What to Wear to Bonfire Night: Warm Layers, No Loose Ends

September 17, 2026 | Style Guides

Search "what to wear to bonfire night" and most of what comes back is written by retailers or built around products to buy. Those guides answer "what looks cosy", which isn't quite the problem you have on the night.

Bonfire Night falls on 5 November, and it asks something unusual of an outfit. You stand more or less still, outdoors and in the dark, for as long as the bonfire and the display take, then may well walk into a warm pub or restaurant in the same clothes. If it's a public display on a field, there may be wet grass and a crowd as well. And none of the top guides we read quote what UK fire services say about clothing near a bonfire or a sparkler, which in places is the opposite of what some of them recommend.

This guide is about that one night. For dressing through the whole cold season, see winter outfit ideas from your own wardrobe.

How Cold It Gets on the Night

Across the UK, the Met Office's 1991–2020 averages give November an average maximum temperature of 9.4°C and an average minimum of 3.6°C, with nearly 16 days of at least 1mm of rain. Early November is usually milder than that: the Met Office notes that, typically, "the first ten days of November are warmer than the monthly average". It varies, though: November averages five or six days of air frost, yet in 2025 temperatures overnight at Teddington in London only dropped to 14.4°C, provisionally the mildest Bonfire Night on record.

Two things matter more than the headline number.

You won't be moving. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's cold-weather tips point out that "even moderate exercise can help keep you warm". The walk to the display does that job for you. Standing in one spot doesn't, so dress for the standing, not the walk.

The wind counts. The Met Office explains that "in winter a strong wind can make you feel much colder than the measured temperature would indicate", and its "feels like" figure is there to give "a better idea about how the weather will actually feel when you step outdoors". Check that number for the evening before you get dressed, not the air temperature.

Start With Your Feet

Your feet are touching cold ground all evening, so start there. If the display is on grass, plan for it to be wet underfoot.

West Midlands Ambulance Service's cold-weather advice is to "keep dry to prevent loss of body heat", so you want footwear that keeps water out, with room for a thick sock:

• Wellies are the obvious choice for a muddy field and the worst one for a restaurant afterwards.
• Boots you already know keep water out are the better all-rounder if the night carries on somewhere else.
• Trainers are fine on paved ground on a dry night. If a pair has ever let water in on a wet pavement, it will on a wet field too.

The same advice says to "wear sturdy footwear to prevent slips and falls", which is worth taking literally on wet grass in the dark. If the outfit has to work in a restaurant later, take two pairs: wellies for the field, shoes left in the car.

Layers That Work When You're Standing Still

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's advice is to "wear several layers of clothes rather than 1 chunky layer – clothes made from cotton, wool or fleecy fibres help to maintain body heat". For a night spent standing, that looks like this.

Base layer. A thin thermal or a fine wool top, tucked in (a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt works if your coat will keep it dry).

Middle layer. A proper jumper or sweater, a fleece, or an overshirt over a fine knit. People will see this one indoors later, so pick something you'd happily wear on its own.

Outer layer. A longer wool coat, a parka or a padded coat, ideally with a hood. At a crowded display, a hood is kinder to the people behind you than an umbrella. Walking there along roads? Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service suggests "reflective tape and glowsticks to make yourself more visible".

Legs. The layer most outfits forget: thermal leggings or tights under jeans or trousers, thick opaque tights under a skirt or dress, or heavier cord or wool trousers.

This outfit doesn't need to come off neatly in stages across a day of changing temperatures. That's a different problem, covered in our guide to transitional weather outfits. Here, the coat goes on for the field and comes off at the pub.

Hats, Gloves and the Scarf Question

A hat, gloves and a scarf are all part of West Midlands Ambulance Service's advice to wrap up warm. Pick a beanie you're happy to keep on all evening, and if your hair is long, tie it back or tuck it under the hat: RoSPA's advice around bonfires is to "avoid loose clothing and tie back long hair".

Gloves stop being optional if there will be sparklers. London Fire Brigade is plain about it: "Make sure everyone handling sparklers wears gloves."

The scarf is where some style roundups and the fire services part company. One magazine's Bonfire Night outfit guide suggests scarves that are "very wide – and/or very long", "with all the tassels and fringes to boot". Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service's advice for anyone near a fire: "Long dangly scarves can be risky too."

A snood, a short scarf tucked inside a zipped coat, or a roll-neck jumper keeps your neck covered with nothing left trailing.

What Not to Wear Near the Fire

If you have the choice, London Fire Brigade and RoSPA both point you towards an organised display. In the Brigade's words: "Public displays are bigger, more fun and a lot safer." The clothing advice below applies wherever you'll be close to a flame, whether that's a garden bonfire or a sparkler in your hand.

Loose clothing. Several outfit roundups suggest a loungewear co-ord or oversized joggers for the night. If you'll be anywhere near the fire itself, note the example Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service uses: "Loose clothing (like track suits) can very easily catch alight and should never be worn near any fire."

Costumes. If a child wants another outing for a Halloween costume, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service's advice is to "keep costumes away from candles and flames as they can be flammable".

If you're lighting the bonfire. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service says the person lighting it, "and any helpers, should wear suitable clothing e.g. a substantial outer garment made of wool or other low-flammable material."

Where you stand. Before a gusty Bonfire Night in 2025, with winds coming from the south, the Met Office advised that "being on the south side of the bonfire will help avoid smoke and flames being blown your way". In other words, stand on the side the wind is coming from.

If clothing catches fire. Kent Fire and Rescue Service's sequence is:

1. Stop where you are.
2. Drop to the ground.
3. Roll around to put the fire out.

Then treat the burn. The NHS says to "hold the burn or scald under cool running water for 20 minutes" and to "remove any clothing or jewellery that's near the affected area – but do not remove anything that is stuck to the affected area". With no tap nearby, the NHS says "you can use cool bottled water or a wet towel", and to call 999 or go to A&E if a burn "is very large or deep" or is on the face, genitals or bottom.

Dressing Children for Bonfire Night

For babies, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust's winter advice is to "start with a base layer of soft, breathable clothing, add a warm sweater or jacket, and finish with a waterproof outer layer if necessary", plus "a warm hat, mittens, and booties". The same advice is to "avoid taking your baby out in extreme cold or windy conditions", which is worth weighing on a bitter night. Once you're indoors or back in a warm car, the NHS says to remove a baby's hat and extra clothing straight away, "even if it means waking your baby". For toddlers and older children, the adult rules apply: layers, waterproof boots, a hat and gloves.

Then there are sparklers:

• London Fire Brigade: "Don't give sparklers to children under 5." Sparklers "burn at fierce temperatures, equivalent to a welding torch".
• Older children holding one need gloves, like everyone else.
• Kent Fire and Rescue Service suggests you "make sparklers easier to hold for little hands by sticking the end into a halved carrot". Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service says having the child hold the carrot instead "reduces the risk of them burning their hands when the sparkler burns down".
• "Never hold a baby in your arms while you're holding a sparkler," says London Fire Brigade, and "when the sparkler has finished put it in a bucket of cold water."
• RoSPA: "Children and young people should be supervised and should watch and enjoy fireworks from a safe distance."

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service also suggests children practise "stop, drop and roll" with their parents at home before the event.

Looking Put-Together for the Pub or Dinner Afterwards

Outside, your coat is the outfit. Inside, it comes off and the middle layer takes over, so choose it as if it were the only thing people will see.

• A good knit, a roll-neck, or an overshirt over a fine jumper all look deliberate once the coat is on a hook. A hoodie mostly doesn't.
• Keep the thermal out of sight: a crew neck or roll-neck hides it, a deep V-neck doesn't.
• Dark trousers and boots forgive a splash of mud. Cream jeans won't.
• For a restaurant, the logic works either way: a knitted dress with thick tights and clean boots, or dark cords, a roll-neck and a wool overcoat.
• Swap the wellies for the shoes in the car before you go in, and bring something for hat hair.

Building It From What You Already Own

Almost nothing here needs buying. The catch in early November is that half of it may still be packed away from last winter, so get the boots, gloves and heavier coat out a week or two early. Our guide to storing seasonal clothes covers bringing them back out in good shape, and autumn outfit ideas from your own closet covers everyday outfits for the rest of the season.

If your clothes are already in Nouva, the outfit generator builds weather-aware outfits from what you own, and Style Check will score the look under your coat and suggest pieces from your own closet that would improve it.

Quick Reference

	What works	What to avoid
Feet	Waterproof boots or wellies, thick socks	Anything that lets water in
Body	A thin base, a knit you'd wear alone, a long warm coat	Loose clothing such as tracksuits near a fire
Neck	A snood, or a short scarf tucked in	Long dangly scarves
Head	A hat you'll keep on, long hair tied back	Long hair loose near flames
Hands	Gloves, and always with sparklers	Handling sparklers bare-handed

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to wear a scarf near a bonfire? The fire service warning is about long, dangling ones: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service says "long dangly scarves can be risky too". Wear a snood, or tuck a short scarf inside your coat.

What gloves should you wear for sparklers? The London Fire Brigade and RoSPA guidance doesn't name a type. It says everyone handling sparklers should wear gloves, and that sparklers shouldn't be given to children under five at all.

How cold is it on Bonfire Night? It varies. The Met Office's 1991–2020 UK averages for November are a 9.4°C maximum and a 3.6°C minimum, and the first ten days of the month are typically warmer than that. 2025 brought what the Met Office provisionally called the mildest Bonfire Night on record. Check the "feels like" temperature for the evening itself.

What should a baby wear to a fireworks display? Layers: a soft base layer, a warm jumper or jacket and a waterproof outer layer, plus a hat, mittens and booties, following Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust's winter advice. Avoid taking a baby out in extreme cold or wind, never hold a baby while you're holding a sparkler, and take their hat and extra layers off indoors or in a warm car.

The Short Version

Dress for standing still, not for the walk there: waterproof boots and thick socks, several thin layers under a long coat, and a middle layer you'd happily wear into the pub. Wear a hat and gloves, tuck the scarf in, tie long hair back and keep loose clothing away from the fire. If there are sparklers, everyone holding one wears gloves, and the under-fives don't get one.

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Not sure which of your clothes add up to a Bonfire Night outfit? Nouva's outfit generator builds weather-aware outfits from the clothes you already own. Try it free.