Bridgwater Beats London: UK's Most Photographed Fireworks Displays Ranked

Bridgwater's Guy Fawkes Carnival in Somerset has been named the most photographed Bonfire Night display in the UK, scoring a perfect 100 on a new photo index built by the photo printing app Popsa. Battersea Park in London came second with a score of 60, less than two-thirds of Bridgwater's figure.

The ranking comes from Popsa's data science team, who analyzed anonymized, aggregated metadata from millions of photos taken across autumn 2024 and 2025. The team compared each location's photo activity during the Bonfire Night period against its typical autumn activity. The locations with the biggest spikes ranked highest. Each display received an index score from 0 to 100, scaled relative to the top performer. Popsa says the result reflects real behavior: not just where people went, but where they were most moved to capture the moment.

Why does November 5 matter to photographers?

For Brits, fireworks belong to November 5, Guy Fawkes Night, not July 4. The event marks the failed 17th-century Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Guy Fawkes' face became globally famous through the film V for Vendetta. The annual celebrations give photographers a concentrated window each autumn to shoot pyrotechnics, torchlight and crowds.

What are the top ten displays?

• 1. Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, Somerset — index 100. The centerpiece is squibbing: more than 150 locals line the high street, each holding a firework on a pole, creating a tunnel of sparks and flame. The main event runs on November 7, with food trucks and a funfair at St Matthew's Field.
• 2. Battersea Park Fireworks, London — index 60. Riverside fireworks over the Thames, framed by Albert Bridge and burnt-orange autumn foliage, with live music, brass bands, funfair rides and street food in chalet-style cabins. Two days: November 7 and 8.
• 3. Alexandra Palace Fireworks & Drone Festival, London — index 37. Fireworks and choreographed drones above the palace. A party night on November 7 with an 8 pm display, then a family event on November 8 at 6 pm.
• 4. Lewes Bonfire Night, East Sussex — index 35. Torchlit processions, flaming tar barrels and giant effigies burned in fields outside the town. Seven local societies each produce an effigy reflecting the year's current affairs — recent years featured Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson. Bonfires and fireworks follow around 9 pm. Trains are suspended and roads closed on the night.
• 5. Fireworks at Sea, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset — index 35. Fireworks over the Bristol Channel and the historic Grand Pier, on November 14 at 7.30 pm.
• 6. Brockham Bonfire, Surrey — index 30. More than four tons of fireworks packed into a 12-minute display. Torchbearers led by the Red Devil and the Guy process through the village. The tradition dates to 1888 and still includes a roast-pig auction after the show.
• 7. Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular, Maidstone, Kent — index 27. This year's theme, Time, combines fireworks, music, projections and lasers across the castle grounds.
• 8. Ascot Fireworks Spectacular Family Raceday, Berkshire — index 25. Horse racing paired with one of Berkshire's biggest displays on October 31.
• 9. Bonfire Fireworks Night, Weston Park, Shropshire — index 24. Two firework displays in one evening against 1,000 acres of historic parkland, plus a bonfire and funfair.
• 10. Guildford Lions Firework Festival, Stoke Park — index 23. November 7, gates at 5 pm, ending in a 20-minute display with custom-designed sequences and high-altitude shells. Half an hour by train from London Waterloo.

The list rewards spectacle with civic roots. Bridgwater's squibbing and Brockham's 1888 procession outrank bigger-budget city shows, which suggests crowds photograph tradition most readily.

What about technique?

Popsa also published a shooting guide by photographer Dan Mold for anyone photographing the displays this week. The takeaway: the index tells you where the strongest pictures will be; the craft of long exposures and steady framing is up to the photographer.

With the index now established from two autumns of data, next year's figures will show whether regional traditions like Bridgwater can hold their lead against London's drone-and-laser productions.