Halloween Fireworks Night at the Fleur De Lys

7 Nov

An LED hula hooper circus performer spins her rings in front of a giant spooky skeleton model outside a stretched tent at a country pub bedecked with festoon lights

Whilst we were clearing up from last year's bonfire night, before the last person had even gone home, one of us had the bright idea that in 2025 we should combine Halloween with bonfire night and so, for the last 12 months, we've been squirrelling away to make that idea come to life.

We had high hopes and grand delusions of making our fireworks night at the Fleur De Lys resemble the Day of the Dead parade in the opening scene of the James Bond Spectre movie, with all sorts of floats, icons and craziness going on. However, this being Lowsonford and our budget not being backed by MGM Studios, we decided to work with some slightly more local suppliers and reign in our ambition a little.

It’s a far cry from our first bonfire night in 2014 when we’d just taken over at the Fleur De Lys. As city slickers whose previous pub didn’t even have pavement space, let alone an enormous garden for letting off fireworks, we certainly didn’t have the confidence to try and create an event with wow factor. 11 years later, however, and we’ve learnt that more is definitely more when it comes to fireworks night!

This time around we had our soundtrack provided by Real Human Beings Band who played banger after banger to get the whole crowd boogieing, from the youngest diva to the oldest dancing queen. The fabulous Storm In A Teacup provided us with amazing circus performers. From mesmerising LED hula hoopers to light up stilt walkers, the magic they sprinkled over our Halloween event added a little something special. And of course they were also responsible for a spectacular fire and pyro show to really add to the drama of the evening before the main event with a huge display from our long time collaborators, Fantazia Fireworks.

Luckily we had managed to secure Vala Stiorra to tell fortunes for the evening, so she was tucked up inside with her tarot cards, whilst Glitter Squad Face Painting and PanPan Works were busy turning everyone into everything from sugar skulls to vampires and any other creation you could imagine, as you can see from a few in our rogues’ gallery.

We couldn’t have managed to keep everyone as well fed and watered without the help of Churros Susanna and La Tazzina coffee, who brought their brand new horsebox to furnish everyone with exceptional hot drinks for the evening.

The Fleur De Lys has always been a bit of a treasure thanks to its amazing location and beautiful setting, but we’re so glad we have the space to create spectacles like this once a year. It’s truly delightful to see so many faces from our community year after year, as well as those who have heard about us and bagged a ticket for the first time.

Thankfully Alex Bradbury Photography was on hand to capture the whole evening for us and we hope that you’ll enjoy scrolling through the fireworks night gallery to see if you can spot your face in the crowd.