On Saturday 3rd November, the sky above Beckenham Park Croydon Rec was lit up by blazing fireworks, the air filled with the aroma of warm waffles and crepes, the night illuminated by thousands of lights adorning the rides that occupied the vast expanse of fields. The atmosphere was one no one could forget – it was certainly a night to remember!
Beckenham Fireworks in the Park has been running since 1946 and is a family-friendly event to commemorate Bonfire Night. The 5th Beckenham Scout Group took over the organisation last year, and organised it this year also to create a spectacular night. All the profits go to local charities, helping the community and providing a great evening for families in Beckenham. The gates to the park opened at 5pm. Upon entrance, you were greeted warmly by the extremely welcoming volunteers. You paid for your entrance (which has remained unchanged for the past two years) and entered the park. A huge funfair from Billy Davis filled the park with Twister, Bumper Cars, Merry-Go-Rounds and many stalls were filled to the brim with plush teddies and many other prizes. The fun house was completely packed as everyone was desperate to have a go. Attempting to find a seat on the Twister was like the beginning of the Hunger Games – people just didn’t want to miss out! There were queues of excited children longing to have a turn on the bumper cars. Young Sally Adams tried her best at the ‘Knock Over the Cans Stall’ and said that “Everyone should come and play, it was really fun!”. Endless stalls of food lined the park, selling treats from hotdogs to waffles, warm drinks and particularly popular candyfloss buckets. A taste of cuisines from across the globe was available, with Taste of Kings Greek Food, Jerk Spice Caribbean food, Sapore Vero Pizza and Polish sausage; I’m pretty sure no-one left hungry. For the younger kids, a silent fireworks display was held at 6.00pm, and from the looks on everyone’s faces, they loved it. It was a family friendly show and the kids were dancing around, laughing and singing and cheering. The main display was at 7.45pm. Around £10,000 worth of fireworks made for a great display, and it certainly didn’t disappoint! Glittering sparks and vibrant colours exploded into the sky. Cheering and laughing and the throbbing music could be heard from miles away. The ambience was perfect. Thank you, Frontier Fireworks!
All in all, it was a fantastic night for the whole family and definitely an event to put into your calendar for next year.
