The Bournemouth Littledown Fireworks 2023 Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Steven Osborne
As a family, we are a big fan of Fireworks night and attend an organised display each year. This isn’t the first time we’ve been to the Bournemouth Fireworks at the Littledown Centre, in Bournemouth, which is billed as the South’s Premier Firework Event, so we know how fantastic the displays normally are, as such we were really excited to be asked to review this year’s event. This year’s spectacular is the 25th anniversary of the event; so we had great expectations and we weren’t disappointed.
Boasting new attractions for this year including, live music, fire performers and an indoor family zone in addition to the usual offering of 3 giant firework displays, a giant fun fair and foodstalls we couldn’t wait to get there.
Our journey to the Littledown Centre was relatively easy, we visit the venue frequently, so we had no issues finding it. It is an easy location to find, just off of the A338 (main road into Bournemouth). There is limited parking on site, so once that car park is full, it is shut and attendees need to find alternative parking, which is available on nearby roads; we parked off site, with ease and walked a short distance to the venue. We had pre-booked our tickets, so once we had arrived, we just had to show our tickets and the fun could begin. Gates opened at 5.30pm, with plenty of activities to occupy attendees until the first of the three firework displays started at 7pm (with the subsequent displays at 8pm and 9pm).
Fortunately, we managed to dodge the heavy rain storms which had been on and off all day, however it had left the ground quite muddy. From experience of last year, we donned our waterproofs and wellies, to ensure our fun wasn’t marred by the weather
The family indoor zone hosted a number of different activities in the main hall of the Littledown Centre, including a bouncy castle zone (always a favourite with our children) and costing £3 each for 6 minutes of bouncing fun. There were some dance workshops aimed at different age groups plus cheerleading displays by Revolution Cheerleading Academy, but we hadn’t seen these.
There was also an opportunity for Kids to ‘Have a go’ at some different sports, including Littledown Juniors (Football), Tennis, Golf and Cricket with Winton Cricket Club. The brilliant thing about this was that there were no additional charges for any of these activities, which is a great way of encouraging children to try new sports, which could potentially get them more active!
The Giant fun fair on site is renowned as one of the biggest touring fun fairs to visit Bournemouth. However, the rides at the fun fair are not included within the price of the Fireworks event entry ticket and are charged as pay as you ride – approximately £3-£4 per ride, which can get a little pricey, but they are optional.
The Fire Performers, Steamship Circus wowed us with their act for 15 minutes or so before the 7pm and 8pm firework displays with 4 performers spinning their flaming batons, stood on podiums, allowing everyone a good view of their show. The kids loved it!
Live Music by Jordan Watts was offered in the Live Music Arena, three times over the course of the evening. Jordan is a local musician and belted out covers of hits from Pop legends including Queen and Fleetwood Mac, which was a brilliant way to entertain the crowds.
There were several food stalls dotted around the venue offering a range of foods including burgers, chips and such like. We didn’t purchase any food, so can’t comment on the quality of food or prices on offer.
For us, however, the main event is the fireworks themselves, the first display at 7pm is designed to be the quietest, for little ears, although it still packs a punch and was beautifully coloured. These fireworks were Barbie themed and started the night off with a bang!
For the 8pm display, we had a really great view and this made them even more spectacular! The fireworks were Movie themed and set to music from the Greatest Showman, James Bond and Pirates of The Caribbean. Absolutely fabulous.
Having 2 little ones in tow and getting distracted by the Bouncy castle indoors, we were a little delayed in getting to the 9pm display, which I believe was Festival Banger themed, so we watched these from further away. They were spectacular, with a very impressive finale.
All three displays lasted approximately 10 minutes each, its a shame they didn’t last longer, but I understand the rationale of having 3 shorter displays, as ultimately the event is family-orientated, so it works having 3 displays, rather than 2 slightly longer displays, for example.
The fireworks displays are held on the field adjacent to the leisure centre, with a hard-standing near the children’s play park, which is flat and therefore accessible to everyone (The field was particularly muddy due to the recent rain and therefore wasn’t great for buggies or wheelchairs). The indoor activities are held inside the leisure centre, with ground floor and with disabled toilet/ baby change facilities available.
There were toilet facilities by the children’s play area, which were the main ones in use. We didn’t use the facilities there, while we were on site, but had heard that they weren’t in a great condition. We used the toilet facilities inside the centre, which I felt had been a little abused on the night, filled with toilet roll and not flushing very well. Perhaps more attention could be given to these facilities.
The event finished at 10.30pm, but with 2 little ones in tow, we didn’t quite make it to the end of the night.
All the staff we had spoken to on the night were really helpful and polite, I can’t fault them.
With ticket prices at £8 for adults and £4.80 for children, I think the price represents really good value for money, considering it is possible to watch up to 3 firework displays for that price. The cost of the other activities on site could make the costs mount up quite quickly, therefore it is entirely up to you and your budget as to what else you do while at the event.
I was really pleased to hear that Pains Fireworks have taken the Green Pledge and committed to reducing their carbon footprint by ensuring that each display they deliver is carbon neutral. Such a great thing to hear given the current climate crisis.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets range from £8 for an adult ticket, £4.80 for a child ticket, under 3’s are free. Family tickets are also available from £25.60. All with a booking fee when buying online. Tickets are available on the door, for cash purchase, at £10 per adult and £6 per child.
Tickets can be booked by visiting https://littledownfireworks.co.uk/
Address: The Littledown Centre, Chaseside, Bournemouth, BH7 7DX