Remember, remember: your Watford fireworks guide

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Hi. Welcome back to The Watford Brew. Issue 8, and it's our Bonfire Night special.

Remember, remember the fifth of November, and the seventh too, because this year the fireworks are spread across the week. Croxley Park goes up tonight for free, Friday brings a rugby club display and Jools Holland at the Colosseum, and on Saturday Cassiobury Park puts on Hertfordshire's largest free display. Then on Sunday the town comes together, more quietly, for Remembrance.

Everything below was checked with the organisers' own pages on Wednesday morning. Plans can change, so give the link a quick look before you head out.

BONFIRE PICKS

Thu 5 Nov: free fireworks at Croxley Park, display 6.30pm
Sat 7 Nov: the free Cassiobury Park Fireworks, display 7.30pm
Sun 8 Nov: Remembrance Sunday at the Peace Memorial, 3pm

TONIGHT

Croxley Park Fireworks Spectacular, The Hive
Thu 5 Nov · doors 5pm · fireworks 6.30pm · ends 8pm · Croxley Park · free, no registration needed

Bonfire Night itself, and it's free. Fireworks, live performers, fairground stalls and games, food trucks and a DJ. Parking is limited: Morrisons, about a 4 minute walk away, gives 2 hours free, so walk or use public transport if you can. Wrap up warm.

Not a fireworks person? The Elvis Years is at Watford Palace Theatre · Thu 5 Nov · 7.30pm · standard tickets £32. Mario Kombou and his band run through more than 50 hits, with 12 costume changes.

FRIDAY

Fireworks Night, Camelot Rugby Club
Fri 6 Nov · from 6pm · Chaulden Lane, Hemel Hempstead · tickets online

A short drive out, and a good one for families. Fireworks, food, an outdoor bar and plenty of family fun, all in support of the local rugby club. Advance tickets cost less than paying on the night.

Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Watford Colosseum
Fri 6 Nov · doors 6.30pm · tickets via the Colosseum

Boogie-woogie piano and a big band for a Friday night, with special guest Roachford, plus Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka, and support from Joe Webb.

SATURDAY

Cassiobury Park Fireworks
Sat 7 Nov · entertainment from 6pm · fireworks from 7.30pm · Cassiobury Park · free

The big one. Hertfordshire's largest free fireworks display, funded by Watford Borough Council. Vibe 107.6FM and local band The Nevers warm up the crowd from 6pm, and there are food and drink stalls, children's funfair rides, bungee trampolines and a bouncy slide. Bring cash. Watford Lions Club and volunteers will be collecting for Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, Hayaat Welfare Trust, Watford Lions Club and Watford Community Fund, with cash, contactless or the QR codes at the entrances.

Getting there: no general parking in the Gade Avenue car park from 3pm (a limited number of Blue Badge spaces, first come, first served), and parking restrictions on the roads around the park from 7am to 11pm. Use a town centre car park or public transport.

Watford v Middlesbrough, Vicarage Road
Sat 7 Nov · 3pm · Championship. The Hornets at home before the fireworks. Tickets via Watford FC.

The Gruffalo, Watford Palace Theatre
Sat 7 Nov 1.30pm and 4.30pm · Sun 8 Nov 10.30am and 1.30pm · standard tickets £18 · ages 3+ · 1 hour

Tall Stories bring the deep dark wood to the Palace for the show's 25th anniversary. Saturday's 4.30pm show is a relaxed performance, with a free touch tour an hour before (book it through the box office).

Fancy going further? The St Albans Fireworks Spectacular is in Verulamium Park on Sat 7 Nov · gates 6pm · fireworks 7.30pm · online adult £12.50, child (4 to 16) £7.50, family £35, 3 and under free (gate prices higher: adult £15, child £10, family £40). Accessible area through Gate 1 only.

Saturday night, after the bangs: singer-songwriter Emily Mell plays Mad Squirrel Watford · Sat 7 Nov · 8pm to 10pm · 3 King Street.

SUNDAY

Remembrance Sunday, Peace Memorial
Sun 8 Nov · 3pm · outside Watford Town Hall

After a noisy weekend, a quieter moment. The town's main Remembrance service is at 3pm at the Peace Memorial, with a two-minute silence, and the Royal British Legion and other organisations will lay wreaths. Before that, the Royal British Legion Watford Branch musters veterans, service personnel and cadets on the Parade (by the pond) at 2.30pm, for inspection by the Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

Other services on the day:
All Saints Church, Horseshoe Lane: 9am, then a 10.45am civic service at the War Memorial, High Road, Leavesden
St Matthew's Church, Eastbury Road: 10am, with a two-minute silence at 10.40am at the war memorial outside
Oxhey Village Green: from 2.15pm, with a 3pm service at Watford Heath Memorial

Look out too for the "Tommies", silhouettes of First World War soldiers, on display around town.

On the road: Watford FC Women are away at Leicester City in WSL 2 · Sun 8 Nov · 3pm. Fixture details on BBC Sport.

STAY SAFE

From Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue: light fireworks at arm's length with a taper, stand well back and never go back to a lit firework. Never give a sparkler to a child under 5. Build bonfires well away from fences, sheds, hedges and buildings, never use petrol or paraffin, keep water nearby and never leave one unattended.

For the four-legged locals, from the RSPCA: walk your dog in daylight, close the windows and curtains, give them a safe space with their favourite things, let them pace or hide if they want to, and make sure they're microchipped in case they bolt.

COMING UP

Watford Repair Café, St Mary's Church Annex
Sat 14 Nov · 10am to 1pm · Church Street, WD18 0EG · free, donations welcome

A wobbly chair, a bike that clicks, a lamp that's given up? Bring it along. Volunteers help fix electrical items, furniture, toys, bikes, clothing and textiles, glasses frames and jewellery, and they'll sharpen tools and scissors too. No appointment: just turn up, register your item at the desk, and have a tea and a slice of cake while you wait. It runs on the second Saturday of every month.

DID YOU KNOW?

The three bronze figures outside Watford Town Hall, "To the Fallen", "To the Wounded" and "Victory", were made by Mary Pownall Bromet, a local sculptor who had studied under Rodin. She modelled them during the First World War, and a public appeal paid for them to be cast in bronze. The Earl of Clarendon unveiled the memorial on 18 July 1928, outside the Peace Memorial Hospital, and it moved to its spot by the Town Hall in 1971 when Rickmansworth Road was widened. It's Grade II* listed, partly because so few monumental war memorials were made by women. Historic England has the full story.

On Sun 8 Nov at 3pm, it's the heart of the town's Remembrance service.

SEE YOU NEXT THURSDAY

Happy Bonfire Night, and enjoy the fireworks. See you next Thursday.
The Watford Brew

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