Tower Hamlets’ Victoria Park will not be doing their annual firework display, calling it off for the fifth time.

A Tower Hamlets spokesperson confirmed that there will be no firework displays in any of the borough’s parks, but did not give an explanation or a reason.

2022 and 2023’s bonfire and firework event were also cancelled, also without explanation.

On November 5, also known as Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night, fireworks are typically lit throughout London to celebrate the thwarting of an attempt to blow up the House of Parliament and King James 1 in 1605.

But in recent years, Bonfire Night events that were traditionally funded by councils and free for the public, were cancelled across London due to high costs.

In 2020, the celebration was cancelled due to the pandemic and the council unwilling to risk a spread of Covid in the large gatherings. The following year’s pyrotechnics were also cancelled due to budget cuts, a consequence from the pandemic.

EastLondonLines went to Victoria Park to talk to local people about what they thought.

Mother of two, Jess Coules, who lives just across the park said she appreciated the fireworks when they were hosted. “They’re bright and colourful and they resemble winter in a way. It’s just quite a nice thing to go out and see.

“It’s a shame because you wanna go and watch the fireworks, whether it’s with your friends or whether it’s with the children and it’s something great!”

She added: “I grew up in Tower Hamlets, so it’s something that we’ve always done. But the last few years that Victoria Park’s not been showing it, it’s makes it harder and harder to do these family things and community things.

“I do think, especially in this day and age, we really need to hone in on [the idea of] community because it’s something that is dying and things like this that the council are putting off doing, it just breaks away the [remaining] community ties that we do have.”

Dog owner, Colin Norvall, said: “I don’t have a problem with the firework displays, because they’re responsible and they only happened one night of the year. It’s all the individual people who buy these fireworks, they’re the irresponsible ones and they would let the fireworks go off wherever and that can be a hazard.”

Documentary photographer, Roland Ramanan, who lives locally said: “I like fireworks as an organised display. When the fireworks were on in Victoria Park, I used to go and see them.

“It’s a tradition, but fireworks are loud and dangerous. So I don’t think they should be sold to the general public, but it is a nice event when the Council does it really well [because] it’s something that brings people together.” 

But Ramanan also understands the council’s budgetary priorities: “Finances are very tight for the council, so they may have seen it as a waste of money and not using account ratepayers money effectively by having a fireworks display.”