Seaford Bonfire 2026 is on Saturday 17 October: procession from the White Lion at 7.15pm, fireworks at 9pm on Martello Fields, A259 shut from 7pm.

Seaford Bonfire is on Saturday 17 October 2026. The society has confirmed the date on its own site: “Bonfire will be returning to the streets of Seaford on Saturday 17th October 2026.”

Update, 1 October 2026: the society has now posted Seaford Bonfire Night 2026 as an event on its own site, running 7pm to 11pm on Saturday 17 October, with the torchlit procession, bonfire and grand firework display (Seaford Bonfire Society, events). Seaford Town Council lists the same night on its events page. The 2026 road closure sheet is still not out: the PDF on the event page is still headed 2025.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue’s Choose Local list carries the same date, so this one is firm. It is three weeks before Lewes, on a Saturday, and it is the display most people in Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven can actually get to.

The running order

Seaford Bonfire Society publishes a full timetable on its event information page. The page is not dated and the road closure sheet attached to it is the 2025 version, so treat these as the pattern rather than as this year’s signed-off plan:

Time What happens
6am First road closures around Martello Fields and the Esplanade
3pm Esplanade and beach close for the firework setup
5pm Road closures live around Martello Fields, fire site closures
5.30pm Westdown Road closes
7pm A259 and surrounding roads close for the first procession
7.15pm First procession leaves the White Lion Hotel, Claremont Road
7.45pm Procession reaches the war memorial
8pm Roads south of the A259 close
8.15pm Grand Procession leaves the war memorial for the fire site
8.45pm Grand Procession enters the fire site
9pm Grand firework display
9.15pm Fire site programme and bonfire
10.30pm All road closures around the fire site lifted

The society’s own note applies: all times are subject to change, and closures are lifted as soon as the procession is clear and event control gives the word.

Background music plays over the fire site PA from 8pm to 10pm.

Parking is the real problem

There is no designated disabled parking at the event. The society says it tries to fit Blue Badge vehicles inside the seafront road closure, but once that space is gone it cannot take any more.

Part of the Esplanade parking is closed for the whole build. The society has an arrangement with Seaford Town Council to use it as the event compound and storage area, because it can no longer use Cliff Gardens. Pedestrian access through the area is not affected. Expect heavy plant moving around the seafront in the days before and after.

Roads around Martello Fields are restricted or closed to the public during the build and break, and the society warns that access may be held at other times even where no closure is advertised.

What is not published yet

  • Admission. The society’s site names no ticket price for the fire site.
  • The 2026 road closure sheet. The PDF linked from the event page is still the 2025 one. The closure list itself has been stable for years, but the dates on it are old.
  • The programme and procession route map. Sold in Seaford shops in the run-up.

The society’s news blog has not been updated since 2023 and its events calendar shows only a car boot and craft fair on 20 September, so the event information page and the one-line date announcement are the only live sources. Its Facebook page moves faster than its website.

Seaford bonfire 2026 clashes with Hastings

Pick one. East Sussex Fire and Rescue’s 2026 list puts Hastings on the same Saturday, and Hastings Borough Bonfire Society confirms its torchlit procession, bonfire and beach firework display is on Saturday 17 October 2026, free with no ticket (HBBS, 2026 event info). The fire service’s table also lists Hailsham that night, but its link still points at Hailsham’s 2024 event, so check with the society before you plan on it.

If 17 October does not suit, the next one in the district is Firle, a week later on Saturday 24 October, according to the same fire service list. Our district bonfire calendar has the rest of the season.

Getting there

Seaford station is a short walk from Claremont Road, and the trains run normally: the station closures that hit Lewes on 5 November do not apply here. The A259 through the town closes from 7pm, so if you are driving in from Newhaven or Eastbourne, arrive well before then or expect a diversion.

Seaford Bonfire Society is supported by Seaford Town Council’s Large Grants Scheme.

If you want the rest of the season, we have listed every bonfire night in the district, and the big one is Lewes on 5 November, where the travel restrictions are a different order of problem. For anything else on the roads this autumn, see Lewes roadworks and travel.

Frequently asked questions

When is Seaford Bonfire 2026?

Saturday 17 October 2026. The society’s event listing runs from 7pm to 11pm, the first procession leaves the White Lion Hotel on Claremont Road at 7.15pm, and the grand firework display on Martello Fields is at 9pm.

Do you need a ticket for Seaford bonfire?

The society publishes no ticket or admission price for the fire site, and has not done so for 2026. Programmes are sold in Seaford shops beforehand.

Which roads close for Seaford bonfire?

The A259 and surrounding roads close from 7pm for the first procession, roads south of the A259 from 8pm, and closures around the fire site lift at about 10.30pm. Those are the society’s published timings; the 2026 closure sheet has not been issued yet.

Is there parking for Seaford bonfire?

Not much. There is no designated disabled parking, part of the Esplanade car park is the event compound, and the A259 shuts at 7pm. Seaford station is a short walk from the start.

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