HMS Sultan’s 70th Bonfire Night: fireworks with a naval twist

Southampton’s autumn calendar has a familiar date for families who like their fireworks with a bit of history. HMS Sultan’s Bonfire and Fireworks Night returns on Thursday 29 October 2026, marking the event’s 70th anniversary and celebrating seven decades of HMS Sultan as the Royal Navy’s home for marine and air engineering. The venue is at Military Road, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 3BY, rather than in Southampton itself, but it is part of the wider local evening-out scene for people around the Solent.

The format is straightforward: a bonfire, fairground rides and games, then a fireworks display set to an engineering-inspired soundtrack. Nation Radio presenter Mark Collins is hosting the programme. Gates open at 17:30, while parking is available from 17:00 for visitors with a valid parking ticket. The bonfire is due to be lit at 19:45 and the fireworks begin at 20:30. The event closes at 22:30, with a 22:00 curfew noted in the event information.

Tickets are being sold online only, so there will be no cash or card sales at the entrance on the night. Adult admission for anyone aged 16 or over costs £7 at the discounted rate or £10 at the standard rate. Children aged three to 15 pay £4 discounted or £5 standard, while a family ticket for two adults and two children costs £20 discounted or £25 standard. Children under three enter free without a ticket. Parking costs £5 per vehicle and does not include admission, with spaces limited. Guide dogs are the only dogs permitted, and personal assistants or carers need a paid ticket.

The evening also includes disabled access throughout the venue. Anyone needing further assistance can contact NAVYTRGSUL-BONFIRECOMMITTEE@mod.gov.uk before attending. The organisers’ arrangements are worth checking when planning the visit, particularly because parking tickets and admission are separate purchases. Full event details and ticket information are available through the official HMS Sultan Bonfire Night page.

There is some recent history behind this year’s anniversary. The 2025 event, held on Thursday 30 October, combined the 70th-anniversary celebrations with tributes to VE80 and VJ80, using 1940s music alongside the fireworks. The 2024 display, meanwhile, was cancelled because of exceptionally high winds, although the fairground and other entertainment continued and guests received a 50 per cent refund. Earlier, the 2021 return after the Covid-19 break featured a giant illuminated “65” on the bonfire and a fireworks soundtrack covering music from the 1950s onwards.

That mix of naval setting and familiar Bonfire Night traditions is what gives the HMS Sultan event its own character. The night still has the elements people expect in late October—rides, games, a glowing bonfire and a timed fireworks finale—but the anniversary programme places them alongside the story of a Royal Navy engineering establishment. For families around Southampton and the Solent, it offers a clearly timed evening rather than an open-ended fireworks gathering, with the main display scheduled for 20:30 on 29 October.