported by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. The council says the field “gets pretty packed” and advises arriving early.

Why 31 October? The council says it brought the display forward “to avoid overlapping with Remembrance weekend, while keeping it as close to Bonfire Night as possible”. It falls on Halloween, and the council suggests coming in costume and going trick-or-treating afterwards.

The council’s earlier 22 September post is aimed at charities and community groups, who can have a stall on the night for nothing if they bring their own gazebo, lights and equipment; the council says space is limited and groups should email btcevents@brackleynorthants-tc.gov.uk. The team’s factory is in Brackley.

Bonfire Night itself falls on Thursday 5 November, and the display is the Saturday before. Daventry’s free display is on the same night, 31 October, and Northampton’s is the day after, on Sunday 1 November: see our Daventry and Northampton pages.

How it ran last year

The 2025 display was on Saturday 1 November. The council’s “one week to go” notice gave the shape of the evening, and the town’s visitor site listed the same details:

2025
Gates open 5pm
Fireworks 7pm
Entry free, no tickets or booking
On the field food and drink stalls, community stalls, a children’s fun fair
Parking limited; the council asked people to walk where they could
Sponsor Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

The council’s advice was to dress warmly and to arrive on foot if possible, because the school sits in the town centre and parking near it is scarce. Expect the same for 2026.

Parking

Nothing has been published for 2026. Brackley’s town-centre car parks are the practical option, and the council’s 2025 line was that parking would be limited and walking was recommended. If the council issues road closures or a parking plan we will add them here. Roadworks on the approaches are on our roadworks and travel page.

Brackley’s winter calendar

  • Remembrance Sunday, 8 November: the service and parade run from 2.30pm to 3.30pm, from Winchester House to the War Memorial, according to the council’s events listing. More on our Remembrance Sunday page.
  • Christmas Market, Lights and Lanterns, Saturday 28 November: see our Christmas markets page.

Still to be confirmed

The gate opening time, whether the fun fair returns, and parking advice. Last year the council published its full “one week to go” notice in the last week of October; expect the same around 24 October, and this page will be updated then.

Sources