British Fireworks Championships
On 12th August 2026 to 13th August 2026 The Hoe, Plymouth
The British Firework Championships were started in 1997 and, after considering a number of venues around the UK, Plymouth was chosen to host the Championships as it provides a natural amphitheatre for the large scale pyrotechnics and can be viewed from a variety of points around the harbour and Sound by tens of thousands of people each year.
Each year six professional display companies are selected by draw to participate and then three of them fire on each evening (they have 10 minutes each to fire their display). Judges view from the Citadel which dominates the Hoe and Sound and gives them uninterrupted views of the displays. Every sixth year there is a Champions event when winners from the previous five years plus the previous Champion-of-Champions winner return to battle it out for the overall title Champion-of-Champions.
The Hoe is the focal point for families and a large proportion of people watching the Championships and entertainment is provided here throughout both evenings - including live music and funfair.
Reviews
- Trip back in time - What a fantastic experience. The train ride from Paignton is a gentle trip with stunning views. Arriving in Kingswear you can almost imagine how people in days gone by must have felt. A short ferry ride takes you into Dartmouth which is a stunning little town.
- Steam train - Great little day out - highly recommended. The boat trip up the dart was very good with the captain guiding us and the steam train was great for kids too.
- An A+ family experience! - >Excellent time< We arrived at the station to friendly welcome and were greeted by a jolly bloke who gave us an upgrade to a cabin on our own which made us feel like Harry Potter! He gave us lots of info about timings and what amount of time we had been given to allow us to make sure we got back okay. A great time.