The British Fireworks Championships have come and gone for this year, so if you were hoping to catch them this weekend, you are out of luck. The 2026 edition ran across Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 August at Plymouth Hoe, with the displays launched from the Mountbatten Breakwater, which meant they could be seen from the Hoe, from a boat, or from plenty of viewing points around Plymouth Sound. It is run in partnership with Plymouth City Council, the Event Services Association (TESA), Associated British Ports, and ZeroUSV.
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The format is simple: six top pyrotechnic companies each put on a ten-minute display and battle to be crowned champion. On Wednesday 12 August, Electrify Pyrotechnics, Smart Pyrotechnics Ltd, and G2 Fireworks took their turn, and on Thursday 13 August it was Nemisis Pyrotechnics Ltd, AJ Pyrotechnics Ltd, and The Fireworkers Ltd. AJ Fireworks walked away as the winners, with The Fireworkers as runners-up and Electrify Pyrotechnics and Nemisis Pyrotechnics tied for joint third. The Fireworkers also picked up the Young People's Choice Award, which is judged by local care-experienced children and young people who play a real part in the event.
Both nights followed the same schedule, which is worth keeping in mind for next time. Live entertainment with bands and performers ran from 17:00 to 20:45, before the fireworks commentary and the displays themselves, with three companies competing each night at 21:30, 21:50, and 22:10 BST. Food and attractions opened from 17:00 on both evenings, and the organisers were expecting more than 35,000 people a night, so they urged anyone planning to go to sort their travel well in advance.
On the transport front, GWR put on extra services for both nights, with trains at 23:10 to Penzance, 23:14 to Gunnislake, and 23:34 and 23:45 to Exeter St David's, stopping at Ivybridge, Totnes, and Newton Abbot. Stagecoach Falcon connects Plymouth with Exeter, Taunton, Bristol Airport, and Bristol City Centre, National Express runs daily services from across the UK, and Flixbus operates seven days a week. Drivers were pointed towards the Park and Ride services for a direct run into Royal Parade, and Plymouth CityBus kept things moving around town, with children under 16 travelling free all August as part of the Great British Summer of Savings campaign.
There was a fair bit of road closures around the Hoe and the city centre on the 12th and 13th, with Armada Way, Hoe Road, Madeira Road, Osborne Place, Notte Street, and several residential roads shut at various times, so getting in and out by car was not the easiest option. The event has been running since 1997 and has grown into a signature date for the UK firework industry, drawing global media coverage and visitors from as far as Australia, and it holds Bronze level on Attitude is Everything's Live Events Access Charter for 2024 to 2026. If you missed it this year, the best thing to do is keep an eye out for the 2027 dates when they are announced.
Published Date
15 August 2026
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