The first Saturday in August is World Campfire Day, and here at Outdoors, we love a good campfire. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to break out the fire pit, now is the time. Here are 10 ways to celebrate World Campfire Day.
S’mores . . . Duh
This one is definitely the easiest way to celebrate campfire day. A good campfire goes hand-in-hand with a delicious, gooey s’more. Try mixing and matching the kind of graham crackers and chocolates you use (hello Reese’s peanut butter cup s’mores), and mark your calendars, because August 10 is National S’mores Day, so you’ll get to do it all again in just a few days.
Campfire Sing Along
If you just saw Barbie you may be hesitant about singing along to someone’s guitar playing (especially around a campfire on the beach), but it is a good time when everyone has agreed to it. Be sure to check out some of our favorite campfire songs, and if you have kids with you, one of them is inevitably going to ask for the “Campfire Song” from Spongebob, so you may want to look into learning the chords ahead of time.
Scary Stories
July 5th is the unofficial start of Halloween and Spooky Season for many people, so telling a good scary story around the campfire is a great way to get into that ghostly mood. Whether you make it up on the spot or you’re telling a well-known classic like “Humans Can Lick Too,” telling scary stories is always a fun way to add a little bit of hair-raising fun to a night around the fire with friends and family.
Games
If scary stories aren’t your thing, or maybe you have some youngins’ with you, you can always play games that will get everyone involved. Some of them are well known and you don’t need a campfire to play them, but a campfire makes everything a little more fun. Telephones or charades are great classics to get everyone involved and have a good time. If those are a little too basic for you, try a game of winking assassin or mafia (also known as werewolf).
Stargazing
If you’re building a campfire at your campsite at the end of the day, it’s a great time to go stargazing to take advantage of the low levels of light pollution at most campsites. Before you leave, check to see if there are any special constellations or planets that you’ll be able to see from your camping location. If there isn’t anything special going on in the sky during your camping trip, getting out and seeing the stars in the woods is still worthwhile. If you’re camping at the end of August, look out for the Blue Supermoon.
Change the Color of Your Fire
There are a number of products available to change the color of your fire, and this is a fun way to shake up your campfire routine. Everyone will delight in the colorful flames, and your camp neighbors may even want to come over and see how you got your fire to glow a different hue..
Controlled Pyromania
Sometimes, it’s just fun to light things on fire. Burn some old love notes or school papers, or have a scavenger hunt to find the biggest stick to add to the fire. Maybe you’re one of those folks who loves a good burnt marshmallow for your s’mores and purposefully lights them on fire for just a little bit. If you’re going to light anything on fire, though, just make sure you’re being safe.
Cook a Whole Meal over the Fire
If s’mores just aren’t enough to keep you full for a whole night of campfire fun, you can cook an entire meal over the fire. Whether it’s simple and you just cook some hot dogs or you decide to get fancy and try one of our delicious camping recipes, food is always a good way to bring people together.
Shadow Puppets
This may seem silly, but shadow puppets are a super easy way to have a good time around the fire. Even if your shadow puppets are mediocre at best, trying to guess what they are will bring a level of wholesome fun to the campfire that’s easy for everyone to enjoy.
Tell Jokes or Fun Stories
Sometimes, camping trips mean catching up with old friends or getting to know new ones. Sitting around a campfire and catching up or telling jokes and stories can be really fun, and this is a great way to spend time with other people. Whether you’re telling inside jokes or new stories of your recent adventures, chatting around a campfire is a great way to connect or reconnect with your friends in nature.
