Lewes Bonfire Night 2026: Road Closures, Last Trains and Procession Times on Thursday 5 November

Lewes Bonfire is on Thursday, 5 November 2026; roads into Lewes close from 4.45 p.m. and no trains stop at Lewes or nearby stations from 5 p.m., according to a joint release from East Sussex County Council and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), dated 18 September 2026. All times here are UK time, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). US Eastern Time (ET) is 5 hours behind, so processions starting around 5 p.m. are around noon ET, the United Grand Procession at about 9 p.m. is about 4 p.m. ET, and a 1 a.m. finish is 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The release was issued on behalf of the council, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Sussex Police, Southern Railway and partners. The timeline below puts its rail and road times next to the procession times from the Lewes Bonfire Celebrations site. A one-page printable version is in the download box.

What is the timeline for Lewes Bonfire Night?

Time (GMT)	What happens	Source
3.24 p.m.	Last train from London Victoria back to Eastbourne	Joint release
3.54 p.m.	Last train from London Victoria back to Ore	Joint release
Before 4 p.m.	Residents advised to get vehicles home	Joint release
4.44 to 5.02 p.m.	Last trains from Lewes (table below)	Joint release
4.45 p.m.	Roads into Lewes close	Joint release
5 p.m.	Trains not expected to stop at Lewes, Falmer, Cooksbridge, Glynde or Southease	Joint release
Around 5 p.m.	Processions start	Lewes Bonfire Celebrations
Around 9 p.m.	United Grand Procession	Lewes Bonfire Celebrations
About 1 a.m., Friday 6 November	Processions finish	Lewes Bonfire Celebrations
Start of service, Friday 6 November	Trains stop at these stations again	Joint release

Which roads close from 4.45 p.m.?

The joint release lists five closures from 4.45 p.m. on Thursday 5 November 2026:

• A27 junction with A277 Brighton Road (Ashcombe Roundabout)
• A275 Offham Road with B2116 Plumpton Road
• C7 Kingston Road junction with C324 Wellgreen Lane
• A26 junction with A2029 Malling Street
• A26 Church Lane junction with Mayhew Way

It advises Lewes residents to get vehicles home before 4 p.m. to avoid the closures, and says visitors are advised not to bring vehicles into the town. The Lewes Bonfire Celebrations site says road closures start “from about 2pm”, earlier than the official 4.45 p.m. If you have to be in or near the town, plan for the earlier wording and arrive early.

What are the last trains from Lewes?

The release says trains are not expected to stop at Lewes or the surrounding stations of Falmer, Cooksbridge, Glynde and Southease from 5 p.m. on Thursday 5 November until the start of service on Friday 6 November.

Last train from Lewes	Destination	Stops, per the release
16:44	Brighton	All stations to Brighton
16:55	London Victoria	Cooksbridge, Wivelsfield, then the normal route to London
16:59	Ore	Polegate, Eastbourne, then all stations to Ore
17:02	Seaford	All stations to Seaford except Southease

The release adds that at local stations such as Berwick and Southease the last train will be earlier. It gives no time for those, so check Southern Railway’s site (southernrailway.com) for updated times.

For people coming from London, the last trains back from Victoria to these stations leave at 3.24 p.m. (to Eastbourne) and 3.54 p.m. (to Ore), the release says.

What time are the processions?

The Lewes Bonfire Celebrations site says the processions start around 5 p.m. and finish about 1 a.m. The United Grand Procession is around 9 p.m., when the societies march together through the town for about an hour. Each society’s own timings are in its programme or on its website. Exact start times per society are not published on the official pages we could read.

Do you need a ticket, and where are the fire sites?

The Lewes Bonfire Celebrations site says all bonfire society fire sites are “ticket only”, with the line “No Ticket No Entry”. Tickets come from Society Headquarters and the Lewes Tourist Information Centre. Cliffe Bonfire Society invites visitors to its fire site on Thursday 5 November 2026 and lists 2026 tickets as on sale. Fire site locations, times and prices for 2026 are not published on the official pages we could read, and neither are bus diversions.

Should you travel to Lewes if you do not live there?

The release urges people who do not live in Lewes not to travel. It says the event is not suitable for children, young families or dogs, and that with 5 November falling on a Thursday, higher attendance is anticipated. It advises going to a local organised display instead. The release’s other advice:

• Do not pick up spent fireworks or torches.
• Report anything suspicious to a steward or police officer.
• St John Ambulance provides first aid.

Our London fireworks guide lists times and tickets for organised displays in London, including Wimbledon Park on 5 November. The national rules on cut-off times and buying fireworks are in our Bonfire Night 2026 rules story. Full travel information is on the Lewes and Eastbourne councils’ Lewes Bonfire page, which blocked our automated access; the details above come from the joint release.

Mark 5 November on the November 2026 printable calendar or the printable weekly calendar. For the next bank holidays in the country, see our bank holidays story.