Fireworks week at Harpenden & St Albans

Hello Harpenden, hello St Albans! 👋

Bonfire Night falls on a Thursday this year, which means the fireworks stretch across an entire week, and so, presumably, do the sparklers stuck in your coat pockets. Here's what's on from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 November, with prices, times and where to book.

☀️ Weather at a glance

Grey and mild for most of the week, then a proper November chill by Sunday. This is the St Albans forecast, and Harpenden is a few miles up the road.

• Monday to Thursday: cloudy, highs of 9° to 12°, very little rain (2% to 10%). Bonfire Night itself looks dry.
• Friday 6 Nov: light drizzle in the forecast, 11° / 6°, though the chance of rain is only 2%. Fireworks night, so pack a hood anyway.
• Saturday 7 Nov: cloudy, 10° / 6°, 10% chance of rain. Good for the Verulamium display.
• Sunday 8 Nov: cloudy and colder, 8° / 3°, 16% chance of rain. Wrap up for Remembrance Sunday and the Wheatfields fireworks.

🎆 Fireworks week

Four nights, five displays. Pick your favourite, or go to all of them and call it research.

Samuel Ryder Academy PTA Fireworks

Photo: Samuel Ryder Academy PTA via Ticket Tailor

St Albans
📅 Friday 6 November. Gates 4:30pm, fireworks 6:30pm
📍 Samuel Ryder Academy, Drakes Drive
💷 Adult £8.50 · age 12 to 18 £7.50 · age 4 to 11 £6.50 · age 3 and under free

A professionally choreographed display with live school music, food and drink, face painting and family activities. A proper school-gate evening. More info

OA Fireworks Night

St Albans
📅 Friday 6 November. Display at 7pm, gates close 6:45pm
📍 Old Albanian Sports Club, Woollam Playing Fields, Harpenden Road
💷 Check with the organiser for ticket prices

Music, food, mulled wine, sweet treats and both indoor and outdoor bars, which is a sensible combination in November. More info

Willows Low-Bang Fireworks Evening

Photo: Willows Activity Farm

Nearby: London Colney
📅 Friday 6 November, gates open 6pm
📍 Willows Activity Farm, Coursers Road
💷 £14.95 adult or child (90cm and above) · members £9.95 · under 90cm free

The quieter option, with a children's disco, Peter Rabbit and family entertainment. A gentler evening for little ears and for anyone who doesn't love a loud bang. More info

St Albans Fireworks Spectacular

Photo: St Albans Cathedral

St Albans
📅 Saturday 7 November. Gates and food village 6pm, main display 7:30pm
📍 Verulamium Park
💷 Online: adult £12.50, child (4 to 16) £7.50, family of four £35, under-4s free · On the gate: £15, £10 and £40

The big city show, with a food village and a family-friendly crowd. Booking online saves a few pounds. More info

Fireworks Night at The Portland Arms

St Albans
📅 Saturday 7 November, from 6pm
📍 The Portland Arms, 63 Portland Street
💷 Check with the pub

A pub option if you'd rather have a pint than a queue. The pub advertises it from 6pm, but the display itself has no confirmed start time yet, so ask before you plan your night around it. More info

Wheatfields Fireworks Extravaganza

St Albans
📅 Sunday 8 November. Gates 4pm, fireworks 5:10pm
📍 Wheatfields Junior School, Downes Road
💷 Adult £9.50 · child £6 · family (2 adults and up to 3 children) £26 · under-2s free

A family fireworks night, with the profits split between the infants' and junior schools. Home in time for tea. More info

🕯️ Remembrance weekend

Remembrance Day Parade and Service

Harpenden
📅 Sunday 8 November. Parade 10:35am, service 10:50am
📍 Rothamsted Park to the War Memorial
💷 Free

The Mayor will lay a wreath on behalf of the town. The parade moves off from Rothamsted Park at 10:35am and the service at the War Memorial starts at 10:50am. More info

Remembrance Sunday Opening at St Albans Organ Theatre

Photo: St Albans Organ Theatre

St Albans
📅 Sunday 8 November. Doors 2:30pm, demonstrations from 3pm
📍 St Albans Organ Theatre, 320 Camp Road
💷 Adult £8 · child (11 and under) £4 · family £20

Mechanical music linked to the two world wars, played on the machines themselves. More info

🗓️ Also this week

Christmas Artisan Market at St Albans Cathedral

Photo: Pop Up Creative Events via Eventbrite

St Albans
📅 Saturday 7 November, 11am to 3pm
📍 St Albans Cathedral Nave
💷 Adult £2.50 · under-16s free

More than 70 artisan stalls, local school choirs and refreshments from Abbots Kitchen Cafe. It also opens a three-day Art Fair in the North Transept, which carries on over the weekend. Yes, someone has said the C-word, but it's a very nice way to do it. More info

Diwali at Sopwell House

Photo: Sopwell House

St Albans
📅 Friday 6 November, 7pm until midnight
📍 Sopwell House, Cottonmill Lane
💷 £109 per person

Indian street food, live entertainment, a DJ and fireworks. A proper night out. More info

Diwali Market

St Albans
📅 Sunday 8 November, 9am to 4:30pm
📍 St Albans Market, St Peter's Street and Market Place
💷 Free to browse

A Diwali-themed Sunday market with food, crafts, gifts, fashion, jewellery, homeware and artwork. More info

Evenings and daytimes

• St Albans Town Hall Tour, Wednesday 4 Nov, 10:30am, St Albans Museum + Gallery. Free. Explore the restored Town Hall, including the grand Assembly Room and historic Cells. More info
• St Albans Niall McNamee, Thursday 5 Nov, 8pm to 11pm, The Horn. £15 in advance, £18 on the door. Adults. More info
• St Albans Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, Thursday 5 Nov, 8pm, St Peter's Church. £10. More info
• St Albans TEDx St Albans Community Dinner, Friday 6 Nov, 6:30pm to 10pm, The County Club. £35. More info
• St Albans Tower Tours, Saturday 7 Nov, 10am, St Albans Cathedral. Adult £15, ages 11 to 18 £12. More info
• St Albans St Albans South Signal Box Open Day, Sunday 8 Nov, 2pm to 5pm, Ridgmont Road. Free. Working signalling demonstrations, railway displays and a garden railway. More info
• St Albans Lantern-Making Workshop, Sunday 8 Nov, 2pm to 4pm, St Peter's Church. Free, all materials included. More info

📰 New in town

• Harpenden Kalimera Greek Bakery & Cafe is now open on Leyton Road, facing the mini green, run by husband and wife Jim and Andrea. Open daily 7am to 6pm, with everything freshly baked from their own recipes. Just pop in and say hello.
• Harpenden Bread Ahead opened at 92 High Street on Monday 12 October, open daily 7am to 6pm. Its sourdough starter is 14 years old and is called Bruce, which is the best thing we have heard all week. More info

👀 Coming up

Pencil these in now and thank yourself later.

Harpenden Christmas Carnival and lights switch-on

Photo: Ali Asplin, Harpenden Town Council

Harpenden
📅 Sunday 22 November, 12pm to 6pm
📍 Harpenden town centre
💷 Free

The big Harpenden date. Christmas Emergency Services Day runs alongside at Harpenden Fire Station from 1pm to 5pm. Batford switches on its lights on Thursday 26 November and Southdown on Friday 27 November. More info

Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale, the Eric Morecambe Centre pantomime

Harpenden
📅 Saturday 5 to Wednesday 30 December
📍 The Eric Morecambe Centre, Rothamsted Park
💷 Book through Everyone Theatres

Starring EastEnders' Lorraine Stanley as Fairy Rose, Lloyd Warbey as Loopy Louis, and Josh Handley's return as Betty Bouffant. More info

See you at the fireworks! 🎇
The Social Martini team