Ideas for a showstopping Bonfire Night at home

Bonfire night is an annual tradition for us all to look forward to. It’s a time for wrapping up warm, enjoying some delicious food and creating memories with those you love – and that doesn’t always mean that you have to go out.

But, what can you do on a Bonfire Night at home? Luckily, there are many activities you can enjoy without leaving your front door.

Set the atmosphere

Bonfire Night is all about light shows and bright colours, so why not create a great effect using candles and lanterns around your home and garden. Opt for a range of different shapes, colours, and sizes to display around the party area, and when it comes to scents, opt for autumn flavours including cinnamon, vanilla, sandalwood and spice.

Enjoy a winter BBQ

You might usually associate BBQs with summer entertaining, but winter BBQs can be even more special when you are all huddled around together keeping warm. Wondering what to serve that’s quick and easy? Hotdogs are firm firework night favourites, so why not try some Ye Olde Oak jumbo hotdogs on the grill served in fluffy white bread rolls and a dollop of ketchup or mustard.

Set up a jacket potato filling station

If your BBQ is safely stored away until next year, then you could always pop a batch of Co-op baking potatoes in the oven for a warming Bonfire meal. You can set up a little table station with a variety of toppings for people to top their own as they wish. For example, you could fill some bowls with tuna mayo, grated Co-op British mature cheddar cheese, salad, coleslaw, sour cream and chives, fried bacon pieces and guacamole.

Focus on the firepit

If you have a firepit, then Bonfire Night is a time when it really comes to good use. You can make your firepit the central feature of your Bonfire home party and set it up with some chairs or bean bags around the edge for people to sit (just make sure all seating is a safe distance away from the flames). You can toast marshmallows on skewers and make some delicious s’mores for those with a real sweet tooth. Obviously, there are always risks with open fires so be sure to read up on fire safety outdoors before you start.

Have a campfire sing-a-long

Being outside by the firepit brings back memories of camping and being in the wild, and another great tradition associated with this is a good old sing-a-long around the fire. Put together a Bonfire Night party playlist and have a good sing to all your favourite tunes. Alternatively, if singing is not for you, then some nice winter stories or Bonfire-related jokes could be fun!

Make some mulled wine

When it comes to warming tipples on cold nights, you can’t get much better than a hot mug of mulled wine. Simply, warm (do not bring to the boil) some red wine in a large pan, add some sliced oranges, cloves, and cinnamon sticks, and stir gently. Add a little honey or maple syrup to sweeten, and then serve in thick glasses or mugs while still warm. For an alcohol-free alternative, you might like to try our mulled cider mocktail recipe instead.

Serve some gooey Parkin cake

Parkin is a gingerbread dessert that originated in Northern England and is traditionally served around the 5th November. It’s a great treat to serve at a Bonfire party and with an easy-to-prepare recipe, you can wow your guests with a square of this served in a napkin with their mulled wine.

Prepare some homemade toffee apples

Half healthy/half naughty, toffee apples are a Bonfire treat that we all know and love. If you fancy making your own homemade toffee apples then there are many ways to customise them and make them extra creative with sprinkles, different coloured dyes, or icing.

Get out the glow sticks

Glow sticks are a great alternative to sparklers, if you would rather not have any live flames in your garden. Glow sticks come in all sorts of colours, so try glow stick necklaces, bracelets and even wrapped around glasses for a host of vibrant colours to bring your party alive.

 

Hopefully, our ideas have given you lots of inspiration for what makes a good Bonfire party at home. We hope you have a fantastic night with friends and family and don’t forget to check out all our latest special offers for great discounts on all your favourite items.