Oldham’s Bonfire Night and fireworks may be scrapped for good

Oldham Council won’t be holding its traditional bonfire event for the second year in a row, a spokesperson has confirmed.

The ‘Big Bang Bonfire’ used to take place at Oldham Edge playing fields every year. Between 2013 and 2023, the event was cancelled only once – during the 2020 pandemic year.

But after almost a decade, the council last year decided to adapt the bonfire event into a family-friendly festival in the town centre last year, and is doing the same again for 2025.

At the time, a spokesperson for the council suggested the ‘re-look at the event’ was to ‘support local businesses’ by ‘encouraging visitors to explore what our town centre has to offer’. The council did not reply to a request for comment on the fire cancellation this year, but indicated that its position hasn’t changed from last year.

A council source also hinted that the bonfire may never return to the borough, with many local authorities opting to phase out the fire-based event. Manchester is now on its sixth year without holding a bonfire event in one of its parks. Bolton and Bury’s council-organised bonfire events have also been cancelled several years in a row.

The state of council finances are likely to be a factor. In 2023, Oldham splashed out £55k on the free-to-attend event, up from under £42k in 2022.
Despite the mark-up, visitor numbers dwindled from 8,000 to 5,000, meaning the price per head more than doubled for the council. It’s an expense cash-strapped councils are increasingly reluctant to foot the bill for.

This year, Oldham Council plans to celebrate the occasion a little bit differently.

From 5.30pm on Saturday, November 1, Oldham council will take over the town centre with a host of colourful family-friendly events.

It will be a free evening of fiery installations and mesmerising fire dancers. With stunning flame-filled displays, visitors will be able to watch artists paint the night sky with sparks, and enjoy thrilling performances that bring heat, light and drama to the heart of the Oldham.

An immersive show with a spooky twist will also see youngsters interact with six ‘fire-powered’ stations to earn power-up tokens and feed the Monster-O-Meter. The show, put on by Emergency Exit Arts and Lightfires’s Frank & McStein’s Monster Laboratory show, features a breath-taking giant puppet and live music.