Heaton Park
One of the biggest municipal parks in Europe: a free animal centre, boating lake, adventure playgrounds and an actual vintage tram running on summer days. You will not do all of it in one visit.
Bonfire Night 2026 in the North West, sorted by how much bang your children can take
Bonfire Night falls on a Thursday this year, which means the region spreads it across nine days: from Halloween on Saturday 31 October to Sunday 8 November. Half term finishes on the Sunday before the fifth, so the midweek displays are school nights. Plan round that.
This guide is sorted by the question that decides most families' evening, which is how loud your children can cope with. Everything was checked on the organiser's own page on 25 September 2026. Where a price was published I give it, and a family of four means two adults and two children. About a third of the displays had not put prices up yet, and I say which.
Free: the council displays
Manchester's free fireworks are back for the first time since 2019, in three parks on Saturday 7 November: Heaton Park, Wythenshawe Park and Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield. Each runs the same format, a reduced-noise display at 5pm for young children and SEND families, then a lantern parade and the full display at 8pm. The 5pm show is the best thing on this list for a toddler: see it, and be home for bath time.
Salford splits its free weekend across two parks. Buile Hill Park on Saturday 31 October has three displays, the first of them, Little Sparks, pitched at younger children, but no bonfire this year. Prince's Park in Irlam on Sunday 1 November has the bonfire and one display. Gates open at 4pm on both nights.
Rochdale Council runs three free school-night bonfires: Middleton at Bowlee Community Park on Monday 2 November, Heywood on Queen's Park Road on Tuesday 3 November and Rochdale on Cronkeyshaw Common on Wednesday 4 November. Each has a funfair from 6pm, the bonfire at 7pm and a reduced-noise display set to music at 7.30pm. None has toilets on site, and Heywood and Rochdale have no parking either, so walk in and go before you leave the house.
The Carlisle Fireshow at Bitts Park is in its 37th year: a bonfire and more than 2,000 fireworks set to music from 6.30pm on Saturday 31 October, with 35,000 people expected. There is an accessible viewing area on Sheepmount Road.
One free night without the fireworks: Light Up Lancaster runs from Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November, 5pm to 10pm, with light art around the city centre that children can ride on and play with. No fireworks were in the published programme when I checked.
No bangs at all
For the child who covers their ears at a balloon popping, three places do a bonfire without any fireworks. Brockholes near Preston has a no-bang Bonfire Night on Saturday 7 November, 5pm to 8pm, with bouncy castles, soft play, a magic show and marshmallows, and the bonfire lit at 6.45pm. Under 16s are £12.99 and adults £7.99, so £41.96 for four, and adult tickets include parking. It runs a Halloween version on Saturday 31 October too, same prices, with the bonfire lit by flaming arrow. No dogs at either.
Mere Sands Wood at Rufford lights a bonfire on an island in the lake at 7pm on Thursday 5 November, with acoustic music and the cafe open. It is £5 each, £20 for four, plus £4 for a parking ticket you must book in advance or you cannot park. It is billed as suiting dogs as well as sensory-sensitive children, which makes it the rare bonfire the family dog can come to.
The Hive at Moss Bank Park in Bolton does a tots and child friendly bonfire on Saturday 7 November, 5.30pm to 7.30pm: bonfire, hot chocolate, a magic show and unlimited marshmallows, no fireworks and no loud rides. Children £8, adults £5, under 2s £1, so £26 for four plus parking.
Quieter fireworks, or an early junior show
Next step up: real fireworks, but built for small ears. Cockfields Farm Park in Ashton-under-Lyne runs a low-bang display to Disney music at 7pm on four nights, Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 November, with animal feeding and a carousel beforehand. The Ice Cream Farm at Tattenhall finishes an afternoon of play on Saturday 7 November with fireworks 'without the loud bangs' at about 6.30pm. Partridge Lakes at Culcheth pairs a laser show with a very low-noise display at 7pm, Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November, with covered seating round fire pits. None of the three had a price up on 25 September.
Congleton Rotary's bonfire at Congleton Park on Saturday 7 November opens with a silent display at 6.30pm before the full show at 7.30pm, and under 5s are free. Several of the bigger shows run a junior display first so younger children can see one and leave: Chester's Spooktacular on the Roodee at 6.45pm on 31 October, Poynton at 7pm on 7 November, Woodford at 7pm on the fifth, Bramhall's Disney display at 7.15pm on Friday 6 November, Towneley in Burnley at 7.15pm on the fifth and Macclesfield Cricket Club at 7.15pm on 7 November.
The early finishers matter as much as the quiet ones. Wigan Council's Spark in the Park at Haigh Woodland Park on Sunday 1 November has fireworks at about 6.40pm and is done by 7pm. Bolton School's fundraiser on Sunday 8 November runs 4.30pm to 7pm; it is Remembrance Sunday and there is a moment of reflection, which is worth mentioning to the children beforehand.
The paid shows, cheapest first for a family of four
Standing prices as published on 25 September, for two adults and two children over the free age. Early bird offers are left out.
£8: the Blackburn Charity Bonfire at Witton Country Park on Saturday 7 November, where an advance family ticket covers two adults and up to four children. That is about as cheap as a ticketed display gets, and the money goes to local charities.
£16: Greenmount Scouts at Holcombe Brook on 7 November, adults £6 and under 16s £2. The fireworks are not until 8pm.
£17 plus parking: Towneley on Thursday 5 November, £5 each or £17 for a family of four, with the bonfire at 6.45pm, the junior display at 7.15pm and the main one at 8.15pm. There are no tickets on the door and you need a pre-bought parking ticket to park in the park, £8 or £10.
£18: Blackpool Cricket Club on the fifth, £6 each on the gate or £18 for a family of four, no advance tickets. Clitheroe Castle on Saturday 7 November also comes to £18, with adults £6, children £3 and under 3s free; ticket only, bag searches, no dogs or sparklers.
£30: Woodford Community Centre on the fifth, family ticket, with no parking at the centre at all. Manley Mere near Frodsham on the same night, at £7.50 a head.
£36: Bolton School on 8 November, adults £10 and children £8.
£40: the Lord Mayor's Spooktacular Fireworks at Chester Racecourse on Halloween, £10 each with under 5s free, so £20 if both children are small. It is cashless and there is no parking at the course.
£47.80: Bonfire Bonanza at Walby Farm Park near Carlisle on the fifth, £11.95 each. The ticket gets you into the indoor play barn from 4pm, which is a very good answer to a cold wait. It always sells quickly.
£48: the Crocky Trail near Chester on the fifth, adults £11.50 and children 5 to 18 £12.50, under 5s free. The slides and fairground rides run in the dark with fireworks at 6.45pm, but the trail itself is closed.
£50: From The Ground Comes Light at the St Helens rugby stadium on the fifth, adults £15 and children £10, a fire and light show watched from the stands with a hard 8pm finish. Town centre car parks are free that evening.
£55 plus rides, if both children are under 9: Blakemere Village near Northwich on Saturday 7 November, adults £15 and under 9s £12.50, fireworks to music at 7.30pm but no bonfire. Funfair rides are £12 for ten tokens on top, and it always sells out.
Gulliver's World in Warrington folds its Fireworks Spectacular into a normal park ticket on Saturday 7 November, with the display at about 8pm after a full day of rides. Worth it only for children who can last until eight.
The Lancashire Mining Museum at Astley Green does a volunteer-run bonfire under the colliery headgear on Saturday 7 November, with tickets from £8.80. There is no parking on site, and the heritage rides are cash only.
No price yet
These had confirmed 2026 dates on their own pages on 25 September but no prices: Cockfields, the Ice Cream Farm and Partridge Lakes from the quieter list, Poynton Round Table (7 November, since 1972, advance tickets only), Congleton Rotary, Fireworks Over The Showground at Tabley near Knutsford (Friday 6 November, children 5 and under free, free parking), Bramhall (6 November), the Macc Big Bang at Macclesfield rugby club (6 November, runs to 10.30pm with no junior show listed), Macclesfield Cricket Club (7 November), The Tytherington Club (the fifth), Kendal Rugby Club (6 November), Spark in the Park at Haigh, and the Vale Fire festival at Reddish Vale Farm on 5 and 6 November. I will add the prices as they go up.
Still not announced
On 25 September Oldham, Worden Park in Leyland, Light Up Astley, Morecambe, Northwich FireFest, Tameside, Halton and Prenton Park had nothing for 2026 on their own pages, so they are not in this guide yet. The Christmas holidays page picks up where Bonfire Night leaves off.
Questions people actually ask
When is Bonfire Night 2026?
Thursday 5 November 2026. Most North West displays are spread from Saturday 31 October to Sunday 8 November, and the busiest night is Saturday 7 November, when Manchester's three free council displays, Brockholes, Clitheroe Castle, Blakemere Village and several others all run.
Are there free firework displays in the North West in 2026?
Yes. Manchester City Council has free displays at Heaton Park, Wythenshawe Park and Platt Fields Park on Saturday 7 November. Salford's free weekend is at Buile Hill Park on 31 October and Prince's Park, Irlam on 1 November. Rochdale Council runs three free nights from 2 to 4 November, and the Carlisle Fireshow at Bitts Park on 31 October is free.
Where can I take a child who is scared of fireworks on Bonfire Night?
Brockholes, Mere Sands Wood and The Hive at Moss Bank Park all run bonfires with no fireworks at all. For quieter fireworks, try the 5pm reduced-noise shows at Manchester's three free displays, Congleton's silent display at 6.30pm, or the low-bang nights at Cockfields Farm Park and The Ice Cream Farm.
What is the cheapest ticketed bonfire for a family?
The Blackburn Charity Bonfire at Witton Country Park, where an advance family ticket is £8 for two adults and up to four children. Greenmount Scouts (£16 for four), Towneley in Burnley (£17 family ticket plus parking) and Blackpool Cricket Club and Clitheroe Castle (£18 for four) are next.
Which firework displays finish early enough for toddlers?
Manchester's 5pm reduced-noise displays are the earliest. Spark in the Park at Haigh Woodland Park is done by 7pm on Sunday 1 November, Bolton School's display finishes at 7pm on Sunday 8 November, and The Hive's no-fireworks bonfire at Moss Bank Park ends at 7.30pm.
Every place in this guide
Wythenshawe Park & Community Farm
A big south Manchester park with a proper community farm - pigs, goats, horses - a Tudor hall, and enough playground to earn the trip on its own. All free.
Platt Fields Park
Fallowfield's big Victorian park: a lake with a boathouse, play areas, a skatepark and BMX track, and enough flat grass to wear anyone out. Free, and better than its student-land reputation suggests.
Bitts Park
Carlisle's big riverside park, right under the castle walls: a large play area for all ages, a free splash park in the warmer months, skate park and acres of grass where the Eden and Caldew meet. The obvious free half of a Carlisle day.
Brockholes Nature Reserve
A nature reserve with a visitor village that floats on the lake - genuinely floats. Easy flat trails, hides, a good playground and free family crafts in the summer holidays.
Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve
Ninety five per cent of the paths take a buggy or a wheelchair, which is rare for a nature reserve. Old sand quarry lakes outside Rufford, run by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, with six hides and a viewing platform.
Moss Bank Park
Bolton's big free family park: two decent playgrounds, a miniature railway, a seasonal funfair and The Hive, a Wildlife Trust nature-play garden that charges £2.50 a head and is worth it for under-sevens.
Cockfields Farm Park
A big family-run farm park on the Ashton and Oldham border: feed the cows, alpacas and goats, hold the rabbits, then lose an hour on the jumping pillow. Card only, and from October most days are ticketed events.
The Ice Cream Farm
A small entry fee now, then a pay-per-play card for the attractions: a giant sand and water quarry, mini golf, go-karts and play areas, funded by a world-record ice cream shop. Cheap after 3.30pm, glorious in any weather.
Congleton Park
The free outdoor paddling pool is the summer draw, run for under elevens with an attendant always on duty. The rest is twenty five acres of Victorian park along the River Dane.
Haigh Woodland Park
Woodland trails, big playgrounds and a hall lawn made for picnics, with a miniature railway, high ropes and crazy golf as the paid extras. The free bits alone fill an afternoon.
Witton Country Park
Blackburn's biggest green space: 480 acres with adventure playgrounds, woodland trails and a visitor centre in the old Victorian stables. Free in, free to park, and it absorbs a whole afternoon without anyone asking for money.
Towneley Hall & Park
The hall is back open after its £3.6m restoration, but the park was always the real family day: playgrounds, gardens, woodland trails and a cafe right by the play area. Park free, parking cheap, and kids get into the hall for nothing.
Clitheroe Castle
One of England's smallest Norman keeps on a rock above the town, with a labyrinth, sculpture trail and a museum that tells the Ribble Valley's story briskly. The grounds and the views cost nothing.
Manley Mere Adventure Trail
An outdoor obstacle trail around the mere - seesaw bridges, rope swings, water crossings - that has quietly become one of the North West's most talked-about days out. Wet, muddy, screen-free and completely absorbing.
Lancashire Mining Museum
Lancashire's only surviving colliery headgear and a 3,300 horsepower steam winding engine at Astley Green, run by volunteers and free to walk round. Afternoons only, four days a week.
Walby Farm Park
Cumbria's big family farm park: animal handling, giant jumping pillows, pedal go-karts and an indoor play barn big enough to lose a wet afternoon in. The far-north option when you are up that way.
The Crocky Trail
A mile of muddy obstacles, wobbly bridges and enormous slides through a Cheshire valley. Children come off it filthy, soaked and asking to go round again. This is the point; dress accordingly.
Blakemere Village
A shopping village in the Delamere woods with free entry, free parking and a genuinely good free adventure playground, plus a long menu of pay-as-you-go extras from crazy golf to falconry.
Gulliver's World
A theme park deliberately built for ages 2 to 13 rather than teenagers, so both of them can ride most of it. The classic full-day option on your doorstep.
Reddish Vale Farm
A proper small farm park tucked into the Tame valley on Stockport's edge: cows, goats, shire horses and alpacas, zip wires outside and a play area under cover for when it rains. Book online, the gate price is higher.