BCP Council has cancelled this week's displays at Poole Quay and Bournemouth beach over wildfire risk. The last two of the season are now 27 and 28 August.

BCP Council has cancelled both of this week’s summer firework displays. The Poole Quay display on Thursday 20 August and the Bournemouth beach display on Friday 21 August will not go ahead.

The council announced the decision on Wednesday 19 August. It gives two reasons: a continued wildfire risk after weeks of hot, dry weather, and the pressure that risk is putting on emergency services.

Both displays are the second-to-last of their series. The council’s own events listings have already been updated, and they show what is left:

  • Poole Quay Summer Fireworks: Thursday 27 August, from 7pm, fireworks at 10pm
  • Bournemouth Friday Fireworks: Friday 28 August, fireworks at 10pm

Those are the final two displays of the 2026 season. Poole Quay ran on 6 and 13 August before this week’s cancellation. Bournemouth ran on 31 July, 7 and 14 August.

Why the council stopped them

The displays are fired from out at sea, not from the beach or the quay. The council’s argument is that this does not remove the risk.

Cllr Andy Martin, BCP Council’s portfolio holder for customer, communications and culture, said: “Whilst the fireworks are set-off from out at sea, all it takes is one stray spark to start a fire: that’s not a risk we’re willing to take in these conditions.”

He also framed it as a call on emergency service capacity rather than only on safety. “This decision isn’t just about safety: it is also about ensuring our emergency services, who are facing heightened pressures during these weather conditions, are free to respond to emergency call-outs.”

The council acknowledged that rain is forecast in the coming days, but said the risk remains raised after what it called an excessive period of hot and dry weather.

The national picture behind the decision

The council cites the government’s emergency wildfire alert, which is a real and dated thing rather than a general warning.

On 14 August the government sent an Emergency Alert to mobile phones across England and Wales, from around 19:00. It told people not to light anything that could spark a fire, including barbecues, campfires and fireworks, and to report any fire by calling 999. The government described it as the most extensive use of the UK’s Emergency Alert system in response to an active incident.

Alongside it, the government announced a temporary nationwide ban on the sale of disposable barbecues, with retailers told to remove stock immediately, and said the measure would stay under review while the raised wildfire risk continued. It also deployed 100 military personnel to South Wales, with a further 100 following that evening.

The council’s statement also refers to “a regional hosepipe ban still in place”. That is true of the wider region but not of most of this area. Wessex Water introduced a ban on 18 August, and it does apply to a large part of Poole. Most Bournemouth, Christchurch and Canford Cliffs homes are supplied by Bournemouth Water, which has not imposed one. We set out which streets fall on which side of that line in a separate piece.

The 2026 summer fireworks season at Poole Quay and Bournemouth beach Two timelines. Poole Quay ran on 6 and 13 August, the 20 August display is cancelled, and 27 August remains. Bournemouth beach ran on 31 July, 7 and 14 August, the 21 August display is cancelled, and 28 August remains. Two displays cancelled, one left at each site The 2026 summer firework season, as listed by BCP Council on 20 August 2026. Poole Quay, Thursdays 6 Aug 13 Aug 20 Aug, cancelled 27 Aug, 10pm Bournemouth beach, Fridays 31 Jul 7 Aug 14 Aug 21 Aug, cancelled 28 Aug, 10pm Source: BCP Council family information directory listings. Graphic by The Bournemouth Post
Dates as listed by the council on 20 August 2026. Displays remain weather dependent.

What it means for you

If you were planning an evening on Poole Quay tonight or on the seafront tomorrow, the fireworks are off. Nothing else has been cancelled: the quay and the beach are open as normal, and the council has not said the 27 and 28 August displays are at risk.

Practical points:

  • No refunds are involved. Both displays are free events, so there is nothing to claim back.
  • The council has published no alternative date. Neither cancelled display is being moved.
  • Fires and barbecues. Open fires, fire pits and fire bowls are not permitted at any time on BCP’s beaches, promenades, cliffs, cliff tops, nature reserves or heathlands. That rule predates this week and is unaffected by the weather.
  • If you see a fire, the government’s alert asks you to call 999 rather than report it later.
  • Check before you travel for the last two displays. If conditions have not changed by then, another late call is possible.

Parking on the seafront is also more expensive to get wrong this month: penalty charge notices are at a trial rate of £110 and £160 until 31 August, which we covered in Bournemouth parking fines double for August. If you are driving in for the 27 or 28 August displays, our roadworks and travel page lists the closures running that week, and things to do in Bournemouth covers what else is on.

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