Free Racecourse display on Sunday 1 November: stage from 4pm with Soul Harmony Divas, fireworks at 6pm. No on-site parking; nothing on Bonfire Night itself.

Bonfire Night 2026 falls on Thursday 5 November, and nothing in Northampton runs on the night itself. The town’s big free display is on the Sunday before it, and a paid one is on the Saturday before that.

Northampton Fireworks Spectacular, Sunday 1 November

Northampton Town Council’s annual display is on the Racecourse on Sunday 1 November. Entry is free. Entertainment starts at 4pm and the pyro-musical finale is at 6pm, according to the council’s event page, last updated on 15 September.

Updated 30 September: the council has named the live act, Soul Harmony Divas, and the stage host, BBC Radio Northampton’s Justin Dealey. Help for Heroes will also be on site.

The council now bills the night as a “Halloween Special”. On the bill alongside the fireworks: live music from Soul Harmony Divas, a Halloween-themed fire and pyro show, a funfair, a catering village, face painting and Help for Heroes. New this year is a heritage Halloween special staged live and on screen, “Northampton’s Five”, about the county’s witch trials of 1612 and 1705. BBC Radio Northampton’s Justin Dealey hosts the live stage. The event is sponsored by Maintenance Services Electrical Ltd.

Charges apply for funfair rides, food and drink vendors and activity stalls. Entry itself does not cost anything and there is no ticket to book.

Sparklers are banned on site, and so are personal fireworks of any kind.

Parking is the thing to get right

There is no parking on the Racecourse. The council asks people to walk or take public transport, and the Pavilion Car Park next to the Racecourse (NN1 4LG) is Blue Badge only for the event and closed to everyone else. Those disabled spaces are first come, first served, the badge has to be shown on entry and displayed on the dashboard, and the council expects the car park to fill quickly.

For everyone else the council points at St Michael’s Multi Storey, St Michael’s Road, NN1 3HR, about a ten minute walk, plus other West Northamptonshire Council car parks. Our guide to parking in Northampton has the tariffs, including the evening charges that catch people out.

By bus from Northampton Bus Station, the council lists four routes:

  • 2, 8 and X10: Northgate to Racecourse Pavilion, a 7 minute ride and an 8 minute walk
  • 4A: Northgate to NIA Academy, 5 minutes on the bus, 13 minutes on foot
  • 1: Northgate to Abington Square, 5 minutes on the bus, 14 minutes on foot

Cyclists can lock up near the Parks tennis courts. Note that the main cut-through from Trinity Avenue to Racecourse Pavilion will be closed.

Lost children

There is a free wristband scheme, introduced in 2025 and running again. The marquee sits next to Event Control by the pedestrian entrance from the Pavilion Car Park side, and is staffed by volunteers from Northampton Street Pastors. Parents write a mobile number on a neon band and put it on the child’s wrist.

What is not published yet

No road closures for 1 November have been advertised. In 2024 the council said sections and pathways of the Racecourse, including the Trinity Avenue pathway, were shut from 8am on the day until the following day, and that is the pattern to expect rather than a promise. Our roadworks and travel page tracks the live register if anything is added.

Bonfire Spooktacular, Duston Mill, Saturday 31 October

The paid alternative is at Duston Mill, Sixfields, NN5 5FP, run by Gala Events, on Saturday 31 October. It has an actual bonfire, which the Racecourse event does not.

The organiser’s timings are gates at 4pm, a children’s Halloween display at 6.45pm, the bonfire lit at 7.30pm, the main display at 8.30pm, last entry at 9pm and gates closed at 11pm. There is a funfair, a DJ, a beer tent and food stalls.

Tickets, in the organiser’s own words: early bird £8, pre-sale £10, a family ticket for four at £30, and £12 on the gate. Booking is through TicketSource.

The clash to know about: Northampton’s Diwali Winter Festival of Lights is on the same Saturday, on the Market Square, from 10am to 8pm, with the lantern parade setting off through the town centre at 6pm. That is its 26th year. More on our Diwali page.

What is not happening

  • Nothing on Bonfire Night, Thursday 5 November. No town centre display is advertised for the night itself.
  • No Northampton Saints display is listed for 2026. The club ran one at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on 9 November 2025, from 4pm to 8pm with the show at 7pm. Its what’s on page carries nothing equivalent this year. If that changes we will add it here.

Sources