Swindon Lions Fireworks Spectacular at the Polo Ground

Bonfire Night is one of those things that fills the calendar this time of year, and in Swindon, the Lions' display is the one that has been going for the longest. The Swindon Lions Fireworks Spectacular returns to the Polo Ground on Marlborough Road on Saturday 7 November, a site it has called home for more than 40 years. Gates open at 5pm, and the fireworks start promptly at 6.45pm, so it is the kind of evening that rewards turning up early rather than cutting it fine.

The display itself is in the hands of Atom Fireworks, an award-winning company with over a dozen years of experience and several UK firework competition titles to its name, so the pyrotechnics are the real draw. Around it, there is plenty to keep families occupied before the main event: the Edwards Funfair, run by Edward Danter's Family Fun Fair, and BBC Radio Wiltshire both add to the evening. It is a charity event at heart, with all profits going to the Lions' charity account to support less fortunate people, particularly within the Swindon area.

Tickets are the one thing you cannot leave to the night itself. Entry is by ticket only, none are sold on the gate, and they must be bought in advance. Adults aged 16 and over are £12, children aged 5 to 15 are £6, and a family ticket covering up to two adults and three paying children is £28. Under-fives go free and do not need a paper ticket, though free online ones are available for them. You can book at swindonlions.org/fireworks, where a booking fee is added, or pick them up in person from One Stop on Guildford Avenue in the Lawns, the Kings Arms and Magnum Wineshop on Wood Street, Nationwide Building Society on Regent Street, and the Visitor Information Centre at the Central Library on Regent Circus.

Getting in and out is where a bit of planning helps. Access to the Polo Ground is only via Marlborough Road, near the Windsor Road mini-roundabout, and Downs View Road, with no way in from Carlton Gate, Broome Manor or Coate Water. The best option is the free Park and Ride from the Nationwide car park at Pipers Way, SN3 1TA, but allow at least half an hour for the bus journey to the ground. Do not try to park on Downs View Road. Blue badge drivers need to arrive at the Marlborough Road entrance before 4.45pm and will not be able to leave until around 7.30pm, and anyone needing disabled access should email Lion Richard at contact@swindonlions.org to arrange it. A few ground rules are worth knowing before you go: sparklers, alcohol and illicit drugs are not permitted on the Polo Ground, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. If your e-tickets go missing, there is a Lost Tickets Portal at https://www5.ticketebo.co.uk/tix/portal/losttix to sort it out.

If you are weighing it up against other displays on the same night, the Lydiard Fireworks Spectacular in West Swindon is another local option, with gates at 4.30pm and fireworks at 7pm, and the Swindon Cricket Club at the County Ground puts on its own family bonfire night with a DJ, stilt walkers and a bubble man. A bit further out, Shrivenham Football Club does fireworks to music with food and a bar, and Christian Malford holds a quieter display before its main one. It is a busy night for fireworks across the area, so the Lions' display is worth planning around.