Xplosive Events is a UK-based company specializing in the organization of unique family firework festivals. The company provides a vibrant blend of entertainment, featuring world-class fireworks displays, arena performances, leading stage acts, hot air balloons, air displays, and light shows. Their events are designed to create memorable experiences for families, making them an attractive option for those seeking enjoyable outings throughout the year.
Targeting families and individuals looking for engaging entertainment, Xplosive Events hosts various festivals across multiple venues in the UK. Customers can easily access information about upcoming events and purchase tickets through their website. In addition to their own festivals, Xplosive Events collaborates with partners like Illusion Fireworks to offer customized fireworks displays for personal and public events, catering to a wide range of needs within the event planning sector.
Xplosive Events garners mixed reviews, with many praising their stunning fireworks displays and well-organized events. Reviewers highlight the creativity and effort that go into the shows, often describing them as mesmerizing and unforgettable, with excellent food and family-friendly entertainment.
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However, a significant number of customers express frustration over canceled events and the difficulty in obtaining refunds, with some waiting months for their money back. Complaints also arise regarding high entry fees that do not seem justified by the overall experience, leading to dissatisfaction among attendees. While many enjoy the vibrant atmosphere and impressive shows, the issues surrounding customer service and financial transparency detract from the overall experience. The sentiment leans towards disappointment, particularly regarding refunds and value for money.
Each source counts by its number of reviews. Only reviews written by people are scored.
Rating, volume, share of the score, six-month trend and fake-review risk for each source
Source
Rating
Reviews
Weight
6-mo
Fake risk
★
Trustpilot
Imported Trustpilot reviews
3.4
100
100%
-0.5
● Low
3.4 / 5 overall
=
100 reviews across 1 scored source
How fake risk works ⓘ
Reputation trend
Monthly average rating from reviews written by people · latest review Jul 2025.
Last 3 months
3.6▼ 0.5
12-month avg
3.7
All-time
3.4
Category avg
3.9
Monthly averageCategory average
Monthly average rating and review count
Month
Average
Reviews
Aug 24
3.4
5
Sep 24
4.0
6
Oct 24
—
0
Nov 24
3.0
29
Dec 24
5.0
8
Jan 25
4.7
3
Feb 25
—
0
Mar 25
4.5
8
Apr 25
3.4
5
May 25
3.2
5
Jun 25
4.0
12
Jul 25
1.0
1
What people praise & complain about
Share of positive (4–5★) and negative (1–2★) reviews mentioning each topic · based on the 100 most recent reviews.
Top praiseof 57 positive reviews
Selection19%
11 mentions
Delivery7%
4 mentions
Easy to use5%
3 mentions
Smooth experience4%
2 mentions
“From the moment we arrived, we were blown away by how well everything was set up”
On “Selection” · Jun 10, 2025
Top complaintsof 39 negative reviews
Pricing41%
16 mentions
Refund15%
6 mentions
Payment issues15%
6 mentions
Response time13%
5 mentions
“£84 for a family of four for entry , I’m not entirely sure what that fee was for as everything inside we paid for anyway”
On “Pricing” · Jun 1, 2025
How it compares
Same method for every company: overall rating, legitimacy checks, the average rating of reviews mentioning each area and the 6-month trend · Entertainment Services.
Overall rating and review count for this company and similar companies
The fireworks were breathtaking and the whole evening was a blast! Hat’s off to the team for organising such a brilliant event. A little patience was needed when leaving but it was all worth it. We’re counting down to next year already- whatever they plan, it’s sure to be amazing!
Thanks so much again!!
Michelle Whitcomb
Just the best fireworks I have ever seen, and the thing I like is you'll never go hungry at an Xplosive event, so many food vendors. My family had a wonderful time and we'll defiantly be looking out for more events by them.
Why am I reading so many negative reviews, this is my third time at Abingdon bonfire night, come with my family and absolutely love it! The fair is amazing fireworks are out of the world! That’s why we keep coming back!! Getting out didn’t take to long, but can totally understand with so many people attending! If people think they can get straight out they need there head checking, i shall see you next year!! 🎆🎆
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Dreadful organisation.3hrs trying to exit car park absolute chaos!!
Dreadful organisation.. rubbish everywhere wine bottles to fall over ..very few bins ..toilets not enough of them.
The Chaos of the parking No marshals just a free for all with one road in and one out 3hours to exit car park for some we took over 2 hours.. it was like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube with at one point 14 separate queues trying to squeeze into two lanes. It was a free for all….once out of the car park there was no traffic on the road.
I will not go again for this reason
Two people in the queue had asked the only security person we saw where the emergency exit was as one need medical assistance. They were told there is no emergency exit !!!!!! Disgraceful
Abingdon bonfire and fireworks 2024. The event itself was great - it would have gotten 4 stars had it not been for the complete lack of traffic management / staff / general regard for safety on leaving the airfield. Complete free for all and took us 3 hours to leave the site. Got in the car at 9:30pm with a 4 year old in tow. Got home at 1am and we live 20 mins away. As soon as we got off site the roads were empty, the congestion and chaos was purely on site. Took all the shine away from what was a very expensive afternoon / evening.
Every year the traffic is a farce and they post saying they’ll sort it out for next time but they never do, all they care about is cramming as many people as possible in. My husband works on one of the small roads nearby and after a 13 hour shift he was stuck trying to get out onto a gridlocked road to get home. I posted this on their Facebook page and they blocked me. Stop being so greedy and do something about it. Advance tickets only, reduce number of people and/or pay for proper traffic management.
NOT SAFE. TORTURE GETTING IN AND OUT. My friends and I booked this event and got multiple emails saying to arrive before 6pm so we set off early to try and avoid traffic. It took 2.5 hours to drive along a 20 minute route. The fireworks were lovely, the fairground rides fun but the food underwhelming/overpriced. We tried to wait 2 hours after fireworks finished and they were packing up to leave to avoid traffic. When we got to our car we saw a row of red lights around the entire airfield, there was ZERO organisation getting people out of this event, it took cars 3 hours of queuing to leave the venue, thank GOD we didn’t have kids in the car. This event should NOT be allowed to run until there is a system to get people in and out of the event in reasonable time. The 5 hours to get in and out completely overshadows the fireworks, not worth it at all, not safe, do not recommend.
Abingdon bonfire night, what a complete disaster. The event had been way oversold and very poorly planned out.
With a lack of stewards throughout the event the whole evening seemed somewhat chaotic. We witnessed several lost children with no one on hand to help or even a muster point that we could take the child to!
The lack of toilets was one thing, but with the toilets being that heavily used & no one there to check/clean them was madness.
Again with a lack of rubbish bins the amount of litter scattered though out the site was appalling.
The firework display was over 30mins late starting and then when it did start it stoped half way though with very little info from the announcer as to what was happening.
As always at these events the fireworks were fantastic and I can not praise the display enough. Unfortunately that is the only good part. When the fireworks finished we then started on the 30minuet walk back to the car, most of which in the pitch black. Cars racing everywhere in between parked cars desperately trying to beat the queues made this part of the night SEVERALLY DANGEROUS. With family’s and children all over I will be surprised if no one was hurt. Once we made it to the car we then had to endure the nearly TWO HOUR free fall to try and get off site. With literally NO stewards any where to be seen it was complete and utter chaos. Horns blasting, people shouting and tempers rising with two scared young children in the car was the worst part of our evening. Never again!!
What a disgrace. The fireworks were late, there was a technical glitch during the last display that meant we had to wait 5 minutes for the last minute of the final song. The display was good despite this but then there was chaos getting out. No stewards or traffic management. People fighting and arguing to get out and it took 3 hours to get out of the car park. This overshadowed the whole night and ruined it completely. Will never go to an event at this venue ever again.
DO NOT COME..... Can't believe how badly this was organised. Hardly any toilets, not enough food and drinks vendors for the number of people, queues over 30mins to get a drink. The fireworks started over 40 minutes late... Fireworks were quite good.... but it took over 3 hours to get out of the car park. Total carnage. No stewards or traffic management. We got in the 'queue' that ended up being over 15 (might have been more but could count 15) lines of traffic all heading into 2 lanes of traffic. I get its a big event and might take time, but there was no organisation whatsoever. They just want to take your money and forget about safety and organisation. Awful!!!! It could have been great as the fireworks were quite good but was totally ruined by poor organisation.
If I could give a zero star rating, I would.
Well organised on arrival, swiftly parked.
Very expensive, poor quality food - whoever heard of a hotdog without onions?
There were insufficient toilets or bins.
Very late starting the firework display, although truly amazing display.
So some minor irritations until we tried to leave.
Even as the fireworks finished at 9pm, huge queues had already formed, wide rivers of red tail lights as far as the eye could see.
The car park turned into an absolute free for all, with no sign of any stewards to keep order. After a couple of hours, drivers were giving up on trying to queue, driving randomly across the grass creating yet more chaos towards the exit.
Along the side of the "road", barriers of some description were removed and "fast lane" created for those who were brave enough to drive in rougher areas.
Tempers became very fraught and several times we thought that a physical fight was imminent.
It is obvious that the event was organised to get people in and spending money and once that was accomplished, the organisers of the event lost complete interest making sure that the exit was as swift as possible.
I consider that this event was very poorly organised and possibly dangerous.
I would also like to see published the risk assessment for this event. Had there been any kind of medical emergency, I would like to know how an ambulance would have got out of the venue - or indeed in, as there was no signage to suggest emergency medical support was available on site.
Never again will we attend any event organised by this company.
Currently still sitting in the queue trying to leave abingdon display 3 hours so far! Completely disorganised shambles will not be ever attending again. Event people on site simply don't care.
Went to the abingdon fireworks and the end when leaving was just a pure free for all no organisation what so ever car just going were they want over fleid pushing in no one to usher cars or mange traffic plus foreworks was over 30 mins late being set off and all they say in emails is arrive early so you there ages beofore fireworks to line there pockets how hard is it to manage traffic at end of a event
Fire work spectacular - absolute shambles !!
Tried to say no refunds due to the event going ahead and being unable to control the weather ,
No consideration for the copious smoke machines from the fair rides , the lights from the fair , the bonfires smoke,
purely blaming the weather rather then bad event planning and a poor display for what was a sell out event !
The funfair and food stalls were great although expensive but the fireworks which should’ve been the main event this evening were absolutely horrific you simply could barely see them through smoke most people started walking out because there was no point even trying to see them!Photo proof available.
Refund refused also.
Illusion Fireworks ie xplosiveevents.com present an annual display at Abingdon Airfield which is not to be missed. This world class presentation includes a running commentary, a spectacular light and sound show to accompany the fireworks. Many other attractions fill the day.
Highly recommended.
I would never have thought 42 minutes could pass so quickly. We were entranced by the fabulous fireworks beautifully choreographed with lights, lasers and great music.
Very well organised, we had no queue to get in and it took only 20 minutes to leave. There was plenty to do if you stayed on and let the crowds die down but we had a 160 mile journey ahead with 2 road closures en-route so needed to get away.
Well worth the trip. Looking forward to 2025 event.
Xplosive Events is a UK-based company specializing in the organization of unique family firework festivals. The company provides a vibrant blend of entertainment, featuring world-class fireworks displays, arena performances, leading stage acts, hot air balloons, air displays, and light shows. Their events are designed to create memorable experiences for families, making them an attractive option for those seeking enjoyable outings throughout the year.
Targeting families and individuals looking for engaging entertainment, Xplosive Events hosts various festivals across multiple venues in the UK. Customers can easily access information about upcoming events and purchase tickets through their website. In addition to their own festivals, Xplosive Events collaborates with partners like Illusion Fireworks to offer customized fireworks displays for personal and public events, catering to a wide range of needs within the event planning sector.