Edinburgh fireworks: The 9 Edinburgh areas where Bonfire Night fireworks will be banned in 2025
One of the bans is being introduced to protect animals at Edinburgh Zoo
Nine areas in Edinburgh are set to have fireworks bans in place for Bonfire Night in November.
Two year fireworks control zones (FCZs) – areas where the use of any fireworks is banned – are proposed for Niddrie, Seafield, Balerno and Calton Hill.
All four were subject to bans last year, with previous reports to councillors suggesting that they were effective in reducing disturbance and litter.
Five more FCZs, each lasting one year, are proposed for Corstorphine, Moredun, Gracemount, Longstone and Sighthill, each coming after locals requested them.
Why are new bans being introduced?
Fireworks control zones can be considered in areas where there is concern about the misuse of fireworks, environmental protection, animal welfare and the impact on vulnerable communities.
The Corstorphine ban is aimed at reducing the impact on animals at Edinburgh Zoo.
Three-month-old red panda Roxie died at Edinburgh Zoo on Bonfire Night in 2024. It prompted zoo owners to call for tighter restrictions on firework use, including a ban on sales to the public, due to the fear and distress they can cause animals.
The Longstone ban is also targeted at reducing harms to animals and ‘vulnerable communities’, while the other three zones are meant to reduce general fireworks misuse.
A report set to go before councillors at Edinburgh City Council’s Culture and Communities Committee next week says all five zones had “overwhelming support” during public consultations on introducing them.
The application form for new FCZs was launched on March 3 this year, allowing community groups and local residents to apply for a zone to be introduced in their area.
Residents in Greenbank had requested a FCZ, but officers said that there was not enough evidence from other public bodies to proceed with it.
How long will the bans last?
All nine zones will run from October 31 to November 9 this year.
How is it being enforced?
Edinburgh City Council’s website said once an FCZ has been agreed, Police Scotland will seek to enforce with the maximum penalty being a £5,000 fine or a 6 month custodial sentence.
The council report also says officers are expecting Police Scotland to introduce dispersal zones in some or all of the FCZ areas.
Dispersal zones allow police officers to tell groups of two or more people engaging in anti-social behaviour to leave a designated area for up to 24 hours.
If they re-enter the zone before they are allowed to, they can be subject to arrest.
The report also said that police officers would be placed on some Lothian Buses services on Bonfire Night to discourage antisocial behaviour.
It also said the fire service would deliver presentations in city secondary schools on bonfire and firework safety.
Where else are control zones being introduced?
Earlier this week, it was announced that three Glasgow areas will have the city’s first firework ban introduced in November.
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