1 week and 4 days
The same day count split into whole weeks plus the days left over.
Dates & time · Live UK countdown
How many days until Bonfire Night 2026?
There are 11 days until Bonfire Night, Thursday 5 November 2026.
Counted from Sunday 25 October 2026 in the UK. The count updates itself while the page is open.
11days to go
The countdown in other units
Weeks and days until 5 November.
11 sleeps
The number of nights left before the morning of 5 November.
Thursday
5 November 2026 is a Thursday, so many organised displays are held on a nearby weekend instead, such as Saturday 31 October 2026 or Saturday 7 November 2026. Check the date with the organiser.
Remember, remember
Bonfire Night marks the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Guy Fawkes was caught guarding gunpowder under the House of Lords, and in 1606 Parliament made 5 November a day of thanksgiving.
Sunset and darkness
What time does it get dark on Bonfire Night?
In London the sun sets at 16:26 on Bonfire Night (Thursday 5 November 2026) and it is dark by about 17:02.
| City | Sunset | Dark by about |
|---|---|---|
| London | 16:26 | 17:02 |
| Birmingham | 16:31 | 17:07 |
| Manchester | 16:29 | 17:06 |
| Leeds | 16:25 | 17:03 |
| Newcastle | 16:21 | 17:00 |
| Glasgow | 16:28 | 17:09 |
| Edinburgh | 16:24 | 17:04 |
| Cardiff | 16:39 | 17:14 |
| Belfast | 16:40 | 17:18 |
“Dark by about” is the end of civil twilight, when the Sun is 6° below the horizon and outdoor lights are needed. Worked out for each city centre with the NOAA solar calculator equations and rounded to the minute; London and Edinburgh agree with the US Naval Observatory tables to within a minute. Cloud, hills and buildings can make it look darker sooner.
Fireworks time checker
Can I set off fireworks at this time?
Enter a date and a time to see whether fireworks are allowed then under the hours on GOV.UK – Fireworks: the law, and why.
Fireworks curfew checker
Runs in your browser, with no run limit
Result
Fireworks at this timeAllowed
Thursday 5 November 2026 at 23:30: It is Bonfire Night (5 November), when the cut-off is midnight.
These are the rules on GOV.UK: no fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except until midnight on Bonfire Night and until 1am on New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year. The checker covers the time only. You must not set off or throw fireworks, including sparklers, in the street or other public places, and your council may have local rules.
In Scotland, adult fireworks can only be used in private places between 6pm and 11pm, with the same later cut-offs (gov.scot – Using fireworks). In Northern Ireland a fireworks licence is needed to buy, possess and use certain types of fireworks (nidirect – Fireworks).
Fireworks and the law
Fireworks rules to know before 5 November.
From GOV.UK – Fireworks: the law. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules: see gov.scot and nidirect.
Midnight on Bonfire Night
Fireworks must not be set off between 11pm and 7am. On Bonfire Night the cut-off is midnight; on New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year it is 1am.
18 and over
You cannot buy ‘adult’ fireworks if you are under 18.
Fines and prison
Selling or using fireworks illegally can lead to an unlimited fine and up to 6 months in prison, and there is also a £90 on-the-spot fine.
More date tools
Other dates coming up.
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Live countdown to 31 October with days, weeks and sleeps left, and how the clock change affects the evening.
Days until Christmas
Live countdown to Christmas Day with weeks, sleeps and UK working days left.
UK clocks change dates
When the clocks go back or forward in the UK, with every change date for five years.
Countdown timer to any date
Count down to a fireworks display or any other date and time.
Helpful answers
Bonfire Night FAQs.
What date is Bonfire Night 2026?
Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) is on Thursday 5 November 2026. It is always 5 November. 5 November 2026 is a Thursday, so many organised displays are held on a nearby weekend instead, such as Saturday 31 October 2026 or Saturday 7 November 2026. Check the date with the organiser.
Is Bonfire Night a bank holiday?
No. Bonfire Night is not a bank holiday anywhere in the UK, so schools, shops and offices keep their normal hours unless they choose otherwise. The UK bank holidays are listed on GOV.UK.
What time do fireworks have to stop on Bonfire Night?
GOV.UK says it is against the law to set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on Bonfire Night, when the cut-off is midnight, and on New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when it is 1am.
What time does it get dark on Bonfire Night?
In London the sun sets at 16:26 on Bonfire Night (Thursday 5 November 2026) and it is dark by about 17:02. Fireworks are allowed until midnight on 5 November, so there are about seven hours of darkness for displays before the cut-off. Times are UK clock time (GMT).
Why do we celebrate Bonfire Night?
It marks the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when a group of Catholic conspirators planned to blow up the House of Lords and King James I at the State Opening of Parliament. Guy Fawkes was found guarding barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords around midnight on 4–5 November 1605. Bonfires were lit in celebration, and an Act of Parliament in 1606 made 5 November a yearly day of thanksgiving.