About Ninfield Bonfire Society
Ninfield Bonfire Society is a volunteer-led community organisation based in Ninfield, East Sussex.
The society was formed in 2009 by a small group of people who wanted to bring Ninfield into the Sussex Bonfire tradition and create a celebration of its own for the village.
Since then, Ninfield Bonfire Society has developed into an active local organisation with a strong emphasis on fundraising, community involvement and keeping its annual Bonfire celebration free for spectators.
Today, the society organises a torchlit procession, bonfire, effigy and fireworks display, while members also support village events and local organisations throughout the year.
Formed in 2009
Ninfield Bonfire Society is one of the younger societies on the Bonfire circuit.
It was established in 2009, when a small group of local residents decided that Ninfield should have a society of its own.
From those beginnings, the organisation has gradually built up the equipment, membership, fundraising and practical experience required to stage a full village celebration.
The society describes itself as a not-for-profit organisation, with volunteers working together to organise the annual fireworks display and raise money for local causes.
That community purpose has remained central to the society as it has grown.
Ninfield Bonfire Night
The annual Ninfield Bonfire celebration is the highlight of the society's year.
The evening begins with the society and visiting participants assembling in Church Lane before the torchlit procession makes its way through the village.
The established route runs from Church Lane onto The Green, Manchester Road, Coombe Lane, Standard Hill and High Street, before returning through the village and finally reaching the Recreation Ground.
Once the procession arrives, society members gather around the bonfire and deliver the traditional Bonfire Chant before the fire is lit.
The evening then concludes with the society's Grand Firework Display.
The Bonfire Chant
One of Ninfield's established traditions is the recitation of the Bonfire Chant immediately before the fire is lit.
The words retell the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot before ending with the familiar call for the bells to ring.
Having all the members gathered around the fire for the chant provides a ceremonial moment between the end of the procession and the beginning of the fireworks display.
It has become one of the features that gives Ninfield's home celebration its own rhythm and identity.
Building the Bonfire
Much of the work behind Ninfield Bonfire takes place months before the procession.
Members prepare brushwood faggots for the fire by cutting brush into lengths of around four feet, tying the pieces together and leaving them to dry over the summer.
The reason is practical.
The dried faggots help the bonfire catch quickly and produce plenty of light, while burning through efficiently so the fireworks can begin without leaving an excessive quantity of ash behind.
It is a good example of the traditional practical knowledge that has to be learned and passed between members if a society is to stage its own celebration successfully.
Making the Torches
Torch preparation is another important part of the society's year.
Members are encouraged to help with torch making and other Bonfire preparation, alongside fundraising events and general society work.
Like the bonfire itself, the procession depends on a considerable amount of repetitive work carried out long before spectators arrive.
Each torch has to be prepared and stored before eventually being carried through the village on Bonfire Night.
For newer members, helping with this work provides an opportunity to learn how the celebration is put together rather than simply taking part in the procession.
Fundraising Throughout the Year
Keeping Ninfield Bonfire free to attend requires a continuous programme of fundraising.
The society organises events throughout the year to meet the costs of fireworks, equipment and the other practical requirements involved in staging the annual celebration.
Recent fundraising activities have included an Irish party night, live music events, Badge Night and a Festival of Lights torchlit procession, alongside stalls at village events.
The society also participates in the Wealden Community Lottery, giving supporters another way to contribute towards the annual event.
These activities help keep the society visible within the village long before the autumn season begins.
Supporting Local Organisations
Fundraising is not only about paying for Bonfire.
Ninfield Bonfire Society also raises money to help local organisations, continuing the charitable role traditionally associated with many Bonfire societies.
The society describes its annual free fireworks display as a gift to the families and residents of Ninfield and the surrounding area, while its wider activities help keep money circulating back into the local community.
That combination of community celebration and charitable support is central to the society's identity.
Working with Ninfield Carnival
Ninfield Bonfire Society also works closely with Ninfield Carnival.
The two organisations support each other at joint events, helping strengthen the wider programme of village activities rather than operating entirely separately.
In 2024, for example, Ninfield Bonfire Society helped kick off the Carnival weekend with a Local and Live Band Night, including live music, a barbecue and bar.
That collaboration reflects the society's broader place within village life.
D-Day 80
Ninfield Bonfire Society has also become involved in commemorative events.
For the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024, the society worked with Ninfield Carnival to organise a special village commemoration.
Residents were invited to gather on the Recreation Ground for the lighting of a beacon, joining communities across the country in marking the anniversary.
The event demonstrated how the society's skills with fire, procession and public events can also be used for important civic commemorations outside Bonfire Night.
Membership
Ninfield Bonfire Society welcomes new members and emphasises that people can become involved in many different ways.
Members can take part in the society's own torchlit procession, travel to other celebrations and help with the practical preparations throughout the year.
Those preparations include making torches, preparing brushwood faggots, helping at fundraising events and supporting the organisation of Bonfire Night itself.
The society also holds regular meetings at Ninfield Working Men's Club, giving members an opportunity to contribute ideas and become involved with planning.
For a society formed only in 2009, attracting new volunteers is particularly important because the traditions being established today will eventually become the inherited customs of future members.
Ninfield Bonfire 2026
The 2026 Ninfield Bonfire celebration takes place on Saturday 24 October.
The society has confirmed that the evening will broadly follow its established format, with the procession assembling in Church Lane before travelling through the village and finishing at the Recreation Ground.
The provisional pattern places the procession at around 7:30pm, followed by the Bonfire Chant and lighting of the fire at approximately 8:30pm, with the Grand Firework Display from around 9pm.
The celebration remains free to attend, supported by the fundraising, sponsorship and voluntary work carried out throughout the year.
A Young Society Building Its Own Traditions
Ninfield Bonfire Society may not have the Victorian history of some neighbouring organisations, but that is part of what makes its story interesting.
The society was formed in 2009 by local people who simply wanted Ninfield to have a Bonfire tradition of its own.
Since then, members have built the organisation one practical job at a time: making torches, tying brushwood faggots, raising money, organising the procession and developing the annual celebration on the Recreation Ground.
Along the way, the society has also become involved in village events, worked alongside Ninfield Carnival, supported local organisations and helped mark major commemorations such as D-Day 80.
In little more than a decade and a half, Ninfield Bonfire Society has gone from an idea shared by a handful of residents to an established part of village life – creating traditions today that future generations of Ninfield members may one day regard as old ones.