Presents

A 25-minute Pyromusical live from Bishop Auckland

The North East’s biggest Pyromusical fireworks spectacular returns for its FIFTH edition on Saturday 4th November 2023, following the success of previous years’ sell-out shows.

The magical, multi-sensory event, set in a 7.5-acre stage and lighting up the night skies above Bishop Auckland, promises to be a fantastic evening of memorable family entertainment.

The annual event is a perfect evening out for family and friends, with safe viewing and seating ideally suited for everyone from grandparents to young children. There will be numerous fire pits around the venue to provide warmth and an atmospheric glow.

The 25-minute display is produced by the pyrotechnics team renowned for their epic displays set to music at 11Arches Park.

Our operations are different for each show, and we ask you to read all the information below to have the right information about your visit BEFORE you book your tickets.

KEY TIMINGS FOR YOUR ARRIVAL

Shuttle Bus
Service from 4:15pm
Last boarding of shuttle bus 5:45pm
Ticket Check
Gates Open from 4:15pm
Last Entry through ticket check 6:15pm
Pyromusical
Show (25 min) 7:00pm
Expected end of the evening 7:30pm
Return Shuttle Bus 7:30 - 8:30pm

Please check this page on the day of your visit in case of unexpected operational changes.

Please Read carefully Before You Book

Our Pyromusical is sold out every year, which means 8,000 people attend each performance. As is the case with other large-scale events with complex logistics, we cannot whisk you all in minutes before the show starts.

We kindly ask you to reach Security / Ticket checks at least 45minutes before the start of the Pyromusical. We may not guarantee your entry in time for the performance otherwise.

All guests are advised to allow plenty of time to avail the Shuttle Bus service, as we anticipate a large demand. Keep in mind shuttle bus frequency, ride and walk duration, security checks -in particular if you have a bag-, ticket scanning and general walk across our big site to get to your performance on time. And if you wish to eat or drink onsite, please arrive early to avoid disappointment.

From our Ticket Check to the Tribune (seating and performance area), there is a 350-meter walk on a mostly flat path for all our guests.

Also, our operations are different for each show, and we ask you to read all the information below to make sure you have the right information about your visit BEFORE you book your tickets.

Please plan accordingly, and enjoy your evening at our Pyromusical!

PRICING

Main Section
Adult £12.00 Show only
Adult + shuttle £15.00 Show + shuttle
Under 18 £6.00 Show only
Under 18 + shuttle £9.00 Show + shuttle
Personal Assistant £0.00 Show only
Personal Assistant + shuttle £3.00 Show + shuttle
Children 3 and under Free when sat on an adult’s knee
Wheelchair User Section
Wheelchair user Adult £12.00 Show only
Wheelchair user U18 £6.00 Show only
Personal Assistant £0.00 Show only
Adult £12.00 Show only
Under 18 £6.00 Show only
Children 3 and under Free when sat on an adult’s knee

There are no booking fees applied to tickets purchased online for the Pyromusical. A £2.50 administration fee per ticket is applied for any phone booking.

COMING TO THE PYROMUSICAL

We look forward to welcoming you to our Pyromusical.

If you choose to arrive to the Pyromusical by car, you’ll need to park in the town as there is NO onsite car parking, except for very limited Blue Badge car parking spaces. See below for details.

Due to the popularity of this event and the expected increased traffic in the local area, we kindly ask that you plan your arrival time, that you park responsibly within Bishop Auckland and that you do NOT park along the A689 or the viaduct.

ACCESS TO OUR SITE

Access To Our Site

You have several options to reach the Welcome Plaza before Ticket Check on the 11Arches site:

WALK

Walk from the town.

The 11Arches site pedestrian entrance is 1km (.6 mile) from North Bondgate car park; then you will walk on a zig zag path with a gently sloping gradient on 450m (.28 mile) to reach our Welcome Plaza, but bear in mind the return walk back is up hill!

RIDE

Due to the temporary closure of Bishop Auckland bus station, shuttles will be picking up and dropping off at the Town Hall end of North Bondgate car park (DL14 7PG) for 2023

You may choose to board a Pyromusical shuttle bus from North Bondgate car park, for an additional fee of £3 per person for the return ride.

You will be dropped off on our site at the Bus drop off/pick up point which is directly in front of the Welcome Plaza.

The Shuttle Bus will run from the North Bondgate Car Park.

  • To the event : from 4.15pm – 5.45pm.
    You will need to be at North Bondgate Car Park by 5.30pm to board the last shuttles or you may be refused boarding. This is to guarantee arrival of thousands of shuttle users to the site by 6.15pm as requested.
    Guests will be boarded on a first come first served basis.
  • No Shuttle Bus service will be in operation after 5.45pm until it resumes at about 7.30pm.
  • From the event : from 7.30pm – 8.30pm

You will also be surprised at how quickly we send off 8,000 visitors each night after the show. We aim to say goodnight to the last bus in less than 50 minutes after the show ends.

Booking Your Shuttle Bus Tickets

If you choose to use our shuttle bus service, shuttle tickets are £3.00 per person for a return service (to and from the pyromusical) and must be purchased ahead of your visit. We strongly advise that you do not leave it to the last minute and that you book it at the latest one week in advance of the show.

Two solutions for you:

  • You can book it as part of your ticket package. Here is how you select shuttle: after you have picked your seats, you are asked to assign them to be for an Adult, an Under 18 or a Personal Assistant. This is where you select Adult + Shuttle, Under 18 + shuttle or Personal Assistant + shuttle if you need the shuttle.

  • Alternatively our shuttle bus can be booked separately later, using the link at the bottom of this page, subject to availability.

    Please note:

    • Shuttle tickets cannot be booked on the day from North Bondgate car park, and visitors without shuttle bus tickets will need to walk to the site.
    • A one way, return shuttle ticket back to North Bondgate car park can be purchased from the retail outlets after the show finishes. Tickets are £5 per person and are subject to availability on the day. Tickets are only £3.00 per person when booked in advance and pre-booked ticket-holders have priority over those who bought on the day. It is well worth booking in advance if you think you might need this service at the end of the evening.

YOUR ONSITE EXPERIENCE

Seating

The Tribune (our seating area) is comprised of 41 rows of standard raked seats, with shallow steps leading to the different sections.

Facilities

There are poseur tables, picnic tables and park benches in front of the Food Court, on the Lake Stage, alongside the Tribune on the Concourse and in front of the Bar at the end of the Concourse.

There are thousands of seats on wooden benches available around the central lake.

You can get to your seat on the Tribune any time before the start of the performance, and come and go as often as you like before the Pyromusical.

There are toilet facilities (including baby changing and disabled toilets) on site, before Ticket check and behind the Tribune.

Buggy Parking: No buggies will be allowed on the Tribune and you will need to leave yours in the Buggy Park. Buggy parking is located to right hand side of the tribune, once you've placed your buggy here you will be free to make your way to your seats.

Food & Drink

Enjoy some good old comfort food prior to taking your seats to our Pyromusical, fill your belly with a hot dog & chips, warm your fingers with a mulled wine or hot chocolate!

Don't forget to get your popcorn for the show! Food and drinks are allowed in our Tribune for the Pyromusical

If you plan to eat and drink, arrive in good time! We do amazing fireworks and shows but we cannot produce miracles and serve 8000 people if all arrive shortly before the show starts!

We will only be accepting card payments for food and beverage.

TWO FOOD & BEVERAGE OUTLETS

Spend time chilling with your family & friends: plan wisely and choose the outlet best for your choice of food and drinks

FOOD COURT - grab all your food and drinks all in one place

WHERE At the bottom of the main visitor path after ticket check
WHEN Stops serving 15 minutes before the start of the performance
WHAT Hot dogs, curry, soup, chips, pop corn, crisps, cakes & ice creams along with our complete selection of cold and hot drinks.

BAR - only want a drink (hot and cold) and snack items, but no food?

WHERE Separate Bar -located alongside the Tribune Concourse, after the Toilet Blocks on your left
WHEN Stops serving 15 minutes before the start of the performance
WHAT Crisps, cakes, cookies, sweets, ice creams along with our complete selection of hot & cold drinks.

Food and drinks are allowed in the Tribune for this event.

No food and drink (including water) that you bring with you is allowed to go further than Ticket Check, except baby food or food for medical conditions. You can purchase food and refreshments on site. Tap water is available on site and you can bring empty plastic bottles.

Merchandise

Available at the kiosk next to First Aid station.

Exact change or card payment only.

Ear Defenders

We recommend that you bring ear defenders for young children during the show; while the show will be at a safe sound level the venue and show will be loud with the combination of people and sound from the soundtrack and the fireworks.

Smoking & Vaping

We have one designated smoking area, this is clearly sign-posted. Smoking and vaping is strictly prohibited elsewhere on site.

ACCESSIBILITY

We welcome visitors with disabilities and we have a wide range of facilities and arrangements in place to ensure all visitors can enjoy the show.

We strive to ensure that the 11Arches site is accessible to all Visitors. Our main visitor path is DDA compliant with a natural fine stone surface. Some areas have grass or stone surfaces and wheelchair users may require the help of a Personal Assistant to access these. All our food outlets have large print menus available on request - just ask a member of staff who will be happy to assist.

Personal Assistant Tickets

Visitors with disabilities, who meet our qualifying criteria, and may not be able to attend the show unaccompanied or require a wheelchair space are entitled to one complimentary Personal Assistant show ticket, however shuttle bus service, if purchased, is also priced at £3.00 for Personal Assistants.

This booking process is now completely done online, and we invite you to follow these simple steps:

  • Go on our website, click book tickets.
  • Choose the date of your performance and click one ticket for you and click 1 Personal Assistant ticket
  • Once you have purchased these tickets, we kindly ask that you complete the Access Confirmation Form and follow the steps to confirm your eligibility for the Personal Assistant ticket within 48 hours of your booking;

Please note: failure to complete and return the form within 48 hours of your booking will result in your order being cancelled.

Please note that Personal Assistants must be physically able to undertake all access requirements on behalf of their companion. This includes helping their companion on the visitor path, which is 450 meters from the Welcome Plaza to the Tribune, and with evacuation in case of an emergency.

Limited Mobility

Visitors with limited mobility have the option to choose their seats in the Tribune on the online booking system. This allows you to opt for seats lower down or at the level of your choice, subject to availability.

If walking presents difficulty, please do not worry! You are welcome to use your own wheelchairs and walking aids to use the ride service and then to reach our Tribune; they cannot be with you on the Tribune but can be left safely and free-of-charge at the side of the Tribune during the performance.

Wheelchair Users - Reserved Section

There are spaces reserved along the front row at surface level for wheelchair users. Tickets in the wheelchair reserved section require the ticket holder to remain in their wheelchair throughout the performance. There is a separate booking link for this section. All wheelchair users must be accompanied by a personal assistant, who is eligible for a complimentary show ticket to sit close to you, on row A. No other member of your party can be seated on row A, so please select row B for them up to a maximum of 3 (For any party larger than 5 in total, please book the rest of your party in the main section).

Tickets for wheelchair users and their Personal Assistants in Row A and other people in the party in Row B can only be booked online using this separate link.

We have blue badge holder car parking spaces reserved for our visitors who are wheelchair users. We ask that you apply for a space using the Application Form here, and only do so after you book your show tickets. You will be advised by our Box Office Team if your application has been successful. In the event it is not, you will have to book a shuttle bus ticket using the separate link at the bottom of this page.

Onsite Parking For Pre-Booked Blue Badge Holders Only

There is very limited capcity in this car park. THE MAIN BLUE BADGE AREA IS NOW FULLY BOOKED.

In the case you were sold a car parking space in our onsite Blue Badge car park, you can access this car park on the day of your chosen performance by producing to the parking attendants your pre-booked parking voucher and you will need to display a valid Blue Badge permit.

PLEASE NOTE: Once on site, there is for all our visitors a 350-meter walk on a mostly flat path from the Ticket check to the Tribune.

Disabled Toilets

These are located at the Welcome Plaza, immediately adjacent to the Blue Badge Car Park, and directly behind the Tribune.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Your Tickets

Before leaving home please download on your phone or print a copy of your PDF tickets.

Security

To ensure your safety and security during your Musical Fireworks experience, we have comprehensive security measures in place, including bag and belongings search on arrival.

Restricted Items

For a full list of restricted items please click here

There are no Left Luggage facilities in the grounds (except for pushchairs and walking aids). we reserve the right to confiscate any forbidden item at security check; regretfully, confiscated items cannot be returned on exit.

Food and drink (including water) are not allowed to go further than Ticket Check, except baby food or food for medical conditions. Empty drink containers are permitted, EXCLUDING aluminium water containers or flasks.

 

GTA - Best Event For Groups TripAdvisor - 2022 Travellers Choice Queens Award for Voluntary Service - Awarded 2018 Group Travel Awards - Winner 2020 Journal Culture Awards - Winner 2017 Loo of the Year award - Platinum Winner 2017