The large-scale fireworks display returned after a six-year hiatus on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
The event ran from 5pm to 10.30pm and featured a firework show set to music at 8pm, with live entertainment, a mass singalong, and a funfair, set up by organisers Slammin’.
One attendee told the News Shopper she felt “unsafe,” describing the crowd as a “swarm of people.”
She said: “The only way out was through the crowd of people that you came in through.
“We got there between 7pm and 7.30pm.
“They tried to shove people over – there were so many people.
“When we got in, we hit another wall of people.”
A spokesperson for the organisers of Blackheath Fireworks said that, due to bad weather earlier in the evening, a “significant proportion” of attendees arrived after 7pm, which didn’t give them enough time to “explore the considerable range of entertainment attractions within the site as a whole before the fireworks display took place.”
The spokesperson added: “This late ingress led to a slight delay to the display itself, which began at 8.10pm, by which time all attendees were onsite.
“Our security team were tasked with ensuring the safety of everyone attending, which included bag searches, and this is not something we were or are willing to compromise on.
“We have a well-earned reputation for putting on regular, safe, large-scale events across the capital and Blackheath Fireworks was no exception to that.”
The attendee said she wondered if she’d get into the event before the fireworks due to the queues being “so deep”.
She claims that there was a queue for bag search – which took around 30 to 40 minutes – and further queues for food.
She added: “We bumped into people with kids who couldn’t cope with the environment and couldn’t find a way out.
“There was a big marquee set up for security checks, and the end row to the far right when we left was the only way out.
“You almost had to fight through the crowds to get through security checks.”
The attendee said she had to leave the event after being inside for just 10 minutes and headed to the nearby common to watch the firework display.
She said: “We felt like if something was to happen, it would be really unsafe with the number of people in there.
“It almost felt like they sold and sold and sold tickets without any real thought about how people would get in and out.
“It felt like poor crowd management and borderline dangerous if anything was to happen.”
Other feedback from attendees was positive, with people praising the event for its organisation, atmosphere, and variety of attractions.
One highlighted the firework display set to music as a particular standout, describing it as one of the best they had seen in Blackheath.
A spokesperson for Slammin’ the Blackheath Fireworks organisers, added: “After bringing Blackheath Fireworks back to South East London for the first time in six years, we’ve been overwhelmed with the positive feedback from the local community since Saturday night’s display and festival.
“We enjoyed a sold-out event with 30,000 Lewisham and London residents coming to enjoy the evening’s entertainment together.
“That said, we also welcome feedback from those who feel there was room for improvement; we take their comments constructively with regards to next year’s event.
“We want to thank everyone who came to Blackheath Fireworks and look forward to making next year’s event even better.”
