Colchester's Castle Park fireworks are on Bonfire Night itself, Thursday 5 November 2026. Gates 5.30pm, display 7.30pm, adults £13, and no tickets on the gate.
Colchester’s fireworks display is on Bonfire Night itself this year: Thursday 5 November 2026, in Castle Park. It is the 55th King Coel’s Kittens Firework Spectacular, and tickets went on sale on 1 September.
That matters more than usual. Most towns in Essex move their display to the nearest weekend. Colchester has not, so this is a school-night event that finishes around 8pm.
Every fact below comes from the organiser’s own website and its box office, checked on 5 September 2026.
Times
The running order is published on the King Coel’s Kittens site.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 5.30pm | Gates open, entertainment begins, food stalls open |
| 7pm | Guy Parade sets off from the bandstand |
| 7.30pm | Fireworks display begins |
The box office lists the event as running about two hours 30 minutes from a 6pm start, so plan on being in the park until roughly 8pm. The organisers note that times can change.
What it costs, and where to buy
Tickets are sold through the Mercury Theatre’s box office brand, Experience Tickets. Booking opened at 10.30am on 1 September 2026 and online sales close at 8pm on the night itself.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | £13.00 |
| Child aged 5 to 15 | £7.00 |
| Child aged 3 to 4 | £1.00 |
| Under 3 | Free, but a ticket must still be selected at checkout |
There are no tickets on the gate. Everything is sold online, and sales stop when the park is full. The organisers state plainly that they offer no concessions to individuals or groups, because the whole event is a fundraiser.
Book at experiencetickets.co.uk. Ticket problems go to the Mercury box office on 01206 573948 or experiencetickets@mercurytheatre.co.uk, open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm.
Which gates are open
The organisers name four entry points: Museum Street, both ends of the Folley, Roman Road, and the main gates by the war memorial. All of these are upper park gates. The lower park gates stay shut for the whole event, so anyone walking up from the riverside end will have to come round.
If you want to avoid the queue, the organisers say Roman Road has the least footfall.
Have your ticket ready to scan on a phone at the gate.
Accessibility
There is no reserved accessible viewing area. The organisers’ advice is to position yourself along the path by the bandstand, or on the path running from the Castle Café to the beacon. Both are hard surfaces with a clear view of the display, and the first aid point is nearby.
Assistance dogs are welcome. No other animals are allowed in the park.
What you cannot bring
No alcohol, no sparklers, no laser pens or laser toys, and no dogs other than assistance dogs. Bags may be searched at the gate. Food stalls sell hot food and soft drinks near the Castle Café and the beacon in the upper park.
Parking
There is no parking inside Castle Park. The organisers point drivers at four city centre car parks, and the evening tariffs on the council’s own car parks are cheap by daytime standards.
| Car park | Spaces | Evening charge |
|---|---|---|
| Priory Street, CO1 2QA | 169 | £2.40, entry after 6pm to midnight |
| St Mary’s multi-storey, CO3 3AA | 577 | £2.40, entry after 6pm to midnight |
| Britannia, CO2 7EF | 369 | £1.40, 6pm to 6am |
| NCP Osborne Street, CO2 7DP | Privately run | Check on site |
Two things to know. Britannia currently has 92 spaces closed at its western end for archaeological investigation, so it is smaller than its 369 spaces suggest. St Mary’s shuts its entrance lane from 10pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, but 5 November is a Thursday, so it is open 24 hours that day. Height limits are 1.97 metres at Priory Street and 2.06 metres at St Mary’s.
Our parking in Colchester page has the full tariff table for every council car park, and Colchester roadworks and travel covers anything disrupting the drive in.
Where the money goes
King Coel’s Kittens is a local fundraising group founded in 1962 by Bill Tucker, a county newspaper journalist. It never gives cash to organisations or pays overheads: it buys physical equipment for local groups. This year’s beneficiaries, listed on its own site, are Levelbest, Kingsland Church, local Scout groups, the Wivenhoe Allotment Group, the Culver Square book telephone box, Stepping Stones and Emmaus.
The group puts attendance at around 8,000 people a year.
One thing to watch
The organiser’s official website is kingcoelskittens.co.uk. The older
.org address is no longer theirs: it now resolves to an unrelated online
casino page. If you land on that, you are in the wrong place, and you should not
enter card details there.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Colchester fireworks in 2026?
Thursday 5 November 2026, in Castle Park. Colchester runs its display on Bonfire Night itself rather than moving it to the nearest weekend. Gates open at 5.30pm and the fireworks start at 7.30pm.
How much are tickets for the Castle Park fireworks?
Adults are £13, children aged 5 to 15 are £7, and children aged 3 and 4 are £1. Under-3s go free but still need a ticket selected at checkout. There are no concessions, because the event is a fundraiser.
Can I buy fireworks tickets on the gate?
No. Every ticket is sold in advance through the Experience Tickets box office and online sales close at 8pm on the night. If the park sells out, that is the end of it.
Where can I park for the Colchester fireworks?
Not in Castle Park. Use Priory Street CO1 2QA, St Mary’s CO3 3AA, Britannia CO2 7EF or NCP Osborne Street CO2 7DP. Entry after 6pm costs £2.40 at Priory Street and St Mary’s, and £1.40 at Britannia.
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