Bonfire Night 2022: Leeds ranks among worst cities in the UK to watch Bonfire Night fireworks display

Leeds sky-line has been ranked third worst in the UK for Bonfire Night fireworks visibility, ahead only of Manchester and London. The ranking comes from experts analysing light pollution data across cities in the UK in a study by LotteryCritic.com.

According to the research, Leeds has an artificial brightness level of 7,330 μcd/m2 (microcandela per square metre), compared to the list’s top location, St Davids in Wales, with 42 μcd/m2. The study gives Leeds a score of 29.53 out of 100, landing it in 80th place out of 82.

Artificial brightness measures sky brightness compared to natural brightness, which measures at 174 μcd/m2. Artificial brightness higher than 3,000 μcd/m2 is considered ‘very high light intensity’ and does not require the human eye to adapt to the dark in order to see properly.

The amount of artificial light affects how well we see things in the sky, which is why cities like Leeds, Manchester and London make for the worst Bonfire Night fireworks display visibility. Topping the list for best places to watch the fireworks displays are St Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales, Uckfield in East Sussex and Truro in Cornwall, all under 400 μcd/m2.

However, this does not mean the Bonfire Night fireworks display in Leeds will be bad by any means. And despite Leeds City Council having cancelled all their official Bonfire Night events, there are other alternatives around the city for those who want to enjoy the show.

Top ten worst places to spend Bonfire Night

The ten worst places to watch fireworks this Bonfire Night, according to LotteryCritic’s research, are as follows (from worst to best):

1. London (28.93)
2. Manchester (29.23)
3. Leeds (29.53)
4. Glasgow (29.83)
5. Birmingham (30.13)
6. Salford (30.43)
7. Liverpool (30.73)
8. Sheffield (31.03)
9. Newcastle (31.33)
10. Aberdeen (31.63)

Top ten places to spend Bonfire Night in the UK

These are the ten best places to spend Bonfire Night in the UK, according to the light pollution data gathered by LotteryCritic:

1. St. Davids (74.40)
2. Uckfield (73.80)
3. Truro (73.50)
4. Wells (73.20)
5. Kendal (72.90)
6. Ripon (71.40)
7. Winchester (71.10)
8. Eastbourne (70.80)
9. Haverhill (70.80)
10. Elgin (70.20)