Bonfire Night in Jesmond: Where to Go for Fireworks in 2026

Bonfire Night 2026 falls on Thursday 5 November. If you are searching for a fireworks display in Jesmond, the honest answer is that there isn't one, and there has not been one for more than a decade. That is worth saying plainly, because a surprising number of listings sites still suggest otherwise. The good news is that Jesmond is about as well connected as any neighbourhood in Newcastle, and every worthwhile display within reach is a single Metro ride from Jesmond or West Jesmond.

Why Jesmond has no display of its own

For years the neighbourhood had one. The Jesmond Fireworks Display was held at Newcastle Cricket Club on Osborne Avenue, and it was a proper community fixture. It last actually ran in 2014. It was called off in 2015 and again in 2016, and by 31 October 2018 JesmondLocal was reporting that Jesmond was without a display for the fourth year running.

The reason was organisational rather than financial. The display lapsed when the club secretary who ran it stepped down, and the club's treasurer noted at the time that an event of that size takes a year's worth of planning to put together. Nobody picked it back up. The cricket club's current website makes no mention of fireworks at all, and there has been no revival since.

Two things to watch out for while you are searching. A stale Facebook event and an old Groupon deal for a "Jesmond Fireworks Display" at the Osborne Avenue postcode still rank well in search results; both are pre-2015 leftovers with no date attached, and neither points to anything that is happening. Separately, several aggregator pages attach gate times and ticket prices to Exhibition Park. Those figures belong to the Blue Flames display at Benton, not to a park that has never hosted a display.

Jesmond Dene has not hosted fireworks in any year either, and it is worth knowing that the valley paths are unlit. It is a lovely walk in daylight in early November, but it is not somewhere to head at seven in the evening hoping to catch something.

Blue Flames, Benton: the only option on the night itself

If you want fireworks on 5 November rather than the weekend either side of it, the Blue Flames Sporting Club display at Whitley Park in Benton (NE12 9SF) is the nearest thing going. Gates open at 5.30pm and the display is at 7.30pm, with tickets at £8.50 for adults, £5.50 for children and £25 for a family.

Two practical points. Tickets are online only, with no sales on the gate, so buy before you travel. And the ground is about five minutes from Benton Metro, which is a direct yellow line ride from Jesmond or West Jesmond with no changes. On a Thursday evening in the dark, that beats driving.

Newcastle Round Table at Gosforth: the big one

The largest display in the north of the city is the Newcastle Round Table Fireworks Extravaganza at Gosforth Sports Association on Broadway West (NE3 2NH), on Saturday 7 November. Gates open at 5pm and the fireworks go up at around 7pm, so aim to be on site by 6.45pm.

Tickets are £8.50 for adults, £6.50 for children aged 4 to 15, and £25 for a family of two adults and two children, or £28 for two adults and three children. As with Blue Flames, it is online only with no gate sales. Crucially, there is no parking at the ground, and the organisers direct everyone to the Metro. From Jesmond that is a green line ride to Regent Centre and a short walk, which makes Jesmond one of the easier places in the city to get to this one from.

Two more sit within easy reach on the same weekend. Newcastle Racecourse at High Gosforth Park runs its Firework and Funfair Racenight on Friday 6 November, with the display after the last race. And South Northumberland Cricket Club on Roseworth Terrace holds its fireworks night on Saturday 7 November, though times and prices had not been published at the time of writing, so check before setting off.

A free option at the coast

If you would rather not pay for tickets, North Tyneside Council's free fireworks display on The Links at Whitley Bay (NE26 1TQ) is on Sunday 1 November. The event runs from 6pm to 7.30pm with the display at around 7pm, lasting roughly fifteen minutes. There are no tickets and nothing to book. The yellow line runs straight from Jesmond to Whitley Bay, and on a busy night the Metro is far better than hunting for a space near the seafront.

Going with young children or a nervous dog

Most organised displays ban sparklers and personal fireworks brought from home, so leave them behind rather than having them taken off you at the gate. Dogs are almost always better off indoors with the curtains drawn and the radio on.

If loud bangs are the problem, look at the quieter and earlier events across the region. Blyth's free seafront event includes a low-noise display at 6pm, Ponteland's school display starts at 6pm on the night itself, and Hexham has dropped its bonfire entirely in favour of fireworks choreographed to music. Any of these suits younger children, or anyone with sensory difficulties, better than a 7.30pm start.

Whatever you pick, wrap up, travel by Metro, and get your tickets in advance where they are needed. Hot chips from Starbeck Fish and Chips on the way home are optional but strongly encouraged.

For displays across the whole of the North East, including Northumberland, County Durham and the coast, see our Bonfire Night round-up.

Know of a Jesmond bonfire event we have missed? Get in touch via our contact page.