Bonfire Night in E20: fireworks, reporting problems and looking after pets

In East Village, the midnight cut-off on Bonfire Night, Thursday 5 November 2026, isn't permission to set off fireworks in Victory Park or the street.

What the rules mean here

The usual 11pm cut-off moves to midnight for Bonfire Night.

Newham has a separate order covering fireworks likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress in public places. That includes Victory Park, which is open to residents and visitors; the test is public access, not whether the council owns the land. Council-authorised events are exempt.

Breaking that order can mean a £100 fixed penalty, reduced to £80 if paid within 10 days, or a fine of up to £1,000 following prosecution. Those penalties are for Newham's order, not the separate national offences.

If there's a problem

Call 999 if someone is seriously injured, in immediate danger or there is a threat to public safety.

For an ongoing fireworks problem, use the Met's antisocial behaviour reporting service.

Before it gets noisy

If you have a dog, get the walk done in daylight. Keep cats indoors after dark, close windows and curtains, and leave somewhere familiar for pets to hide. Let them stay there rather than coaxing them out. Ask your vet if you're worried about how they'll cope.

Photo: DiscoA340 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized by East Village Hub, shared under the same licence. Archive photograph of Victory Park on 31 December 2023, not this year's Bonfire Night.