A bonfire event that has been held in Oldham for around a decade won't be taking place this year.
The ‘Big Bang Bonfire’ has taken place at Oldham Edge playing fields since 2013, with one exception during the 2020 pandemic year. But after more than a decade, the council have decided to adapt the bonfire event into a fireworks display located in the town centre.A spokesperson for the council suggested the ‘re-look at the event’ was to ‘support local businesses’ by ‘encouraging visitors to explore what our town centre has to offer’.
But the state of council finances are also likely to be a factor. Last year, Oldham spent £55k on the free-to-attend event, up from under £42k in 2022. Despite the mark-up, visitor numbers dwindled from 8,000 to 5,000, meaning the price per head more than doubled for the council. Oldham is not the first cash-strapped council to turn away from the Guy Fawkes Night tradition. More and more Greater Manchester boroughs are phasing out bonfires - along with the rest of the UK.
Earlier this month, Manchester City Council revealed none of the eight bonfire and fireworks displays that used to happen across the city would be reinstated. The fires have been on hold since 2019 and councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, who leads on Vibrant Neighbourhoods, this year claimed Manchester council had ‘re-prioritised funding’.The change in Oldham has elicited a mixed response from locals.
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