Planning a Bonfire Night Party

Fun Food and Activity Ideas for Guy Fawkes' Night Parties

Nov 2, 2009 Linda Gentile

Every November British children look forward to a special Bonfire Night event. Guy Fawkes parties are a fun and special way to brighten up a winter night.

Britain's Bonfire Night is a long-standing tradition that celebrates Guy Fawkes' 1605 failure to blow up London's Houses of Parliament. The classic elements of the Bonfire Night (or Guy Fawkes Day) party are good, hot food, a fire on which an effigy, or guy, is burned, jack-a-lanterns, and fireworks.

While the fire and pyrotechnics will likely not be possible depending on the reader's location, the excitement of a cold-night, outdoor party is hard to beat. Even if the party is not held on Bonfire Night, these ideas can still be used for an unusual, winter's-night party.

Traditional Bonfire Night Foods

In the United Kingdom, traditional bonfire night foods include toffee apples, baked potatoes, pork pie and mushy peas, hard treacle toffee and parkin, a kind of ginger cake. Toffee apples are encased in a hard, usually red toffee (known as caramel in the United States and Canada). In North America, only baked potatoes fall into the realm of easy-to-find foods. The rest can be picked up at a distinct premium in British food stores and, rarely, the specialty section of some supermarkets.

When planning for a Bonfire Night party, however, it is easy to substitute different items with a nod to the originals. Instead of mushy peas, serve baked beans. (These also make a delicious topping for a baked potato.) Instead of pork pies, try pot pies (again, baked beans makes a good complement to this dish). Caramel apples, while not usually set up with hard caramel, are readily available from supermarkets. It is also possible to buy caramel apple kits, and making them is a fun activity for children.

Parkin can be replaced with any ginger cake. Skor and Heath Crunch candy bars have caramel that is very similar to Bonfire Night toffee, albeit with a chocolate covering.

When to Hold the Bonfire Night Party

The ideal time to hold the party would of course be November 5th, but since children are still in school, the closest weekend might make more sense. When younger children are involved, straight after sunset is a good time to start. The length of the event would primarily depend on how cold the weather is and how long past bedtime the children can stay.

In the United Kingdom, jack-a-lanterns are typically carved from large turnips or swedes (rutabagas). Left-over carving kits from Halloween can help with this task, along with the sudden glut of cheap pumpkins from November 1st onward. Set out these lanterns on the doorstep or, depending on their age, let children carry them by attaching a wire handle. Parental supervision is required at all times.

If it is deemed too dangerous to have these lanterns, try battery-powered lanterns or string up Halloween lights instead. Everyone present should keep a flashlight in his pocket, just in case.

Activities for a Bonfire Night Party

One of the oldest traditional Bonfire Night games is bobbing for apples, and this can be a useful distraction while the food is prepared. Set out a dish-washing bowl full of water and float several apples. Children take turns to catch an apple in their teeth – no hands are allowed. The game is harder if stalks are removed.)

Once the food is enjoyed, tell ghost stories around the lanterns, offer crafts and coloring books, or watch a movie. Most people have a limited tolerance for being cold, so once the excitement of the night-time feast is over, it is always appropriate to move the fun indoors.

The copyright of the article Planning a Bonfire Night Party in Entertaining is owned by Linda Gentile. Permission to republish Planning a Bonfire Night Party in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Traditional Bonfire Night Parties Feature Firework	Baked Potatoes Belong at Guy Fawkes Parties	Baked Beans Go Well With Baked Potatoes
Try To Include Caramel for Bonfire Night	A Guy Fawkes Night Campfire