Bonfire Night fireworks rules: when and where you can use them
Bonfire Night fireworks rules in the UK: sale dates, the 11 p.m. curfew and midnight on November 5, age limits, fines, and how Scotland and NI differ.
Why it matters
Fireworks rules change at the border: a garden display that is legal in England can break the law in an Edinburgh control zone or without a licence in Northern Ireland, and fines start at £90.
On November 5 in England and Wales, the fireworks curfew moves back by one hour, from 11 p.m. to midnight. That one extra hour applies to that one date and no other, which is why a garden party on the Saturday after Bonfire Night has to stop at 11 p.m. like any other night. In 2026, November 5 falls on a Thursday.
Quick answer: In England and Wales, adults (18 and over) can buy garden fireworks from registered shops from October 15 to November 10 and set them off on private land between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., or until midnight on November 5. Scotland allows use only from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Northern Ireland requires a licence to buy most fireworks.
The rules differ by nation because the UK splits fireworks law in two. Sales are mainly reserved to Westminster, while when and where people may use fireworks is devolved, according to the Scottish Government. The result is three slightly different sets of rules for the same night.
When can you buy fireworks for Bonfire Night?
Under the Fireworks Regulations 2004, which apply in England, Wales and Scotland, ordinary shops registered to sell fireworks may sell adult fireworks to the public only during four windows:
- October 15 to November 10, the Bonfire Night season
- December 26 to 31, for New Year
- The day of Diwali and the three days before it
- The first day of Chinese New Year and the three days before it
Outside those dates, fireworks can be bought only from licensed specialist shops, which pay their local licensing authority £500 a year for the right to sell all year round. Those figures come from regulation 9 of the 2004 rules and the government guidance on GOV.UK.
Scotland adds two limits of its own. Registered sellers there may sell to the public only between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., and no one may be sold more than 5 kilograms of fireworks at a time, the Scottish Government says.
Fireworks curfew times: 11 p.m., midnight and 1 a.m.
England and Wales ban adult fireworks during “night hours,” which regulation 7 defines as 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning. The regulation then lists four “permitted fireworks nights” with a later cut-off:
| Night | England and Wales | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary night | 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. | 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Bonfire Night (November 5) | Until midnight | Until midnight |
| New Year’s Eve | Until 1 a.m. | Until 1 a.m. |
| Diwali | Until 1 a.m. | Until 1 a.m. |
| First night of Chinese New Year | Until 1 a.m. | Until 1 a.m. |
Source: Fireworks Regulations 2004, regulation 7 (legislation.gov.uk); Scottish Government, “Fireworks: the law”, accessed October 27, 2026.
The curfew does not bind everyone. In England and Wales it does not apply to council staff running a council display, or to fireworks at a national public celebration or national commemorative event. In Scotland, organised public and professional displays are exempt from the 6 p.m. start and may begin from 7 a.m. on the permitted nights.
Where matters as much as when. It is illegal to set off or throw fireworks, sparklers included, in the street or other public places, GOV.UK says. Garden fireworks belong on private land, with the landowner’s permission if it is not your own. Councils can add local rules, so the council website is the place to check before a party.
How old do you have to be to buy fireworks?
Eighteen, for anything that counts as an “adult” firework. Younger buyers can get only the smallest items.
Fireworks sold in the UK are graded by hazard into four categories, marked F1 to F4 on the packaging:
- F1 covers very low hazard items such as party poppers, novelty crackers and some sparklers. They can be sold from age 16 (Christmas crackers and toy-gun caps are exempt from the age rule).
- F2 are garden fireworks, the rockets, fountains and small cakes sold in supermarkets.
- F3 are larger display fireworks that need more space.
- F4 are for professionals only and cannot be sold to the public anywhere in the UK.
F2 and F3 are the “adult” fireworks. Under-18s cannot buy them, and in England and Wales a person under 18 commits an offence just by carrying one in a public place. Scotland goes further: since October 10, 2022 it has been a crime there to buy fireworks or other pyrotechnics for someone under 18, or to give them one, under section 21 of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022.
Sparkler packets carry a warning that they are not for children under five.
What are the fines for breaking fireworks law?
The gap between the nations is wider than most people expect.
| Nation | Maximum penalty | Other powers |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Unlimited fine, up to 6 months in prison, or both | £90 on-the-spot fine |
| Scotland | Fine up to £5,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both | Tougher sentences when fireworks are used against emergency workers |
| Northern Ireland | Fine up to £5,000, up to 3 months in prison, or both | Licence can be checked at the till |
Source: GOV.UK, Scottish Government, nidirect, accessed October 27, 2026.
The £90 fixed penalty (about $120) is the one most people will actually meet. Police can issue it on the spot instead of taking the case to court, GOV.UK says.
Scotland: firework control zones and the 2022 Act
The Scottish Parliament passed the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 in June 2022, and it received Royal Assent on August 10, 2022. It is the biggest change to fireworks law anywhere in the UK since the 2004 regulations, though not all of it is working yet.
Three parts are in force, according to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), the parliament’s research service:
- Supplying under-18s with fireworks or flares is a crime, as is buying them on a child’s behalf.
- Carrying a pyrotechnic such as a flare in a public place or at a designated sports or music event is an offence, unless the person has a reasonable excuse.
- Firework control zones can be set up by councils.
A control zone is an area where setting off fireworks is banned for a set period, private gardens included. Only category F1 items such as sparklers and party poppers are allowed, along with organised public displays. Councils must consult residents before creating or removing a zone, and residents can ask their council for one, the Scottish Government says.
Edinburgh has used the power most. The city’s first zones covered four areas from November 1 to 10, 2024, including Niddrie and Calton Hill, SPICe reported. City of Edinburgh Council announced in June 2026 that 14 zones would be in place for 2026, running from October 30 to November 8, in areas including Corstorphine, Lochend, Moredun, Wester Hailes and West Pilton. Anyone in those areas should check the council’s maps before buying, because a rocket that would be legal in a garden one street away is a criminal offence inside the line.
The parts not in force are the ones that would have changed the most. The Act allows for a licence to buy fireworks, similar in idea to Northern Ireland’s system, and for limits on the days fireworks can be sold and used. In February 2023 the Scottish Government said the day restrictions would be “paused to a future financial year.” In February 2024 it said it was working to a timeline of “early 2026” for licensing. Ministers later put the licensing scheme on hold, citing its cost, and it has not started. Critics, including Ash Regan, then an Alba Party MSP, have argued that control zones do little while anyone over 18 can still buy fireworks freely.
Northern Ireland: why you need a licence
Northern Ireland has had a different system for decades, rooted in its security history. Under the Explosives (Fireworks) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, it is an offence to buy, possess or use garden (F2) or display (F3) fireworks without a licence from the Department of Justice, nidirect says. Indoor fireworks and sparklers are the only exceptions.
The licence names the specific fireworks the holder may buy, and nothing else. Buyers must show it to the retailer, who must be registered with the Department of Justice, and anyone who wants different products needs the licence amended first. Applications use separate forms for garden and display fireworks, and the department runs a helpline on 0300 200 7881.
The busiest night in Northern Ireland is Halloween rather than November 5. The Department of Justice’s licence reminders each autumn are aimed at Halloween, and nidirect set a closing date of October 16, 2026 for Halloween display applications. nidirect advises against setting off fireworks late at night.
Why Britain lights fireworks on November 5
The date marks a failed attempt to blow up Parliament with the king inside it.
- 1604 to 1605: A group of Catholic conspirators led by Robert Catesby plans to kill King James I by exploding gunpowder under the House of Lords at the State Opening of Parliament.
- Late October 1605: Lord Monteagle receives an anonymous letter warning him to stay away from Parliament on November 5. He passes it to the Earl of Salisbury, the king’s chief minister.
- Night of November 4 to 5, 1605: Guards searching a storeroom beneath the Palace of Westminster find 36 barrels of gunpowder hidden under firewood and arrest a man calling himself John Johnson. He is Guy Fawkes.
- January 1606: The surviving plotters, Fawkes among them, are tried and executed. Parliament passes an Act ordering every church in England to hold a thanksgiving service each November 5.
- 1859: The Anniversary Days Observance Act repeals the 1606 law. The bonfires and fireworks carry on without it.
From 1673 into the 1800s, crowds burned a model of the Pope on the bonfire, English Heritage says; Guy Fawkes later took his place, and by the 20th century children were asking passers-by for “a penny for the guy.”
Fire service safety advice for a garden display
Fire and rescue services across the UK give the same core advice each autumn, based on the Firework Code. Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service’s guidance runs as follows:
- Buy only from registered or licensed sellers, and only fireworks that meet UK safety standards.
- Store fireworks in a closed box and take them out one at a time. Never carry them in a pocket.
- Tell neighbours beforehand, especially older people and those with pets or young children.
- Light each firework at arm’s length, at the end of the fuse, and stand well back.
- Leave a lit firework alone, even if it seems to have failed, unless its instructions say otherwise. Never throw one.
- Give sparklers only to children over five, with gloves, and drop used ones into a bucket of water.
- Build any bonfire on private land at least 18 meters from buildings, trees, fences and overhead cables, burning only wood, paper, cardboard and garden waste.
Reading next week’s headlines
After November 5, expect police and fire service figures on callouts and attacks on crews, and fresh calls to tighten the law. In Scotland, the test is whether Edinburgh’s 14 zones reduce trouble enough to persuade other councils, and whether ministers restart the buyer licensing they paused. In England and Wales, any change to the sale windows or curfew would have to come through new regulations under the Fireworks Act 2003, and would show up on legislation.gov.uk well before it reached a shop shelf.
This article is for information only and is not legal advice. Check your council’s website for local rules before November 5.
