What’s on in Rye and Camber, from bonfire night to Christmas

Rye Bonfire Night and fireworks 2026

Rye Bonfire Night is the biggest night of the year in the town of Rye, East Sussex. Bonfire societies from across Sussex march through the cobbled streets with flaming torches and drums, the society’s Rye Fawkes lights a huge bonfire on the Salts, and a firework display closes the evening. If you are searching for Rye fireworks 2026, this is the display: it follows the bonfire on the Salts. It is ten minutes from Beachside Cottage, four miles away in Camber.

The Rye & District Bonfire Society lists the 2026 Rye Bonfire for Saturday 14 November, still marked as to be confirmed. It is always held on a Saturday in mid November: 9 November in 2024 and 15 November in 2025. The society publishes the final date, route and timings on its own website, so check there before you travel, and again if you are planning for next year.

Rye fireworks 2026: date and time

The Rye fireworks are part of Rye Bonfire Night, so they take place on the same date, listed as Saturday 14 November 2026 and still to be confirmed by the society. Last year the fireworks display began at 8.15pm, after the procession and the lighting of the bonfire. Check the society’s website for the confirmed 2026 timings.

What happens on the night

The torchlit procession led by the Rye society, its members in red and black costume, is joined by visiting Sussex bonfire societies and drummers, each marcher carrying a flaming torch. Look out for Scorcher, the society’s dragon, and expect plenty of smoke and noise. At the end of the parade route the crowd gathers at the bonfire site on the Salts, where Rye Fawkes is chaired down to light the bonfire, followed by a spectacular fireworks display over the fire. Sussex bonfire celebrations commemorate the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, and Rye has its own long tradition of burning a boat on bonfire night. The celebrations pre-date the modern society, which marked its thirtieth anniversary in 2025.

Rye Fawkes is a role, not an effigy. Since 2009 the right to light the bonfire has been sold at the society’s annual Auction of Promises to raise money. Before that the honour went to local dignitaries and well-known names, including Spike Milligan in 1994.

Rye Bonfire 2025: timings and procession route

Is Rye Bonfire Night free?

The procession and the bonfire are free to watch from the streets. The night costs the society around £20,000 to stage, with insurance, safety and security costing more than the fireworks, and it receives no public funding. It relies on donations, membership and its Crowdfunder, so please give what you can.

Tips for the night

• Arrive in good time. Thousands of people line the procession route, so pick your spot well before the 7pm start.
• Wear warm clothes and sturdy footwear. The citadel streets are cobbled and steep, and it is a long evening on your feet in November.
• Leave the car behind if you can. With the station closed and roads shut, staying nearby turns the night from a logistics exercise into a pleasure. Book a taxi back well ahead.
• Plan ahead for your dog. Drums, torches and fireworks are a lot for most dogs to cope with.
• Make a weekend of it: book supper in Rye on Friday, walk the empty winter beach at Camber on Saturday morning, and save the bonfire for Saturday evening.

The Sussex bonfire season

Rye is one of a run of Sussex bonfire nights through the autumn. Hastings holds its torchlit procession and beach bonfire in October, and Lewes holds the best-known celebration in the county on 5 November. Rye comes later in the season, so it is easy to combine with a November break by the sea.