Bonfire Night, for local dogs

When the town shuts

• Roads close from 4.45pm. Residents are asked to get their cars home before 4pm.
• No trains stop at Lewes, Falmer, Cooksbridge, Glynde or Southease from 5pm until the first train on Friday 6 November.
• So the last easy walk is in daylight, before the roads close.
• The bangs start before the night. In past years there have been bangers on Badge Night, the evening before, and a loud bang at about 6am on the day. What to expect, and our tips.

Before the bangs

• Walk your dog in daylight, before the fireworks are likely to start. RSPCA, PDSA, Dogs Trust
• Check the microchip details are up to date. By law, your dog should already be microchipped. RSPCA, Dogs Trust, BVA
• Make the house and garden escape-proof. Dogs Trust
• Set up a den ahead of the season: well padded, and as enclosed as you can make it with blankets. BVA, PDSA
• Check the dates of displays nearby (our fireworks calendar). PDSA
• Play recordings of fireworks, starting quiet and pairing them with treats, well before the season. RSPCA, PDSA
• Talk to your vet about medicines or pheromone products. BVA, RSPCA

During the bangs

• Close the windows and curtains, put the lights on, and play music or the TV to mask the bangs. Dogs Trust, BVA, PDSA
• Let your dog hide or pace if it wants to. RSPCA, Dogs Trust
• Comfort your dog if it comes to you. Ignoring it won't help. Dogs Trust, PDSA
• Stay calm yourself. Dogs Trust, BVA
• Wait for a gap in the fireworks to take your dog out to the toilet. PDSA
• Don't tie your dog up outside, or leave it in a car or outside a shop. RSPCA
• Never punish a frightened dog. RSPCA, BVA

After the bangs

• Go back to your normal routine to help your dog settle. Dogs Trust
• If your dog is still frightened, see your vet before next season. They may refer you to a clinical behaviourist. Dogs Trust, PDSA

Where the firesites are

No animals at the firesites. Cliffe's own page says "Strictly no animals", and every society's firesite keeps to the same rule: take the dog out of it, not into it.

Seven societies each light their own fire in a field on the edge of town, and march there through the streets from about 5pm. If you live near one, or near the way to one, that's where the noise is loudest, and the streets round it are shut. Know yours, so you can plan the night, walk early and settle the dog before the first bangs.

What each society's own pages say, read 21 Oct 2026; where a society has nothing of its own to read, the line comes from Visit Lewes's guide to the night (undated) and says so. All seven are on the map. Borough, Commercial Square and Nevill are approximate.

• Cliffe · black and white

  Fire site: Mountfield Road, BN7 2XD: in from the corner south of Lewes station, to the field behind Lewes Leisure Centre.

  Starts: Opens 9pm, fireworks expected 10.15pm (its own page; times can change).

  Strictly no animals on the firesite, and it's unsuitable for children. It's a field, likely cold and wet, with no facilities on site.

  Its paper tickets are sold by its programme sellers in the Cliffe Precinct every Saturday, and at the Dorset, the Gardeners, the Volunteer, the John Harvey Tavern, Harvey's shop, Beckworths Deli, Caffè Nero, Fuego and the Patch.

  Its 2026 safety page: “Don't bring any animals. It is too busy, noisy and crowded. They will be trampled and terrified.” It says the roads stay shut, with no vehicles moving inside the closure, until 1am.

  TicketsOn the mapIts website

• Lewes Borough · blue and white

  Fire site: Landport Bottom (Motor Road), at the top end of town, the same field Nevill uses on its own night.

  Starts: Its Grand procession leaves for the firesite at about 9.30pm (its own page, approximate).

  Founded in 1847: the oldest bonfire society in Lewes, in its own words.

  Its approximate times for the 5th: the barrel run at 5.30pm from White Lion Lane, processions through the evening, and the Bonfire Prayers at about 11.30pm. Its page says the road closures, which cover all of Lewes, last until 2am (Cliffe's 2026 safety page says 1am).

  TicketsOn the mapIts website

• Southover · red and black

  Fire site: Convent Field, behind Lewes FC's ground, off Mountfield Road.

  Starts: Not said for 2026.

  It asks people not to bring prams, pushchairs or buggies into the processions.

  No 2026 firesite tickets on its own site or its ticket page yet. In 2025 they were £10, with programmes at £3, from the King's Head, the Swan, St Pancras Stores and the Tourist Information.

  On the mapIts website

• Commercial Square · gold and black

  Fire site: Landport, off the Offham Road (Visit Lewes's guide, undated).

  Starts: About 9.45pm (Visit Lewes's guide, undated).

  Free to enter, says Visit Lewes's guide (undated).

  Its own website had nothing on it when we looked (21 Oct 2026), so we can't tell you more yet.

  On the mapIts website

• Waterloo · red and white

  Fire site: Malling Recreation Ground, behind Tesco (Mayhew Way, BN7 2FZ).

  Starts: About 9.30pm (Visit Lewes's guide, undated).

  Its own Our Night page says the firesite is free to enter, with crowdfunding to help pay for the display, which costs over £15,000. The page isn't dated, so it may not be for 2026.

  Visit Lewes's guide (undated) also says free access, with a bucket collection or its GoFundMe page.

  On the mapIts website

• South Street · brown and cream

  Fire site: The Railway Land Nature Reserve, in by Railway Lane off Cliffe High Street (BN7 2FG).

  Starts: Opens about 8.30pm, once the processions arrive (its own ticket page; can change).

  No fireworks or sparklers on site, no facilities, and it's likely to be wet, it says.

  We couldn't find a website of its own, so this is from its own ticket page.

  TicketsOn the map

• Nevill Juvenile · green and white

  Fire site: Landport Bottom, Motor Road, BN7 1PH, the same field as Borough, for its own night.

  Starts: Its own night was Saturday 17 October 2026, 8.30pm to 10pm.

  Its own night has been: a grand firework display at Landport Bottom on Saturday 17 October 2026, its 59th year.

  On 5 November its members march with Lewes Borough; Borough's programme has the times, it says.

  Its guernseys are green and white hoops.

  On the mapIts website