Thousands of people lined the streets around Clissold Park to avoid paying to watch the fireworks display on Saturday night.
The Hackney Pyromusical was the first public fireworks display the borough has seen in more than a decade, but has been heavily criticised for high ticket prices.
Around 6,400 people entered the park for the display on Saturday after tickets sold out last week.
Tickets for Hackney residents were £7.50 for adults and £2.50 for children, but an added booking fee per ticket on the Hackney Empire website left many disappointed.
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James and Louise Clarke, who live in Stoke Newington, chose to stand outside rather than paying for tickets.
James said: “It wasn’t just the price of the tickets, which was bad enough. The added booking fee on the website meant we’d be paying nearly £20 for ten minutes of fireworks”.
A spokesperson from Hackney Council denied any issue with people crowding around the park. She said: “There were people positioned on the streets outside the park but not on a large scale.
“Both police and security were positioned around the perimeter of the park and no issues or safety breaches were reported.”
The event also came under fire after poor weather meant many attractions were shut down.
Caroline Millar, chair of Clissold Park user group, said: “Although we had a lot of the attractions running, there were several things that didn’t happen because the weather was appalling.”
Sophie Cameron, Labour councillor for Clissold Ward, hopes that the council organises a similar display next year.
She said: “The fireworks were a really good example of getting people into the park and engaging the community.
“All the feedback has been really positive. Next year we will start looking for a sponsor earlier to help with costs.”
