The leaves are turning, the clocks have gone back and the days are growing shorter. While we may mourn the end of summer, Bonfire Night gives us something to really appreciate about the Autumn. Sparklers, great food, snuggling in the cold, oohing and awwing over fireworks and gathering with friends and family for one last outdoor hurrah – embracing the cooler months always starts (literally and figuratively) with a bang.
If you are planning on a get-together for Bonfire Night celebrations, make it the best one yet with our inspirational post covering festive food, warming drinks and decor to make for a great party atmosphere.
Decor for Bonfire Night
While you certainly don’t have to go all out with party decorations (unless you want to!), setting the mood with some Autumnal accents is always a good idea. We love this clever idea for making apples into tealight holders as shared on Little Green Notebook. You can also consider stringing up some festoon lighting, using hay bales as seating (cover them with some blankets to make them a little comfier) and dotting a few pumpkins around for a festive look.
Warming Drinks for Bonfire Night
Keep your hands and body warm on the night with this gorgeous Mulled Cider recipe from The Londoner featuring all your favourite Autumn flavours – cinnamon, cloves, ginger beer and orange. You can leave out the booze or make it more interesting for the adults with the addition of sloe gin or rum. Hot chocolate is always a favourite on the night as well. Consider using a slow cooker as shown on Playpennies to make yours for a sweet treat to keep the cold at bay.
Warming Food for Bonfire Night
It’s become a tradition in our household to have my sister-in-law’s world-class chilli for our own celebrations and it’s the perfect Bonfire Night food to keep you toasty inside and out. This amazing recipe by Lavender and Lovage is a great one, combining pumpkin and chocolate with beef for seasonal flavours that are sure to keep your guests happy and coming back for more. It’s also perfect layered over baked potatoes for a filling and traditional Guy Fawkes Night treat.
Festive Treats for Bonfire Night
Of course, Bonfire Night isn’t complete without the traditional sticky parkin. Karen of Lavender and Lovage has once again provided some gorgeous inspiration and has kindly shared her grandmother’s recipe which has the added kick of crystallised ginger. Want to get a bit fancy? She’s created a Quince and Pomegranate Compote to spoon on top – heaven!
Staying Safe for Bonfire Night
Of course, one of the most important things to ensure for all your guests is that they stay safe and enjoy your party. Build your bonfires in a safe location and make sure children and pets are under supervision at all times. If you’re lighting fireworks, consult the instructions in terms of lighting them and only buy them from a reputable retailer. If using sparklers, make sure you wear gloves when handling, don’t run with them or put them on the bonfire and be sure to have a bucket of water nearby to put them out in.
What will you be doing for Bonfire night? We’d love to see your party! Be sure to tweet us on @TileMountainuk or tag us on Instagram!
As a multi-award winning interior design content creator, Kimberly Duran is an Interior Design-obsessed American ex-pat, who chronicles her decorating journey and dispenses interior design advice in her personal blog, Swoon Worthy. When she’s not helplessly drooling over all the latest trends in design, she’s adding things to the imaginary ‘shopping basket’ in her head, she likes to get messy tackling DIY projects with her partner in crime, Wayne, stalking eBay for vintage bargains and filling her home with her favourite neutral – gold.