15Nov
Fire Memorabilia Sale at Fireground
Fireground, the Museum of Firefighting in Greater Manchester, Maclure Road, Rochdale · Greater Manchester
Fire Adults £8
Photo: HJ Mitchell · CC BY 4.0
2 dated · 1 awaiting dates
UK Fire Engine Shows 2026 & 2027
Next up: Fire Memorabilia Sale at Fireground — Sun 15 Nov 2026, Greater Manchester.
Fire engine events are a smaller world than trucks or steam, built around preservation groups and a handful of dedicated museums, and September is the busy month. Port Solent 999 Day in Portsmouth on 5 September 2026 is free, with the Fire Service Preservation Group's restored appliances lined up on the boardwalk next to serving fire, police, ambulance, RNLI and air ambulance crews. Emergency Services Day at Brooklands Museum follows on 19 September (included in the £19.95 adult admission), the same weekend as the Blues and Twos Weekend at the Sandtoft trolleybus museum near Doncaster, where fire and rescue demonstrations run alongside trolleybus rides.
The museums carry the rest of the calendar. Essex Fire Museum, on the working Grays fire station, holds free pre-booked open days on 30 August, 27 September and 22 November 2026, where children can climb aboard an appliance and try hose practice. Fireground in Rochdale, housed in the 1933 fire station, keeps more than twenty engines dating back to 1741 and adds a fire memorabilia sale on 15 November and a Christmas open day on 11 December. Edinburgh's Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage opens for Doors Open Day on 26 September, and the Fire Services Preservation Group's own rally lands at Eden Camp near Malton, usually over Father's Day weekend in June.
If you have a small child obsessed with fire engines, this is the easiest category in the directory: several events are free, the machines are climbable, and the crews genuinely enjoy showing them off. Two warnings from the school of hard knocks: pre-booking is common even for free days, and siren demonstrations are loud, so pack ear defenders. Everything here is checked weekly and searchable by postcode, with the Thursday Weekly Runsheet flagging what is coming up.
November 2026
December 2026
11Dec
Fireground Christmas Open Day
Fireground, the Museum of Firefighting in Greater Manchester, Maclure Road, Rochdale · Greater Manchester
Fire Museum admissionAnnual fixtures — dates being confirmed
TBCJun
Fire Services Preservation Group Rally at Eden Camp
Eden Camp Modern History Museum, Malton · North Yorkshire
Fire Museum admissionThese events run most years but the organiser has not confirmed the next date yet. We check weekly and date them the moment they are announced. Get the weekly email and you will not miss it.
Same crowd, different engines: truck shows · military vehicle events
Fire Engine Shows: your questions answered
Where can I see vintage fire engines in the UK?
At dedicated museums such as Fireground in Rochdale (over twenty engines dating from 1741), Essex Fire Museum at Grays and the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage in Edinburgh, and at rallies like the Fire Services Preservation Group event at Eden Camp near Malton and the Blues and Twos Weekend at Sandtoft.
Are fire engine shows free?
Several are. Port Solent 999 Day on 5 September 2026 is free, and Essex Fire Museum open days are free with pre-booking. Museum-hosted days are usually included in normal admission, for example Brooklands charges its standard £19.95 adult ticket for Emergency Services Day.
Can children sit in a fire engine?
Yes, at the right events. Essex Fire Museum open days let visitors climb aboard an appliance and try hose practice, and Brooklands runs children's firefighter games and activities on its Emergency Services Day. Serving crews at 999 days are generally happy to show kids around too.
What is the Fire Service Preservation Group?
The largest mobile fire service museum group in the country, running preserved appliances that appear at events including Port Solent 999 Day and the Sandtoft Blues and Twos Weekend. Its own annual rally is held at Eden Camp near Malton, usually over Father's Day weekend in June.
When is the best time of year for fire engine events?
September. In 2026 alone it holds Port Solent 999 Day (5 September), Emergency Services Day at Brooklands and the Blues and Twos Weekend (both 19 and 20 September), an Essex Fire Museum open day (27 September) and emergency services days at the Yorkshire Air Museum and in Edinburgh.
Is the Emergency Services Show in Birmingham a public event?
No, it is a trade show. The Emergency Services Show at the NEC on 16 September 2026 is free but aimed at industry and requires advance trade registration. For a family day out, choose a museum open day or a 999 day instead.
Never miss one