ROCKETS will light up the night on Saturday with the fuse being lit for Oxford Round Table’s 49th annual fireworks display.

The family fun event, which will take place in South Park, is Oxford's biggest public display –and is expected to draw a crowd of 20,000 people. Fireworks will fly alongside the famous bonfire which is, this year, expected to be more than 50 feet-high.

There will also be live music,food and drink and a fun fair.

Oxford Fireworks is run by volunteers of Oxford Round Table, with profits from the event going to local charities. The organisation raised an impressive £90,000 in 2015 and more than £800,000 since its first display in 1967.

The display will be provided by Kimbolton Fireworks, who created displays for the 2012 London Olympics Games and whose creations have lit up the skies of Oxford every year since 1967.

Display manager Russell Gooderham said: “It’s been really good fun working with Oxford Round Table for all these years. We hope the people of Oxford enjoy the display. There’s a lot of work that goes into it, and it has been nice to work beside them.

“When we first started, we would light the fireworks by hand, but now we do most of them electronically.”

Organisers are expecting record crowds and are advising people to buy their tickets in advance. Christian Petersen, Fireworks Event Director for Oxford Round Table said: “People can save money by buying their tickets online in advance which also gets them fast access on the night though our gates.

“We have tried to make this event easy to get to and to remove the headache of parking with a shuttle bus service. The gates open at 4.30pm and we would recommend that people arrive early in order to enjoy the entertainment and activities on offer.”

Oxford Bus Company will offer a combined Park & Ride fireworks ticket for shuttles running every 10 minutes between Thornhill Park & Ride and Oxford Brookes University.

Gates will open at 4.30pm and live music gets underway from 5.30pm. The firework display will begin at 6.45pm followed by the lighting of the bonfire.

Those wishing to avoid the queues, can purchase tickets from oxfordfireworks.co.uk for £7 per person or £17.50 for a family of two adults and two children. Under 5s are free.

Mr Petersen added: “This annual fireworks event has grown bigger and better every year and we are extremely grateful to the local community and local businesses who have made it such a success over that time.”