Bonfire Night cancelled across Manchester parks as council explains why

Public bonfire nights and fireworks organised by Manchester Council will not take place for another year.

Manchester City Council has confirmed that it will not be reinstating bonfire events including the huge celebration at Heaton Park, and that its position remains the same following the review post-Covid.

Last year, as was the case in 2022, council-organised events for Bonfire Night were cancelled following a two-year lay-off during the pandemic.

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Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods said: "We won't be holding bonfires/fireworks events in November as we have reprioritised our funding to support and enhance the delivery of a wide range of free, community focused activities in parks across the city."

Reiterating its previous stance, it said that in 2022, Manchester Council took the decision 'in consultation with key agencies and local partners' to not reinstate the traditional bonfire and firework events that had not taken place in parks since 2019.

As an alternative, the council says it engaged with community partners to develop a programme of Autumn and Winter events in the wards which had previously held those events. In previous years such events have included pumpkin carving, Halloween in the City and the Christmas parade.

In terms of preparations for Bonfire Night, a report as part of the Communities and Equalities Scrutiny Committee for October added that the alternative approach 'has been a success'. It says there have been over 30 additional free and community focused events in the target wards over the last two years, which have been family orientated and free to access.

It adds that the