Free Fairlands Valley Park fireworks on Thursday 5 November: gates 6.30pm, display 7.30pm sharp. Where to park, the accessible bays and what not to bring.

Stevenage’s free fireworks are on Thursday 5 November 2026 at Fairlands Valley Park. Gates open at 6.30pm and the display starts at 7.30pm sharp. Stevenage Borough Council has published the full arrangements on its event page. (Stevenage Borough Council, Firework display)

Updated 3 October: the council has now confirmed the gate and display times, the supplier and the parking plan. They match the 2024 pattern this page predicted.

The council has also put the display at the centre of its autumn programme for the town’s 80th birthday. (Stevenage Borough Council, “Free events for all this autumn and winter”, 1 October 2026)

The arrangements for 2026

Detail Confirmed by the council
Date Thursday 5 November 2026
Venue Fairlands Valley Park
Gates 6.30pm
Display 7.30pm sharp
Price Free
Fireworks Fantastic Fireworks
Food Hot food and drink vendors through the evening

The council asks people to arrive in good time to find a viewing spot. Any wet weather announcement will go out on its social media pages, so check those on the day.

How the times compare with past years

It is a fireworks display, not a bonfire

The council’s own name for it is the Annual Firework Display. Nothing the council has published describes a bonfire, so if you are looking for a bonfire in Stevenage on the night, this event is not it. For 2026 the council again asks visitors not to bring their own fireworks or sparklers, and not to buy from street traders or hawkers at the event, who are not accredited by the council. (Stevenage Borough Council, Firework display)

Parking, which is the part that goes wrong

Fairlands Valley Park has no car park big enough for a display crowd, and the council’s 2026 advice is to walk or use public transport if you can. If you do drive:

  • South Field car park, opposite the Stevenage FC stadium
  • Town centre car parks, then walk out
  • Marriotts School, main entrance, Brittain Way, SG2 8BL, for accessible parking only. It is not a public event car park; spaces are limited and first come, first served
  • Marriotts Sports Centre car park on Telford Avenue is closed to the public

The council says vehicles on double yellow lines or grass verges risk being towed, and asks drivers to keep off residential streets. If you park at South Field or in the town centre you will be crossing Six Hills Way: the council calls it a high-speed road. Use the pedestrian underpasses, where security stewards will direct you, rather than crossing the carriageway.

Rates and locations for every council car park are on our parking in Stevenage page, and anything shut on the night will show up on our Stevenage roadworks and travel page.

One extra thing to check this year. The A1(M) between junctions 7 and 8 goes down to a 24-hour 40mph or 50mph limit from on or after 30 September, for about five months, which covers Bonfire Night. If you are driving in from outside the town, allow for it: the detail is on our A1(M) 40mph limit page.

The rest of the council’s autumn calendar

The council’s autumn programme, published on 1 October, sets out the dates either side of the display. Note that the Halloween event is now on Saturday 31 October at the Indoor Market, not the Friday 30 October Event Island date the spring diary gave.

Event 2026 date Where
Halloween Market Event Saturday 31 October, 11am to 3pm Stevenage Indoor Market
Annual Firework Display Thursday 5 November Fairlands Valley Park
Remembrance Sunday Service Sunday 8 November Old Town Bowling Green
Armistice Day Service Wednesday 11 November Town Square and Joyride
Mayor’s Stevenage Birthday Show Wednesday 11 November Gordon Craig Theatre
Stevenage Christmas Light Switch On Saturday 21 November Town Centre / Event Island
Old Town Christmas Light Switch On Saturday 28 November Old Town Bowling Green

The switch-on dates are covered in full on our Stevenage Christmas lights switch-on page.

Sources