Guildford Lions' firework festival is Saturday 7 November at Stoke Park, gates 5pm, adults £14 to £20, under 16s free. Ripley Bonfire is Saturday 31 October.
Guildford’s main fireworks display is the Guildford Lions Firework Festival on Saturday 7 November 2026 at Stoke Park. The park opens at 5pm, gates close at 8.15pm, adult tickets cost £14 to £20 depending on when you buy, and children under 16 go free with an adult (Guildford Lions Club, Firework Festival). A week earlier, on Saturday 31 October, the Ripley Bonfire lights up Ripley Green.
The quick answer
- Guildford Lions Firework Festival: Saturday 7 November, Stoke Park. Park open 5pm, gates close 8.15pm, event ends 9pm.
- Tickets: adults £14 early bird to 30 September, £17 from 1 October, £20 on the day. Under 16s free with an adult.
- Ripley Bonfire: Saturday 31 October, Ripley Green, with the bonfire lit around 7.30pm and fireworks at 8pm on the association’s published programme.
Guildford Lions Firework Festival, Stoke Park
The Lions describe the night as a charity event where “every penny of profit goes back into our local community”. This year’s profits go to the club’s welfare fund and to Guildford Shakespeare Company’s “Put Up Your Swords” knife-crime programme for schools, which the club aims to back with £10,000. It is also working with social services to give away 250 free family tickets.
Timings
From the Lions’ key information sheet for 2026 (Guildford Lions, key information PDF):
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 5pm | Park opens; food, drink, funfair and glow toys from now |
| 6pm to 7pm | The Hired Guns, first set |
| 6pm to 8.30pm | LED walkabout characters and juggler |
| 7pm to 7.30pm | Children's LED show |
| 7.30pm to 8.30pm | The Hired Guns, second set |
| 8.15pm | Gates close |
| 9pm | Event closes (food and drink until 9.15pm) |
The fireworks are the finale, again by Pains Fireworks, with Peter Gordon as MC. The Lions have not published a start time for the display itself; with the band finishing at 8.30pm and the event closing at 9pm, it falls in that half hour.
Tickets
- Early bird adult £14, 19 to 30 September.
- £17 from 1 October to 6 November.
- £20 on the day, 7 November.
- Under 16s free, and they must be with an adult.
All prices include booking fees. Tickets are sold through See Tickets via the Lions’ page. Ticket holders get 25% off bowling and ice skating at Guildford Spectrum on 7 November, booked through a link in the confirmation email (skate hire not included).
Parking and getting in
- Guildford Spectrum, Parkway GU1 1UP: free, opposite Stoke Park.
- Guildford College, Stoke Road GU1 1EZ: free, a short walk, but no direct access; use the Nightingale Road entrance.
- Guildford High School, London Road GU1 1SJ: Blue Badge holders only, closes 9.45pm.
- York Road multi storey, Denmark Road: council car park about 15 minutes’ walk, £2 after 6pm. More on our parking page.
There are two gates: inside Stoke Park (reached from the Parkway entrance opposite the Spectrum or from London Road) and on Nightingale Road. Blue Badge and pushchair visitors are let onto the tarmac path from the London Road side. Bags are checked. No alcohol, glass bottles or fireworks; drinks other than water or soft drinks in sealed plastic bottles up to 500ml are not allowed in. There are three licensed bars on site.
Ripley Bonfire, Ripley Green
The Ripley Bonfire Association says its bonfire takes place “on the last Saturday of October” and draws up to 12,000 people, with a funfair, food, a bar and live music; proceeds go to the Ripley Over 60s Club and other local groups (Ripley Bonfire). This year that is Saturday 31 October.
The association’s programme of events, which carries no year (Ripley Bonfire, programme):
- 1pm funfair opens
- 4pm bar and food open
- 7pm band starts, playing until around 10pm with a break for the fireworks
- 7.10pm torchlit procession leaves the village hall for the green
- 7.30pm the bonfire is lit
- 8pm fireworks
The association says the event “relies on donations from the public” and collects them through its fundraising page.
Other dates around Bonfire Night
- Remembrance Sunday is 8 November, the morning after the Lions’ display: see Guildford Remembrance Sunday.
- Illuminate Guildford at the castle opens on 14 November: our preview.
- Check the roadworks page for London Road and the A3 before you drive in.
Still to confirm
- The time the Stoke Park fireworks start, and the Lions’ site map (“to follow”).
- Ripley’s 2026 programme: the association’s page does not say which year it describes. We will check nearer the date.
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