These Are the UK’s Most Photographed Fireworks Displays

Americans have the Fourth of July, but for Brits, fireworks are synonymous with November 5, also known as Guy Fawkes Night.

The annual event — commonly called Bonfire Night — marks the anniversary of the failed 17th-century Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Guy Fawkes’ face was made famous by the film V for Vendetta.

This week will provide a great opportunity for photographers hoping to practice their fireworks photography.

To uncover the U.K.’s most photographed displays, researchers from Popsa, a photo curation app, analyzed photo activity around Bonfire Night to come up with a list of the most photographed Bonfire Night displays in the U.K.

Methodology

To determine the most photographed Bonfire Night displays in the U.K., Popsa’s data science team analyzed anonymized, aggregated metadata from millions of photos across autumn 2024 and 2025. By comparing each location’s photo activity during the Bonfire Night period against its typical autumn activity, the team identified the areas with the biggest spikes.

Each display was then given an index score from 0 to 100 based on the size of its spike, with the top-ranked display scoring 100 and the rest scaled relative to it. Popsa says the result reflects real behavior: not just where people went, but where they were most moved to capture the moment.

1. Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, Bridgwater, Somerset

Photo index score: 100

Bridgwater’s Bonfire Night culminates in the centuries-old tradition of squibbing: more than 150 locals line the high street, each holding a firework on a pole to create a tunnel of sparks and flame as they process through the town. The main event takes place on November 7, with food trucks and a funfair at St Matthew’s Field.

2. Battersea Park Fireworks, Battersea, London

Photo index score: 60

Battersea Park’s fireworks have become one of London’s most popular social events, with riverside fireworks accompanied by live music, brass bands, funfair rides and street food in chalet-style cabins.

The two-day event takes place on November 7 and 8. The fireworks offer a striking display over the Thames, framed by Albert Bridge and the park’s burnt-orange autumn foliage.

3. Alexandra Palace Fireworks & Drone Festival, Alexandra Palace, London

Photo index score: 37

North London’s most impressive vantage point comes into its own on Bonfire Night, with fireworks and choreographed drones lighting up the sky above Alexandra Palace.

The two-day event splits between a party night on November 7, with an 8 pm display, and a family-friendly event on November 8, with an earlier 6 pm show.

4. Lewes Bonfire Night, Lewes, East Sussex

Photo index score: 35

Lewes Bonfire Night is one of the U.K.’s most spectacular celebrations, with torchlit processions, flaming tar barrels and giant effigies paraded through the medieval streets before being burned in fields outside the town.

Seven local societies each produce an effigy, typically reflecting the year’s current affairs – recent years have seen former prime ministers Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson.

Expect marchers in striped smugglers’ jumpers and historical costumes, carrying flaming torches through the packed streets before bonfires and fireworks at around 9 pm.

The dramatic displays make for brilliant photographs, but it’s worth noting that trains are suspended and roads are closed on the night to manage the crowds down the narrow streets.

5. Fireworks at Sea, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset

Photo index score: 35

For a fireworks display with a dramatic coastal backdrop, head to Weston-super-Mare to see the skies burst into colour above the Bristol Channel and the town’s historic Grand Pier. This year’s event takes place on November 14, starting at 7.30 pm.

6. Brockham Bonfire, Brockham, Surrey

Photo index score: 30

At the foot of the North Downs and near Box Hill, this picturesque Surrey village comes alive with a torchlight procession, roaring bonfire and one of the U.K.’s largest firework displays.

More than four tons of fireworks are packed into the 12-minute display, while the evening kicks off with torchbearers processing through Brockham, led by the Red Devil and the Guy.

The celebrations date back to 1888 and still include the historic roast-pig auction, where joints of pork are sold after the fireworks.

It’s a photogenic spectacle, with flaming torches, a bonfire and fireworks lighting up the Surrey countryside.

7. Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular, Maidstone, Kent

Photo index score: 27

Leeds Castle provides a fairytale setting for one of the south-east’s biggest Bonfire Night spectacles, with this year’s theme, Time, bringing fireworks, music, projections and lasers together across the castle grounds.

8. Ascot Fireworks Spectacular Family Raceday, Ascot, Berkshire

Photo index score: 25

Ascot combines horse racing with fireworks on October 31, when the Royal racecourse hosts one of Berkshire’s biggest fireworks displays.

9. Bonfire Fireworks Night, Weston Park, Shropshire

Photo index score: 24

Set against the stately backdrop of Weston Park and its 1,000 acres of historic parkland, this big-hitting Midlands Bonfire Night packs two firework displays into one evening, alongside a roaring bonfire and traditional funfair.

10. Guildford Lions Firework Festival, Stoke Park, Guildford

Photo index score: 23

Just half an hour by train from London Waterloo, Guildford’s Stoke Park hosts its annual fireworks festival on November 7, with gates opening at 5 pm.

Alongside a children’s entertainment area and LED show, the evening culminates in a 20-minute fireworks display featuring custom-designed sequences and high-altitude shells.

Top Tips

If you’re planning on photographing the fireworks this week, then Popsa also provided a handy guide by photographer Dan Mold on the best way to go about shooting the action.