HASTINGS BONFIRE NIGHT 2026

So, we never expected to type these words, but here we are. Hastings Council is willingly handing the keys of the town over to a mob carrying blazing wooden torches, through Hastings Old Town today. Drum bands and bonfire societies make their way through the streets in costume and end up on the beach, where a top-secret effigy has been revealed. Then everyone chucks their torches onto a massive bonfire and watches a fireworks display go off.

It is, of course, Hastings Bonfire Night, and it’s one of the best events in the Hastings calendar.

It’s run entirely by a grand army of volunteers from the Hastings Borough Bonfire Society (HBBS) and marks a centuries-old Sussex tradition to mark the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and the Battle of Hastings. It is free to attend but do throw in a few quid for the HBBS donation buckets to keep the event going next year if you can.

The main parade kicks off from the sea end of Robertson Street and major seafront and Old Town roads close from late afternoon (around 5 pm).

Hastings Bonfire Night (loose) Schedule:

5:30 pm: The children’s procession leaves from The Stade

6:45 pm: The beacon is lit on East Hill to signal the start of the main event

7:15pm: The full torchlit procession leaves Robertson Street

9 pm: Everyone reaches the beach at Pelham Place to throw torches onto the bonfire

9:15 pm: The secret effigy is revealed, followed by fireworks

It gets loud. Like, seriously loud. So, leave dogs safe and warm at home.