It’s Bonfire Night: Here are the best places to watch fireworks in Durham in 2025

With the cheap decorations and serial Halloween nights out finally in the rear-view mirror, your attention has undoubtedly turned towards the next major holiday: Bonfire Night in Durham 2025.

That’s right, we’re all about to come together for a celebration of wintertime named for a man some would condemn and others would call a saint. It’s a bizarre British tradition that commemorates the failure (or, for the anarchically aligned, the attempt) of Guy Fawkes to blow up Parliament.

While this year sees little in the way of official firework displays in Durham itself, there will still be explosions going off in back gardens across the city. So if you want somewhere to sizzle your sparklers this bonfire night, take your pick from this list of opportune places for viewing as much of the city’s festivities as you can.

The Mound

Famous for a semi-serious turf war between Josephine Butler and Stephenson, the Mound is just that – an eccentric ornamental feature between the two furthest-out hill colleges.

However, you can also see a decent chunk of the city, so it makes for a fair viewing spot. Word of warning, though: Due to being the de facto choice for Hill College dwellers and first-years in general, it can get busy and doesn’t have too much room available, so be ready to dodge drunk hill-rollers as you’re watching the skies.

Pelaw Wood/Whinney Hill

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If you’re looking for somewhere quieter, either of these convenient locations could be what you need. Pelaw Wood is located between Gilesgate and the racecourse, while Whinney Hill is conveniently close to both the Billy B and Maiden Castle. Both of these will likely be less busy than some of the other locations on this list, in case you want a more private moment.

You might have to do a bit of off-road navigation to get to the perfect spots though – Pelaw Wood in particular takes some digging through forestry. Having said that, the views and isolation are well worth the trip.

Wharton Park

Either this one is really obscure or I’ve let Gilesgate get to my head, because I had no idea this place existed until I was asking around for good views of Durham’s fireworks earlier today. Situated near the train station, Wharton Park offers some incredible views of Durham and is one of the few locations on this list to be north of the Cathedral. This makes it particularly handy for Viaduct residents.

Get out of Durham

While this is unlikely to interest anyone who doesn’t have a car or more Uber money than anyone has the right to hold, I thought it was worth mentioning anyway.

Durham has no officially scheduled fireworks display within the city itself this year, but if you fancy taking a trip to Spennymoor, Ferryhill, or Newton Aycliffe, you can catch an organised display on the evening itself. Or, you can wait until Friday to catch a bonfire at Barnard Castle. While this is hardly staying loyal to Durham, it does beat some of the dangerous practices students have undertaken themselves in previous years. Speaking of which…

Observatory Hill

Yep, we saved the best till last – the most popular choice by far, and easily the place with the best view of Durham City.

Conveniently situated east of the hill colleges, Observatory Hill will likely see hundreds of students on November 5^th this year, all vying for the best spot to take in a view that’s impressive even on an ordinary night. However, this comes with its risks – last year saw several students attempt to set off fireworks themselves, with several aimed at angles undoubtedly intended to hit the surrounding forests. There have even been reports of students almost being hit by the poorly angled projectiles.

So, whether you choose this spot or another for your celebrations this year, remember to stay safe while honouring this most strange of British holidays.

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