HAILSHAM BONFIRE CELEBRATIONS

by Jenny Seale | Oct 16, 2026

HAILSHAM BONFIRE SOCIETY CELEBRATION is this Saturday 17 October. The Society will once again be celebrating in the town, marking the 21st anniversary of the Society reforming in 2005. It now has over 100 members, with many junior members who the Society hopes will carry the tradition forward for many years to come.

The Society has continued to make the celebrations bigger and better each year which includes welcoming an increasing number of visiting societies, as well as an impressive firework display to bring the evening to a spectacular close. This year will also see the biggest effigy ever displayed at Western Road Recreation Ground. Getting it there will present quite a challenge. The two charities to benefit from money raised on the night are Out of the Blue and Parkinson’s UK, Hailsham Branch. Programmes with the full route and timings as well as background information and sponsorship links are now available around various popular outlets in the town and will include the route and timings of each of the two processions. Road closures will be in place. The first procession leaves Vicarage Road car park at 7.30pm and runs again at 9pm finishing at Western Road recreation ground for the fireworks. Hailsham Bonfire Society work hard all year to bring this night to you, supporting local charities. Please give generously when you see a collector.

UPDATE

As you may have seen HBS Bonfire celebrations have had to re-route our procession through the town as a result of emergency gas works on Bell Banks Road

Our traditional route down Market Street and then into Bell Banks Road has unfortunately had to be changed as the road is now closed to through traffic. We have spoken with the contractor and made the decision to move the route away from the road closure

As a result we will now be using the following route:

Starting from Freedom Leisure Car park at 7:30pm

VICARAGE LANE

HIGH STREET

GEORGE STREET

VICTORIA ROAD

GARFIELD ROAD

BELL BANKS ROAD

STATION ROAD

GEORGE STREET

HIGH STREET

VICARAGE LANE

Return to Freedom Leisure Car Park

Second procession to Western Road Recreation ground via High St and George St

We hope that this does not create inconvenience for those close to these areas and hope you understand our reasons for this change. Signage has been put up regarding parking, we would really appreciate if the road be kept clear however this may not be possible so if all cars are parked on the same side of the road that would be really appreciated

For those of you who support us on the traditional route we hope you can still enjoy the evening but maybe a little further away from home than usual

For those societies attending you will receive an update to the route changes. Marshals will be on hand to direct you as needed

We look forward to having a fantastic evening and hope to see you all on the streets enjoying this amazing spectacle. We thank you all for your continued support and understanding