A BONFIRE Night fireworks display, which has been billed as one of the country’s most spectacular, is set to return to the skies above Darlington next year after an 11-year break.

Darlington Borough Council has announced South Park will host the event, in which it aims to bring the borough’s communities together for live music, food stalls, competitions and a colourful fireworks show on Saturday, November 5, 2022.

While organisations such as the RSPCA are campaigning for events to avoid using loud fireworks, the council said organisers of the event will be working closely with a number of public health professionals to ensure the evening follows all the necessary guidelines in place at the time.

The fireworks display is planned to be a free event with further information on admission details to be released in the coming months.

The authority’s deputy leader, Councillor Jonathan Dulston said the event is planned to unify the community following what has been a most difficult and challenging time.

He said: “I remember growing up and this buzz of this one central community event that brought the whole together, as well as people from outside the town. Darlington’s fireworks display was one of the country’s best and that’s what we’re going to return.

“We want to get that buzz back and do something that we were good at, so I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to find the funds and secure it’s return. We would have liked to have done it this year, but don’t want to take the risk unless there are any changes to the roadmap.

“Since that central focal point in the town was cancelled we have seen an increase in people doing smaller events themselves. We’re confident by bringing this event back we’ll solve that concern people have had about individual events.”

When asked if the event would feature loud fireworks, Cllr Dulston, who is also the council’s community safety cabinet member, said the authority would work with organisations such as the responsible dog ownership group and autism groups across the borough to understand how all communities could be supported for the event.

He said: “We want to strike the right balance and create an event that everyone can enjoy.”