Alexandra Palace fireworks 2026: times, tickets and travel
Alexandra Palace's Fireworks & Drone Festival takes place on Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2026. Gates open at 16:00 on both days. Saturday has the later, 20:00 display and a party programme; Sunday's display starts at 18:00, with family activities. Choose the day for the whole evening you want, then prepare your ticket and return journey before arriving.
This is a Saturday-and-Sunday event, not a repeat of an old Friday-and-Saturday schedule. The photograph is from 2018; it does not preview this year's fireworks choreography or drone show.
Saturday or Sunday at Ally Pally?
The Palace's event announcement describes a new weekend format, with a family-focused Sunday alongside Saturday's festival night.
| Date | Gates | Display | Suits a plan built around |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, November 7 | 16:00 | 20:00 | Music and a later evening with friends |
| Sunday, November 8 | 16:00 | 18:00 | An earlier display and children's activities |
The Saturday programme names Eats Everything as the outdoor guest DJ and a Queen tribute in the German Bier Festival. The Bier Festival is strictly 18+, with its entrance at Palm Court. Check the ticket you need for that part of the evening rather than assuming every indoor activity is included.
The Sunday programme lists Barrioke with Shaun Williamson and Junior Jungle Kids Rave, and advertises a smaller capacity. That does not mean the event is quiet or free of queues. For a young child, think about the complete outing: the journey, walking, noise, waiting and getting home after dark.
If you are planning more family days in the country, use the UK with kids guide for the wider itinerary. Keep the fireworks evening separate from an already crowded sightseeing day.
Arrival time is earlier than the last-entry cutoff
Saturday's published last site entry is 20:05; Sunday's is 18:05. Those cutoffs fall after the respective displays have started. They are not sensible target arrival times if watching the full show is your reason for going.
Saturday's organizer page identifies 19:00-20:00 as a busy entry period, while Sunday's identifies 17:00-18:00. Build time for walking from transport, security and finding your group into the plan. Arriving at the station at display time is not arriving at a viewing spot.
Agree where you will meet before travelling. Pick a named place that everyone can recognize, and decide what happens if one person is delayed. Avoid trying to arrange the whole group by phone while moving through an entrance queue.
Child tickets and headline prices: check the current offer
The Sunday organizer page now states that the free under-10 offer was a limited early-bird promotion. It lists those tickets at £6.50 including fees, subject to availability. Older articles and promotional pages still mention free children or a lower advertised base price.
Use the official festival booking links to check the available adult and child categories for your date. A headline starting price is not a quote for every visitor. Confirm the child's age band in the booking flow, particularly at a category boundary, and compare the total for your actual party.
For example, two eligible children at the listed £6.50 rate add £13 to the adult admissions, before any optional activities. That is a more useful family budget than assuming the former free offer still applies.
The festival FAQ says children must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or above. The German Bier Festival, ice rink, Summit and premium viewing require separate add-ons. Budget for what you intend to do, not just entry.
Do not treat an old social-media resale offer as an official booking channel. If plans change, use the options offered by your ticket provider for your actual ticket.
Prepare the ticket app before leaving
For DICE, the festival instructs visitors to activate tickets before arrival because on-site signal and internet access may be limited. Transfer tickets before activation, with a stated transfer deadline of 14:00 on the event day. A group using activated tickets on one phone must enter together.
Use the instructions in your confirmation for your provider; do not assume a screenshot replaces its entry method. Check that you can open the correct booking before leaving your accommodation, and keep enough phone battery for the trip home.
Split tickets in advance if friends intend to arrive separately. Once you reach the park, it is a poor time to discover that everyone else's admission is on a phone still travelling across London.
Road closures and buses for the fireworks weekend
The Palace's 2026 information for neighbours lists a closure period from Friday, November 6 at 14:00 until Monday, November 9 at 15:00 for the park, Alexandra Palace Way and the Palace car parks. It says the W3 will be diverted during that period.
It also lists temporary 184 bus diversions from 20:20 to 21:30 on Saturday and 18:20 to 19:30 on Sunday. Those periods overlap the time many people will be leaving. Check the actual return stop rather than saving only the ordinary route to the Palace.
The notice says the Park Avenue North and North View Road entrances will be closed, with no event access via Springfield Road. Use its current map for the entry you intend to reach. Do not follow an old pin to a convenient-looking gate without checking it.
One Bedford Road line on the notice has inconsistent weekday/date labels. Check official updates or ask the venue if your journey depends on that road; do not build a driving plan around an ambiguous line.
Train, Tube and the walk through the park
The Palace's general travel page identifies Alexandra Palace railway station and Wood Green on the Piccadilly line as useful approaches. Event-specific closures and diversions take precedence over its normal bus-stop advice.
Use TfL's live journey planning for the date and time you are travelling, then check the venue's event map for the last part on foot. Save both the route out and the route back. A general station-to-Palace journey may lead somewhere different from your festival entrance.
The venue publishes what3words points for entrances and facilities. These can help identify a meeting location, but they do not override a closure or authorize entry through a shut gate.
Leave room in your return plan for a slow exit. If you have a fixed onward departure, compare the walking and waiting time with the margin you need. Avoid relying on a taxi reaching the same spot as on a normal day.
Terrain and accessible arrangements
The festival's access information warns of hills, steep terrain and slippery surfaces, and says there is no event buggy service. It identifies Finsbury Park as its closest step-free rail approach, followed by an onward bus or taxi; check that onward journey against the W3 diversion.
Blue Badge parking is limited and requires advance arrangement. The published parking arrival deadlines are 18:00 on Saturday and 16:00 on Sunday. The page also warns that cars will be held after the display until most of the crowd has left.
Do not assume every accessible ticket includes the same viewing area. The page distinguishes early-bird accessible-viewing access and directs visitors with questions to the team. Contact [email protected] about your booking, route, companion and any required facilities before travelling.
For a family, the earlier Sunday display may make bedtime planning easier, but it does not remove the walk or the noise. Plan a point at which you would leave if a child is uncomfortable rather than treating the ticket as a reason to stay at any cost.
Bags, payment and weather preparation
The official FAQ says there is no cloakroom and large bags are not admitted. The site is cashless. Check its food and prohibited-item rules before packing, including the stated medical and young-child exceptions; do not assume ordinary picnic supplies are allowed.
Dress for an outdoor evening and check the forecast shortly before you leave. The organizer says normal rain does not cancel the festival; severe-weather updates will come through official channels. A waterproof layer and footwear suited to wet ground are more practical than relying on shelter at the moment you need it.
Keep essentials accessible without carrying a suitcase around the park. If you are coming straight from a flight or train, arrange appropriate luggage storage elsewhere before the event and check its collection hours.
Mobile data helps with the journey, not guaranteed reception
The ticket preparation comes first. Save your booking, map, accommodation address and return plan while you have a reliable connection. An extra data plan does not remove crowd-related network limits or make a ticket valid.
For international visitors without suitable UK roaming, OpenSim United Kingdom plans provide a small prepaid option for travel around London: the public catalog checked October 18 lists 1GB for seven days at US$1.14 and 3GB for 15 days at US$3.00, both marked eligible for top-up. That can fit route checks and messaging beyond the venue without buying a large streaming allowance. If your home plan already includes adequate UK data, you may not need an additional purchase.
Use the travel data calculator for your likely usage. Check phone compatibility and installation timing before choosing a plan. Its displayed terms govern setup and use.
Ally Pally source updates and photograph
The linked organizer pages, event-specific travel notice and public plan prices were checked on October 18, 2026. Recheck booking availability, access arrangements and transport before departure. Update this guide for material display-time, entry, parking, diversion or weather announcements through November 8.
Photograph: Simeon87, Alexandra Palace Fireworks Festival, November 2, 2018, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and compressed; the adapted photograph retains that licence. It does not show the 2026 display.
