About Crowborough Bonfire & Carnival Society
Crowborough Bonfire & Carnival Society (CBCS) has been bringing Bonfire and Carnival to Crowborough, East Sussex, since 1948.
The society’s motto, “We Burn for Good,” neatly sums up its purpose. Crowborough’s annual celebrations provide one of the biggest community events in the town’s calendar, but behind the torches, costumes and fireworks is a volunteer organisation dedicated to raising money for local good causes.
Throughout the year, members organise fundraising events, prepare equipment and undertake the considerable amount of work required for Carnival Day. That includes making the thousands of torches needed for the procession – with nearly 5,000 being prepared for Carnival 2026 alone.
Crowborough Carnival
The highlight of the society’s year is Crowborough Carnival, traditionally held in September.
The event combines the older traditions of a community carnival with Crowborough’s bonfire celebrations, creating a full day of activities before the evening torchlit procession, bonfire and fireworks.
Carnival 2026 takes place on Saturday 12 September, marking the society’s 78th year.
The afternoon begins on Chapel Green, where the Carnival Fete opens at 1:30pm with entertainment, refreshments, stalls, displays and a raffle.
Children can take part in the traditional Fancy Dress Competition, while another particularly appropriate Carnival tradition is the Make a Guy Competition, with prizes awarded for the best entries.
As daylight fades, attention turns to Bonfire. Members, visiting societies and participants gather for the evening procession, when thousands of torches transform the streets of Crowborough.
The procession is followed by the bonfire and fireworks, bringing Carnival Day to its traditional conclusion.
Nearly 5,000 Torches
One of the most impressive statistics behind Crowborough Carnival is the sheer number of torches required.
For 2026, members are making almost 5,000 torches in preparation for the procession.
Each one has to be made in advance by volunteers, demonstrating just how much work takes place behind the scenes before the public sees the finished celebration.
On Carnival night, those thousands of individual torches come together to create one of Crowborough’s most memorable annual sights.
The Georgian Pioneers
Crowborough members are easily recognised by the society’s blue and red striped bonfire costume, while its First Pioneers are Georgians.
The Georgian period is particularly appropriate for Crowborough because it coincides with an important period in the development of the surrounding Ashdown Forest and High Weald area.
The elaborate Georgian dress of the Pioneers provides a striking contrast to the striped bonfire costume worn by other members and gives Crowborough its own recognisable presence when the society attends celebrations elsewhere.
Costumed members also serve a practical purpose on Carnival Day, joining the procession with collection buckets to raise money for the year's chosen charities.
We Burn for Good
Crowborough’s motto is more than a slogan.
Money donated to the street collection on Carnival Day goes entirely to the society’s chosen local good causes. The society does not retain any of the street collection for itself.
For 2026, Crowborough Bonfire & Carnival Society is supporting four local organisations:
- The Good Company People
- Smiles Sensory & Family Farm
- Artytime
- Crowborough First Responders
This charitable purpose has become an important part of Crowborough Carnival, allowing the thousands of people who attend the event to contribute directly to organisations working within the local community.
It also explains the society’s particularly fitting motto: We Burn for Good.
The Bonfire Fete
Carnival is not the society’s only major event.
Earlier in the year, CBCS holds its Bonfire Fete on Chapel Green, providing another opportunity for the community to come together while raising money towards the considerable cost of staging Carnival.
The Fete includes stalls, activities and entertainment, with the dog show proving a particularly popular part of the day.
Unlike the Carnival street collection, which is given to the chosen charities, fundraising events such as the Bonfire Fete help the society raise the money required to put on its own celebrations.
That distinction is important: staging a large public event involving a procession, bonfire and fireworks is expensive, so the society must fundraise separately while ensuring Carnival Day collections can go to good causes.
A Year-Round Volunteer Effort
Although most people encounter CBCS on Carnival Day, the society operates throughout the year.
There are torches to make, events to organise, funds to raise and countless practical jobs to complete before September arrives.
The society is based at The Social Club on Croft Road, which provides a home for its activities and members.
Members also represent Crowborough at other celebrations during the season, taking the society’s blue and red stripes and Georgian Pioneers on the road.
Supporting Crowborough Bonfire & Carnival Society
Crowborough Bonfire & Carnival Society has been part of the town since 1948, and its continued success depends upon volunteers, members, local businesses and supporters.
People can help by joining the society, attending its fundraising events, buying the annual Carnival programme or simply contributing to the collection on Carnival Day.
The official programme, traditionally sold around Crowborough for £1, also provides the full timetable and information needed to enjoy the celebrations.
What makes Crowborough particularly special is the combination of spectacle and purpose behind the event. Thousands of handmade torches, a traditional carnival, Georgian Pioneers, bonfire and fireworks create a memorable day for the town, while the collections generated by that celebration support organisations working within the local community.
More than three-quarters of a century after the society was established, Crowborough Bonfire & Carnival Society continues to live up to the words that define it: “We Burn for Good.”