The people behind the bang - meet the team who make Rotherham’s biggest bonfire event happen
As 16,000 people wrap up warm and head out to enjoy Rotherham Council’s annual bonfire and fireworks display at Clifton Park tonight, few will realise just how much work goes into making the night go off with a bang.
From risk assessments and road closures to sourcing the fireworks themselves, the event is the product of months of planning by the council’s Creative Programming and Events team, led by head of service Leanne Buchan.
She says it’s one of the most anticipated community events of the year, but also one of the most complex to deliver.
Planning for the following year begins almost immediately after the last embers fade. “Once the bonfire’s out, we go straight into debriefs,” she explains. “We look at incident logs, safety issues, what worked well, and what we can improve.”
This year, several tweaks have been made to make the event run even smoother. “We’ve put road closures in place because it gets so busy, people were parking on neighbouring streets,” says Leanne. “We’re encouraging everyone to park in the town centre instead. There’s also better lighting this year, and we’ve spread out the fairground rides and food vendors to help people move around more safely.”
With thousands expected to descend on Clifton Park, the night is set to be another highlight in Rotherham’s events calendar – a spectacle that’s been quietly crafted behind the scenes for months.
“There are lots of really good people working on it,” says Leanne proudly. “We’ve got a wide range of departments involved, green spaces, highways, events, safety, and a core team of six who work on the planning all year. That grows to around 18 or 20 people across seven or eight departments in the final few weeks.”
In the run-up to the big night, the team monitors everything from weather forecasts to ground conditions. “We’re constantly checking wind direction to make sure it’s safe for the fireworks and the bonfire. Some years, we’ve even had to cancel because the ground was too muddy.”
Crowd management, she adds, is one of the biggest logistical challenges. “We have to think about how people get to the site and back again, how they move around safely, whether there are enough toilets and stewards
After the final firework has fizzed out, the work isn’t over. “The clean-up takes a couple of days,” Leanne explains. “The fairground staff are brilliant at keeping their areas tidy, and our waste management team at the council do an amazing job of clearing the site quickly. We just ask people to be patient with us, everyone’s working really hard afterwards to restore Clifton Park.”
Despite the long hours and pressure, the team does get to enjoy the magic of the night. “There’s always a great atmosphere,” she adds. “It’s nice seeing people enjoying themselves in a really simple way.”
Once the park is spotless again, the team doesn’t rest for long. “After bonfire night, we move straight into Remembrance Day and then the Christmas lights switch-on,” says Leanne – and before you know it, the team are planning next year’s fireworks all over again.
As the rockets burst overhead and the bonfire blazes, it’s easy to forget the work that makes it all possible. But for the team behind the barriers, seeing families enjoying themselves under the November sky makes every late night, road closure, and safety check worth it.
What You Need to Know
Location: Clifton Park, Rotherham
Date: Wednesday 5 November 2025
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Fairground opens: 4:00pm
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Bonfire lit: 6:30pm
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Fireworks display: 7:30pm
Safety reminder: Please don’t bring your own fireworks or sparklers — they won’t be permitted on site.
Travel and Parking:
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Badsley Moor Lane and Middle Lane will be closed to vehicles before and during the event.
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Clifton Lane and Doncaster Road will have temporary restrictions in place.
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Only residents with access passes can enter nearby residential streets.
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Parking enforcement will be in operation, visitors are advised to use town centre car parks or travel on foot or by public transport.
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Some bus routes may be affected, so check before you travel.