Rotherfield & Mark Cross's procession sets off about 7.45pm on Saturday 3 October, with roads closed 7pm to 11pm. Heathfield follows on Saturday 10 October.

Rotherfield & Mark Cross Bonfire Society has published the timings for its carnival night on Saturday 3 October. The torchlit procession moves off at about 7.45pm, and roads in the village close from 7pm to 11pm. Rotherfield is about three miles east of Crowborough.

The timings are on the society’s own 2026 Bonfire Night page. Until this week its events page still marked them “to be confirmed”.

The evening, as the society sets it out

  • 6pm: evening fancy dress judging, on Kennedy’s forecourt
  • 7pm: road closures enforced. Refreshments, hog roasts, barbecues, pub bars and music in the square
  • 7.30pm: the procession forms up
  • 7.45pm: the procession moves off
  • 8.15pm to 8.30pm: the procession breaks at Town Row bridge, where there are toilets, a food van and a bar
  • 9.15pm: the grand procession heads up to the fire site
  • 9.45pm to 10pm: the procession returns to the fire site, the bonfire is lit and the fireworks start
  • 11pm: road closures lifted

The society says the closures will be staffed by professional security and asks people to respect them. Warning signs go up two weeks before. It gives the car park’s location as the What3Words address ///meanders.headless.ripe.

The page does not list which roads close. We have not guessed them. If you live in the village or need to drive through it that evening, the warning signs are the place to check.

Free to attend, and the buckets go to charity

The carnival is free. On its home page the society says a good fireworks display costs it £2,300 and security about £912, and that it keeps the night free anyway. It says about 20 societies usually walk with it, and that it hand-makes 4,000 torches.

The bucket collections on the night go straight to the society’s chosen charities, and it says it raised £1,500 for three of them last year. Its events page names the three that received the 2025 carnival collection: Rotherfield Millennium Green Trust, Rotherfield Sports Club and Rotherfield 1st Scouts Group. Programmes are on sale now in shops in Rotherfield and Mark Cross.

The same afternoon, Crowborough Athletic host Wimborne Town in the FA Cup third qualifying round, kick-off 3pm. We covered that tie here.

Heathfield is the following Saturday, 10 October

Heathfield & District Bonfire Society’s night is on Saturday 10 October, about eight miles south-east of Crowborough. The fire service’s bonfire season list gave Sunday 11 October when we checked it on 5 September, but the society’s own 2026 event page and programme both say Saturday.

Heathfield runs differently from Rotherfield in two ways that matter before you set off.

The fire site is ticket only. Entry is by pre-paid ticket, on a new system this year. Each ticket is a QR code that can be scanned once, so a shared ticket will be refused at the gate. The society says early bird tickets are limited.

More roads close, and earlier. The programme says Wealden District Council has approved closures from 6.30pm to 10.30pm on:

  • Station Road and Upper Station Road
  • Mutton Hall Hill and Sheepsetting Lane
  • Mill Road, Tilsmore Road and Ghyll Road
  • Heathfield High Street
  • Cross in Hand Road (A265)

There is no entry or exit on the side roads off those. The programme names three car parks, with no vehicles in or out between 6.30pm and 10.30pm:

  • Station Road West, behind Tesco
  • Station Road East, behind the State Hall
  • the Cuckoo Trail car park opposite Waitrose

Societies form up at the Heathfield Tavern to start at about 7.15pm. The procession goes up Station Road, along the High Street and up Mutton Hall Hill to the Tower Street junction. It then comes back through the High Street and up Mill Road to the fire site at Heathfield Community Centre.

The society’s Martyrs Bar is behind Pennell’s Carpets, opposite the fire station. The website says it opens at 5pm; the printed programme says 4.30pm.

What it means for you

  • Going to Rotherfield on Saturday? Arrive before 7pm if you are driving in, because the closures start then and run until 11pm. The procession leaves at about 7.45pm and the bonfire is lit at about 9.45pm to 10pm.
  • Going to Heathfield on 10 October? Buy a fire site ticket in advance. There is no pay on the gate, and the car parks lock in from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
  • Driving south through Heathfield that evening? The A265 through Cross in Hand Road is shut from 6.30pm to 10.30pm. Allow for it.
  • Bringing a dog? Heathfield’s programme says its event is not suitable for dogs or anyone of a nervous disposition. It also asks people not to pick up discarded torches or bring their own fireworks or sparklers.

Every other bonfire and fireworks date in the area, including Crowborough’s own display on Thursday 5 November, is on our Crowborough fireworks and bonfire season page. For anything else on the roads that week, see Crowborough roadworks and travel.