6 Best Thanksgiving Table Centerpieces You Can Make Yourself – 2018 List

October 31, 2018

How to Plan a Murder Mystery Dinner Party – 2018 Guide

December 12, 2018

How to Host a Bonfire Party – 2018 Guide

Bonfire parties are wonderful for spending quality time with your loved ones. We're going to teach you how to host a bonfire party, and be great at it! Our guide includes food menu preparation, drinks, decorations, and how to construct the night’s main attraction – the bonfire.

Additionally, we will provide guidelines for the actual bonfire party, as well as post-party tips. Get ready to gather your friends and family, have a few laughs, reminisce, share some good stories, and, why not, even crack open a few cold ones. Enjoy all our backyard bonfire party ideas below!

I. Preparing for a Bonfire Party
⮞ Supplies and Things You’ll Need
⮞ Setting Up for the Party
⮞ Building the Bonfire
⮞ Preparing the Food
⮞ Setting the Mood
II. The Bonfire Party Itself
III. After the Bonfire Party

I. Preparing for a Bonfire Party

To prep for your upcoming bonfire party, you have to channel your inner event planner. Regardless of how informal the gathering may be, it's your duty as the host to make your guests feel incredible throughout the night. And the best way to ensure a stress-free bonfire party is to plan accordingly.

A to-do list will save you loads of time and energy when putting the specifics of the bonfire party together. We've outlined a core checklist below so you don't forget any essential details, such as setting the right time and place or picking the best food and drinks for outdoor fun.

Supplies and Things You’ll Need

Follow our shopping and planning tips in order so your bonfire party will run smoothly from beginning to end.

Invitation List

Figure out who you’re going to invite:

⮞ Will it be a close family party, a high-school reunion, or a get-together with your best buds?

⮞ Approximately how many people will you invite overall?

⮞ Will any of them be bringing their kids along?

Location

Your final location will depend on the size of the party, local laws, and personal preferences.

Your backyard is ideal for creating a warm, close, and welcoming environment. If it's large enough to accommodate your party guests and, of course, a bonfire pit, then you’re all set to go.

If you're planning on taking the party to the great outdoors, you must inquire and dig a bit to find out all about the local fire-related policies.

To ease the process, you always opt for an established campsite that has a bonfire pit.

Date and Setting a Date

Take a good look at the weather forecast before setting the date. Be sure to choose the day with the lowest chances of rain. Also, don't forget to check regularly and see that the forecast didn't change in the meantime. If it unfortunately did, consider changing the date altogether.

Moreover, you should consider the general schedules of your guests. Do most of them have standard 9-to-5 jobs? Are others used to working weekend shifts? Try to pick a day that would be convenient for everyone.

Theme

A bonfire doesn’t necessarily need a theme. However, you can always have a bit of fun with it and make it a sing-along type of bonfire.

Alternatively, plan the party as an outdoor game night filled with cool activities that stick to the theme.

Sending out Invitations

While printed invitations are a thoughtful touch, they may be a bit too much for a generic bonfire party. As an alternative, we recommend sending digital invitations using your medium of choice:

⮞ Email

⮞ Text message

⮞ Social media (i.e. create a private Facebook event)

⮞ Classic phone call

Food and Drinks

As a rule of thumb, keep things simple in terms of food. A bonfire night party food list can include:

⮞ Burgers

⮞ Hot dogs

⮞ Hors-d'oeuvres

⮞ S'mores

⮞ Healthy snacks (i.e. some carrot sticks, celery, etc.

On the other hand, you can consider preparing a good selection of hot and cold drinks for the party:

⮞ Hot cocoa

⮞ Coffee and tea

⮞ Soft drinks

⮞ Apple cider

⮞ Beer

⮞ Wine

Don’t overcomplicate things! Remember that the night is all about friends, sharing stories, and having tons of fun.

Decorations

Bonfire parties are all about enjoying the company of your loved ones in a cozy setting. While not mandatory, a few cute items you can pick up to boost the party's vibe are:

⮞ String lights

⮞ Low-light lamps

⮞ Blankets

⮞ Throw pillows

⮞ String flags

Setting Up for the Party

Ready to get everything started? Marvelous! Before you worry about arranging platters or hanging decorations, you have to set up the bonfire itself. After all, you can't learn how to host a bonfire party by skipping the bonfire part.

We know that most of you think that they're easy to make, but, in reality, stacking up the wood so that it will remain stable is trickier than it might seem. Don’t worry - we’ll run you through the process step by step (you can call us the bonfire installation wizards!).

Start by constructing the bonfire pit. To do so, find a clear patch of land and make a stone circle.

Place your preferred firestarter (dry pinecones or old newspaper, for example) in the middle.

Take thin pieces of tinder and arrange them horizontally. Don’t forget to leave some space between them to allow airflow.

Make a small tepee out of thin pieces of wood. Don’t overcrowd it because the fire won’t be able to cut through them at this stage.

Strike a match and light the firestarter underneath the pile of horizontal wood.

When the fire starts ‘cutting’ through the tepee, add more wood.

If the fire’s ‘hot’ enough, you can start throwing in larger logs.

Preparing the Food

Now that the fire pit’s set up, you should start getting the food ready. When the fire’s just right, you can take some hot charcoal from the fire pit and use it to set the grill on fire. If preferred, you can wait until your guests arrive and bond while preparing the food together.

It's also the right time to bring out the drinks. If you're planning a summer bonfire party, you should keep any cold beverages in a cooler filled with ice. Hot drinks, on the other hand, should be kept warm in large thermoses.

Setting the Mood

The fire’s burning, the food’s in the making, there’s just one thing left to do: set the mood, of course!

Since it's a bonfire party, you should think about what would make your guests feel closer to each other. The cozy decorations we talked about are sure to help them buddy up, as they say. From where we stand, string lights and fluffy blankets are the sweetest bonfire party decoration ideas.

Music also plays a major role in setting the vibe for the night. f you have friends who know how to play the guitar, invite them to bring their instrument so you can all sing along. You should also have a portable Bluetooth speaker at hand for some background music.

Bring any of the items above and you’ll be all set to shift this party into high gear.

II. The Bonfire Party Itself

Be sure to stock up on beverages of all kinds, and to invite your guests to a drink as they arrive. As far as the serving part is concerned, we know that the book of being a good host demands that you should tend to your guest’s empty glasses. However, why not make everything chummier by encouraging your buds to go ahead and help themselves to a drink? You've surely noticed that, as you're learning how to host a bonfire party, you might also have to change your mindset a bit about planning close gatherings.

One important aspect to keep in mind – don’t light up the fire until dusk. There is a certain fascination and a sort of quiet reverie in watching the light of a fire, and darkness can help set the mood. So, as soon as the sun goes down, set the tepee on fire, and stoke the fire regularly.

When the bonfire’s ‘hot’ enough, take some of the charcoal and put it inside the grill’s firebox. Now you have everything you need to start cooking the food. See how easy you can learn how to plan a bonfire night party?

With bonfire parties, there's no need for special table arrangements or anything. When the burger\ hot dog\ grilled item of choice is ready, grab some bread, throw in some condiments and spices and eat them on the go. That’s the way to do it!

When the time’s just right, you can entertain your friends with a witty limerick, a lewd song (why not) or anything that pops to mind. If the moment’s right, go ahead and recall the creepiest otherworldly encounter you’ve ever had. Aside from sing-alongs and scary stories, a few other fun activities you can try are:

⮞ Flashlight treasure hunt

⮞ Glowstick games

⮞ Trivia

The possibilities are nearly endless – you’ve just got to get creative!

Of course, in every group, there’s always that one person who likes to observe everything from a distance instead of mingling. Try to include them as well. Don’t forget to throw a log or two into the bonfire pit from time to time to keep it going.

III. After the Bonfire Party

When the fun’s over, ask your friends to help you clean up the place.

Extinguish the fire pit using water and sand, making sure the fire’s doused down in the BBQ’s firebox.

Of course, pick up any plastic containers, cutlery, glasses or leftovers.

That’s it Folks – Enjoy Your Party!

As you can see, the key to learning how to throw a bonfire party to remember is in the details. Keep the bonfire pit well stocked with food, make sure that everyone has a drink, don’t let the food burn on the BBQ, and generally, just have plenty of fun!

Don't hesitate to leave us tips of your own on how to host a bonfire party in the comments below!

How to Host a Bonfire Party – 2018 Guide

6 Best Thanksgiving Table Centerpieces You Can Make Yourself – 2018 List

How to Plan a Murder Mystery Dinner Party – 2018 Guide

How to Host a Bonfire Party – 2018 Guide

Table of Contents