Bonfire Night: guide to events in the Harrogate district

Bonfire Night is approaching. From torch-lit processions and alpacas to live music and traditional bonfires, we’ve collated a list of bonfires in the Harrogate district.

If you know of an event we haven’t included, email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will add it.

Friday, November 3

Ripon City Bonfire

Ripon City Bonfire will take place at Ripon Racecourse.

The bonfire will be lit at 7pm and fireworks will begin at 7.30pm

Gates open at 5.30pm.

Advance tickets start at £2 and can be bought at various venues in the city.

No own fireworks other than sparklers are permitted for safety reasons.

There will be no parking available at the racecourse due to the poor weather conditions.

Spofforth village fireworks

The event will be held at Spofforth Cricket Club.

There will be hot food, a bar and live music to enjoy ahead of the fireworks display.

Gates open at 5pm.

Family tickets cost £12.50 and can be bought at the village deli or post office.

Knaresborough Cricket Club and Aspin Park Academy PTA Fireworks Night

The event will be held at Knaresborough Cricket Club.

As well as a firework display, guests can expect food and drink, music and light-up toys for sale.

Gates open at 6pm and fireworks will be lit at 7pm.

Tickets start at £3 and can be bought at the gate.

Belmont Grosvenor School Bonfire Party

Belmont Grosvenor School will host a bonfire party in the school grounds.

There will be a bonfire, fireworks, food and drinks stalls, children’s activities, and music.

Gates open at 6pm, the bonfire will be lit at 6.30pm and the firework display will begin at 7.20pm.

Tickets are free for U18s and cost £10 for adults. They can be bought at the gate or by contacting the PTA on pta@belmontgrosvenor.co.uk or 07525 907156.

Anyone is welcome to attend.

Stray Bonfire. Pic: Mark Dimmock.

Saturday, November 4

Stray Bonfire, Harrogate

The bonfire will be lit on the Oatlands Stray near to St Aidan’s Church of England High School.

It will take place from 5pm until 8.30pm and include fireworks, food and drink, and live music.

The event is free to attend but Harrogate Round Table, which is a charity, encourages donations. Proceeds will go towards Harrogate Homeless Project.

Yolk Farm, Minskip

Yolk Farm, near Boroughbridge, is hosting a dog and baby-friendly event without fireworks.

There will still be a bonfire and tickets include entry to the yard where visitors can see the animals, including goats and alpacas, as well as the opportunity to feed the pigs.

Hot food will also be on offer.

Gates open at 5.30pm and the bonfire will be lit at 6.30pm

Tickets can be bought online for £5.

Upper Nidderdale Scouts Group Pateley Bonfire

The event will be held at Pateley Bridge Showground.

Guests can expect a torchlit procession and bonfire, which begin at 6.30pm, and fireworks at 7pm.

There will also be hot food and a best Guy competition.

Entry is by donation and doors open at 6pm.

No sparklers are allowed.

Masham Bonfire

Masham Bonfire will be held on The Holme.

Food will be served from 5.30pm, followed by the bonfire at 6.15pm.

There will also be a firework display at 7pm.

The event is free to attend.

Kirkby Malzeard Community Bonfire

The event will be held at North Close Farm.

There will be a bonfire, fireworks and food and drink on offer.

Gates open at 6pm and the bonfire will be lit at 6.30pm.

It is free to attend but organisers have asked for donations to continue running the events.

Sparklers are not permitted.

Birstwith Community Bonfire

Birstwith bonfire will be held on the field behind West House on Nidd Lane.

As well as the bonfire, which will be lit at 5.30pm, visitors can enjoy a bar, hot dogs and a children’s stall.

Organisers will be raising money for a vehicle-activated speed sign near Birstwith School.

No dogs or sparklers are permitted.

Gates open at 5pm.

Wath & Melmerby Community Bonfire

The event will be held Roger Clarke Motor Engines in Melmerby.

Visitors can expect a bonfire, fireworks, a BBQ and a bar.

It begins at 6pm and tickets cost £5 per family.

Sunday, November 5

Lightwater Valley, Ripon

Lightwater Valley will put on a firework display accompanied by the music of Swan Lake.

Admission is included in a day entry ticket.

The display will begin at 5.15pm.

The Queen’s Head, Kettlesing

The Queen’s Head will have a bonfire and fireworks on offer.

There will also be pizzas, sparklers and a charity cake to stand available.

The event will be fundraising for Felliscliffe School.

It begins at 5pm and the bonfire will be lit at 6pm.

Entry is £5 for adults and £2 for children under 16.

Scotton Cricket Club

The event will be held at the cricket club on Lower Moor Lane.

Gates open at 6pm, the bonfire will be lit at 6.45pm and the firework display will begin at 7.30pm.

Visitors can look forward to a bar, a BBQ and a cake stall.

Car parking is limited, so organisers have recommended people walk or car share to the event.

Donations are welcome on entry.

Harrogate Railway Football Club 

A firework display will be held at the club, which is on Station View in Starbeck.

There will be a DJ, fairground rides, a bar and a BBQ on offer.

The event is in association with Friends of Starbeck School and entry is £2.

Gates open at 4pm, followed by fireworks at 6.30pm.

There is no parking available at the venue.


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Stray bonfire and fireworks officially given go-ahead

The 50th Stray bonfire will take place on November 6 after Harrogate Borough Council gave organisers the green light.

The Stray Ferret revealed last month the event was set to go ahead. Now the news has been confirmed.

Harrogate District Round Table was forced to cancel last year’s display due to coronavirus restrictions but it is now preparing for the event to return at its usual spot alongside Oatlands Drive.

Round Table volunteers hope to raise £8,000 to pay for fireworks and additional costs, such as first aid and traffic management, and have set up a gofundme page.

Any extra money generated though the fundraiser, and on the night, will go to Friends of Harrogate Hospital.

A spokesperson for Harrogate District Round Table said:

“This will be the 50th year Harrogate Round Table has run the Stray charity bonfire and fireworks event and, with your help, we want to run an amazing event the whole community can enjoy.”


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Scotton bonfire will be back but will never burn a Guy

Tonight is fireworks night but events across the Harrogate district have been cancelled.

It is usually a special night in Scotton, the small village on the outskirts of Knaresborough where Guy Fawkes grew up.

Fawkes’ home, Scotton Old Hall, is the most famous landmark in the village and still stands today.

The village always lights a bonfire on November 5 but refuses to burn an effigy out of respect for its former resident.

That does not deter visitors though as the event attracts about 1,500 people each year.


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But this year will be different.

Scotton Cricket Club, whose players sport badges displaying Guy Fawkes, organises the event.

The club’s chairman, Andy Marshall, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is a very popular event, people come from all over the country because we have strong connections with Guy Fawkes.

“As we have that connection we will never burn a Guy. Instead we burn other bits of timber and always have a big fireworks display.”

Coronavirus may have forced the event’s cancellation this year but Mr Marshall promises it will be back “bigger and better”.