The theme park season ends with a bang, as Alton Towers Resort holds its fantastical 3-day Fireworks event. Guests can enjoy rides in the dark, before being enchanted by a wondrous fireworks display.

This page currently contains information for the 2023 offering. It will be updated with 2024 details upon these being announced by the Resort.

Key Information

Dates: 8th – 10th November 2024
Opening Times: 10am – 9pm
Display Time: 7pm, lasting for around 25 minutes

A standard theme park admission ticket for one of the Fireworks dates will allow you to watch the display, as well as enjoying all of the park’s rides and attractions! Merlin Discovery passholders must purchase a standard admission ticket, while Merlin Platinum passholders can pre-book for free. All other passholders must pre-book for £25pp.

A VIP package is available through purchasing a ‘Big Bang’ ticket, which includes:

  • Golden Circle Fireworks viewing area
  • Gold Fastrack – one ride on Wicker Man, Oblivion, Rita, TH13TEEN, The Smiler, Galactica, Spinball Whizzer, Gangsta Granny: The Ride, The Curse at Alton Manor, Marauders Mayhem, Battle Galleons, Congo River Rapids and Runaway Mine Train
  • 2 course buffet
  • 2 drinks vouchers for a bottled beer, glass of wine or a soft drink from midday
  • Unlimited refreshments in the Hospitality Suite from 10am
  • Pre-show soup & roll
  • Poncho
  • Limited edition pop badge
  • Unlimited digital downloads
  • FREE Standard Car Parking

A package including theme park admission is £170pp, while excluding theme park admission it was £145pp. For all ticket queries and for booking we recommend checking out the official Alton Towers Resort website.

For information regarding getting to the Resort, please visit our dedicated page.

As Fireworks attracts a lot of guests to the Resort, it can take a significant amount of time to leave the Resort, which you may wish to consider factoring in to your journey home. Traffic is busiest straight after the Fireworks display so stick around later to avoid the main rush.

There are two main exit points after the Fireworks show:

  • Exit 1 – For all Car Parks. The quickest exit is through the Galactica Gates in Forbidden Valley (via Katanga Canyon and Gloomy Wood)
  • Exit 2 – For Drop Off and Pick Up Points, Coaches and Disabled Guests. Exit via the Theme Park Entrance.

Rides Closing Early

For safety reasons, the following attractions will close approximately at dusk at 3.30pm:

  • Get Set Go Tree Top Adventure
  • Hey Duggee’s Big Adventure Badge
  • Battle Galleons
  • Congo River Rapids
  • The Gardens

The following attractions will close at 6pm:

  • Andy’s Adventures Dinosaur Dig
  • Big Fun Show Time
  • The Furchester Hotel Live

Rides closing before and during the fireworks show

Some areas of the park are within the fireworks firing zone, and so must be clear of guests by 6pm, meaning that queue lines will close at 5pm (or even earlier if the rides are very busy). The rides will reopen from around 8pm until park close. These areas and rides are as follows:

  • Dark Forest – Rita, TH13TEEN, Roller Disco
  • X Sector – The Smiler, Oblivion, Enterprise, Spinjam
  • The World of David Walliams – Gangsta Granny: The Ride, Raj’s Bouncy Bottom Burp, The Royal Carousel, Flavio’s Fabulous Fandango
  • The Towers Complex – Cuckoo Cars Driving School
  • Adventure Land – Spinball Whizzer
  • CBeebies Land – Something Special: Sensory Garden, Postman Pat Parcel Post, Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure

All other attractions not mentioned in any of these lists, including Wicker Man, will be open throughout the fireworks show.

Queuing

Please be aware that Fireworks is likely to be very busy and queues will be large for many of the rides and attractions.

It is always advisable to ride the most popular rides (such as Wicker Man and The Smiler) at the very start and end of the day. Remember that some rides will close in preparation for the fireworks display, however it can be a good opportunity to beat the queues when they reopen.

Other methods and tips to avoid large queues are available on the Queue Busters page.

Handy Hints

  • Temperatures will drop as the park gets dark so remember to wrap up warm!
  • Stick around after the Fireworks display to avoid the main rush of traffic and enjoy the Resort’s rides in the dark.
  • Fireworks is your last chance to ride Wicker Man in the dark this season – the ceremony’s flames look even more intense at night!
  • Spinball Whizzer is generally much quieter in the afternoon and evening as many guests rush to ride it first in the morning.
  • Make sure to ride Oblivion to get a a great view of X Sector and The Smiler at night!
  • Riding TH13TEEN at night brings a whole new meaning to the Dark Forest, with there being next to no lighting around the ride’s circuit.
  • Buy your parking token from a machine or ticket booth at the start of the day to beat the queues when leaving the park.
  • Leave the theme park via the Galactica Gates to avoid the queues for the Monorail.