Throw the Ultimate Bonfire Party from Your Conservatory

Guy Fawkes Night is one of the most quintessentially British celebrations of the year – an evening where people across the country stop complaining about the cold weather, don their wellies, coats and scarves and head outdoors together to admire fireworks, crunch toffee apples, and keep warm by the bonfire.

While the local park is probably putting on its own organised show, there’s nothing quite like surrounding yourself with friends and family and lighting a bonfire in your own garden. Make the most of the panoramic view from your conservatory and use it for the hub of your party. These ideas make for a flaming good celebration.

Delightful decorations

No party is complete without decorations, and bonfire parties are no exception. Embrace the fire by illuminating the garden with candles. Place them in mason jars and hang from trees or arrange on walls out of harm’s way.

If you’re retreating inside once the fire burns low, give your conservatory a Bonfire Night make-over. Brightly coloured leaves look beautiful dangling from the ceiling, and bunches of twigs entwined with fairy lights will create a great party atmosphere.

Make the most of your conservatory on Bonfire Night – it’s the ideal place to watch the fireworks from a safe distance. Equally, if the rain starts to fall, you can see the whole show through the panoramic glass roof without getting wet!

Explosive party games

The bonfire and the fireworks are of course the main attraction tonight, but you can introduce a couple of games to keep the kids entertained. Use glow necklaces to play ring toss in the dark – it adds an extra level of fun and difficulty. Apple bobbing is another fun favourite at this time of year. Make the game more exciting by pushing coins into some of the apples for an extra reward.

Sparklers have become a staple part of bonfire night celebrations, so challenge the kids to write their names, or even play noughts and crosses in the air together! Make sure gloves are worn and keep a water bucket close by to douse the sticks once finished.

Fiery food and drink

This time of year calls for hearty, warming food like chilli con carne with jacket potatoes. If you really want to enhance the bonfire theme, add smoky chipotle chillies to your usual recipe, and cook the potatoes by wrapping in foil and placing in the flames. Set up your buffet in the conservatory so nobody misses any of the action.

Toffee apples and parkin are staple deserts for bonfire night, but kids will love toasting marshmallows close to the fire too. Dip the hot marshmallows in popping candy to make “mouth fireworks” – the children will love to hear them crackle and pop.

Drinks should be equally warming to heat nippy fingers while outside. Use your crock pot to make a winter punch like mulled cider. Simply heat a couple of litres of cider with some cloves, a few sticks of cinnamon and wedges of sliced orange. If the night calls for something stronger, stir in a splash of navy rum to warm your cockles. For the children, hot spiced apple juice hits the spot.