West Kent Local News
A fireworks display (file photo, not a West Kent event). Image: IIP Photo Archive / Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Where to Expect Fireworks Across West Kent, From Tonight Through Bonfire Night Weekend
Halloween is traditionally one of the noisiest nights of the year for fireworks, and it's only the start - between tonight and the weekend after Bonfire Night, there are at least a dozen organised displays across West Kent's four boroughs, on top of whatever's going off in back gardens. Here's where the big ones are, so you know what to expect and when.
Worth a thought if you own a dog, or know a neighbour who does: fireworks can be genuinely frightening for pets, and this stretch of the year - with organised displays most nights for the next week or so, plus plenty of informal ones - is when it matters most. Knowing in advance when and where the nearby displays are happening makes it easier to plan around them: walk dogs earlier in the day, keep them indoors with curtains closed once it gets dark, and a bit of background noise can help take the edge off unexpected bangs.
Every display, in order
| # | Date | Event | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat 31 Oct | Rusthall Fire and Glow Festival | 6pm-9pm | Southwood Road Playing Field, Rusthall |
| 2 | Sat 31 Oct | Tunbridge Wells RFC Firework Night | 6pm-9pm | St Mark's Ground, Tunbridge Wells |
| 3 | Sun 1 Nov | Tonbridge Annual Fireworks Display | Gates 5pm, display 6.30pm | Tonbridge Racecourse Sports Ground |
| 4 | Fri 6 Nov | Swanley Firework Night | 5pm-9pm | Swanley Recreation Ground |
| 5 | Fri 6 Nov | Pembury Fireworks | Gates 6.30pm, display 7.30pm | Pembury Recreation Ground, Lower Green |
| 6 | Fri 6 Nov | Hawkhurst Gang Bonfire Night | 5.30pm-6.30pm | King George V Playing Field, Hawkhurst |
| 7 | Fri 6 Nov | Kent Life Fireworks Spectacular (night 1) | Gates 4pm, fireworks 8.30pm | Kent Life, Sandling, Maidstone |
| 8 | Sat 7 Nov | Edenbridge Bonfire | Procession 6.30pm, fireworks 8.30pm | Recreation Ground, Lingfield Road, Edenbridge |
| 9 | Sat 7 Nov | Shipbourne Firework and Bonfire Night Party | 4.15pm-6pm | Events Field, Back Lane, Shipbourne |
| 10 | Sat 7 Nov | Paddock Wood PTFA Family Fireworks Night | Gates 4pm, fireworks 5pm | Leigh Academy Paddock Wood |
| 11 | Sat 7 Nov | Dunorlan Park Fireworks | 5.30pm-9pm | Dunorlan Park, Tunbridge Wells |
| 7 | Sat 7 Nov | Kent Life Fireworks Spectacular (night 2) | Gates 3pm, fireworks 6.30pm | Kent Life, Sandling, Maidstone |
| 12 | Sat 7 Nov | Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular (night 1) | Display 5.30pm-6pm | Leeds Castle, Maidstone |
| 12 | Sun 8 Nov | Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular (night 2) | Display 5.30pm-6pm | Leeds Castle, Maidstone |
Numbers match the map below. Kent Life (7) and Leeds Castle (12) each run on two nights at the same site.
All twelve sites, on one map
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A couple worth knowing more about: Edenbridge Bonfire is billed as Kent's oldest traditional fireworks display, run by Edenbridge Bonfire Society since long before most of the others on this list existed - a torchlit procession through the town leads into the display, climaxing with the burning of two 10-metre effigies. And Kent Life's Fireworks Spectacular asks visitors not to bring pets to either night.
