Bonfire Night in the Rain: Do Fireworks Displays Still Go Ahead?

Does rain cancel a fireworks display?

If the forecast for the 5th is wet, the question everyone asks is whether the display is off. Almost always, no. Fireworks are designed to fire in rain, and a steady downpour on its own is not usually enough to call a show off. Organisers plan for a damp Bonfire Night as a matter of course, because in this country, most years, it is one.

What actually worries an organiser is wind. Gusty conditions change how a firework behaves in the air and where debris comes down, and that is a safety call, not a comfort one. A display is far more likely to be delayed, shortened or moved than cancelled for rain alone, and far more likely to be pulled altogether for wind or for a genuinely severe Met Office warning covering the site.

When do organisers decide whether a display goes ahead?

Most organisers make the final call on the day itself, watching the forecast for their window rather than committing days in advance, because conditions for a 6pm or 7pm display can look quite different from what the week's forecast suggested. If a decision has to be made early, it is usually about crowd safety and site access (a waterlogged field, for instance) rather than the fireworks themselves. If you are checking before you set off, the organiser's own site or social channels are the first place to look, not a general weather app.

What to wear if you're going

Treat it like any outdoor event on a cold, possibly wet night: a proper waterproof rather than a shower-proof jacket, wellies or waterproof boots over trainers, and layers underneath, since you will likely be standing still for a while. Bring something to stand on if the ground is likely to be soft, and dress the children warmer than you think you need to. None of that changes whether the display goes ahead. It just changes whether you enjoy it if it does.

Where cover fits, for the ticketed ones

Displays that are free to attend do not need any of this. But a growing number of Bonfire Night events are ticketed, run by a charity, a scout group or a venue that has put real money into the night, and a washout still means a miserable evening even when the fireworks technically go off. That is what Rainy Refunds is for: cover bought against your ticket for a named event, a time window and an agreed rainfall trigger.

At the agreed check time we compare the Met Office forecast for your event's window against the trigger. If the forecast meets or passes it, the payout is sent automatically and you are emailed. If it does not, no payout is due, whatever the weather actually did on the night. There is no claim to make either way; the forecast decides, whichever way it goes.

Policies are underwritten by Tokio Marine HCC. Rainy Refunds Limited is an Appointed Representative of Stubben Edge and Partners Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Check before you go

Not every display is on our list, and we would rather tell you that plainly than imply otherwise. If you have tickets for a display this Bonfire Night, check the events we cover to see if yours is one of them, and if it is, cover takes a couple of minutes to sort before the forecast firms up.