Fall Fire Pit Nights: 7 Evenings Worth Hosting Outside

Hosting ideas · Published by Outdoor Nook, which makes and sells the furniture shown

Fall is the best part of fire pit season. The bugs thin out, it gets dark early, and the air is cool enough that sitting by a fire feels like the point. All you need is a reason to light it.

Here are seven, from game day to the night before Thanksgiving, each with what to do, how to set up the seats and a short prep list. In our review analysis, 27 owners mention hosting guests, family or friends.

Jump to: Game day · Leftovers · S'mores · Meteors · Cider · Book club · Thanksgiving eve

1. The game-day fire

Carry the game outside. Set a tablet or speaker on a side table, light the fire at kickoff, and let people drift between the screen, the food and the flame. Afternoon games end just as it gets cold, which is when the fire earns its place.

Seating tip: Set the seats in an arc with the open side facing the screen. Swivel chairs turn to the game and back to the fire without moving furniture.

Prep list:

• Chili or soup kept warm indoors, served in mugs
• A side table for the screen, away from the flame
• One blanket per seat
• A full propane tank, plus a spare stored outdoors

2. Harvest dinner leftovers

The day after a big fall dinner, nobody wants to cook. Warm the leftovers indoors, pile them onto small plates and eat by the fire.

Seating tip: Small plates beat dinner plates here. Our 24-inch wicker fire tables stand 22.8 inches high, about 2.7 inches above the seat, so the table edge is within reach. Keep food and napkins well back from the burner.

Prep list:

• Small plates and forks
• Napkins in a holder, not loose
• A tray to carry everything out in one trip
• A side table ($269) for serving

3. A s'mores bar with grown-up twists

Upgrade the usual: dark chocolate with sea salt, peanut butter cups, salted caramel, or chocolate chip cookies in place of graham crackers. Set it out on a board and let people build their own.

Seating tip: Before you roast anything over a gas fire table, check its manual. Sugar and drips land on the glass beads and burner. The easy workaround is to toast the marshmallows in the kitchen under the broiler or with a kitchen torch, then bring them out and assemble by the fire.

Prep list:

• Two or three kinds of chocolate
• Cookies and graham crackers
• Marshmallows, toasted in the kitchen
• Wet wipes for sticky hands

4. Meteor shower night

Two meteor showers peak this fall. The Orionids peak on October 21, 2026, at about 10 to 20 meteors an hour under a dark sky, best before dawn once the moon sets. The Leonids peak on the night of November 17 into November 18, at about 10 to 15 an hour, though a first-quarter moon will hide some this year. Light the fire to warm up, then turn it down or off once you start watching; your eyes adjust better in the dark.

Seating tip: This is the night to recline all the way. Our recliners lean fully back with the footrest up, so you can watch the sky without craning your neck. Fully reclined, the wicker models are about 67 inches deep, so swivel each chair away from the table first. Curious how that compares with a dedicated stargazing lounger? See our comparison.

Prep list:

• A blanket per person, plus a spare
• Hot drinks in a thermos
• An alarm, if you are catching the Orionids before dawn
• A red flashlight or dimmed phone screen

5. Cider and hot drinks

Make mulled cider or hot chocolate, keep it warm indoors and bring it out in a thermos. The easiest evening on the list: two mugs, a fire and nowhere to be.

Seating tip: Use lidded or insulated mugs. On the wicker sets the fire table top sits about 2.4 inches below the chair arm, so a mug is in easy reach.

Prep list:

• Cider, cinnamon sticks and orange slices
• Insulated mugs
• A thermos or a slow cooker kept indoors
• Two blankets

6. Book club by the fire

Move the monthly book club outside while the weather allows. Firelight is not enough to read by, so save the reading for daylight and the discussion for the fire.

Seating tip: Four seats in a loose ring around one table work best. With a 24-inch table, set the chair fronts 18 to 24 inches from the edge. For bigger groups, our seating guide has the layout math, and the Huntington 4-piece set ($5,301) seats four around the larger square table.

Prep list:

• Clip-on book lights for passages read aloud
• Blankets
• Coffee or tea
• A side table for books, away from the flame

7. Thanksgiving eve

Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, so Wednesday the 25th is the night family arrives. Skip the big dinner: light the fire, set out something simple and let people unwind after the drive.

Seating tip: You will have more people than chairs. Give the good seats to whoever traveled furthest and bring out folding chairs for the overflow rather than buying a bigger set for one night a year. A reclining sofa adds three seats at once; the Huntington 5-seat conversation set ($6,118) pairs one with two recliners.

Prep list:

• A spare propane tank
• Extra blankets
• Folding chairs for overflow
• Something easy to eat, like soup or a cheese board

Before any of these nights

• Know your tank. A 20-lb propane tank holds about 430,000 BTU, enough for roughly 8.6 hours at a full 50,000 BTU, the output of our 24-inch wicker tables, or about 10.75 hours at 40,000 BTU on the Huntington. Keep a spare, stored outdoors and upright, never in a garage or shed, and away from the fire. Neither tank is included with our fire tables.
• Check the igniter. One owner found the battery in the box was dead. Test it the week before, not the night of.
• Plan for dew. Stow each recliner's built-in cover in its pouch before you light the fire, and zip it back over the chair once the table has cooled, so cushions stay dry overnight.
• Keep the table top clear. Blankets, napkins and covers stay off the fire table while it is lit. Never leave the flame unattended, and let the table cool before the lid goes on.

Distances from the house, chairs and ceiling are in our fire pit clearance guide. Still choosing a fuel? Read propane vs. wood vs. smokeless.

Shop the fire pit sets

Every set and guide is on our Fire Pit Nights hub.

For two

Keywest Firepit Bistro Set

Two Keywest swivel glider recliners and a 24 in round, 50,000 BTU fire table. Arrives with lid and glass beads.

$2,527Shop Now →

Questions before you order? Call 1-800-296-0232 or email cs@outdoornook.com.

Quick answers

Keep reading

• Why couples end up fighting over the fire pit chairs
• Fire table lounge: 5 ways to build seating around a fire table
• The real reason you're not using your fire pit enough

Sources. Reviews: Outdoor Nook product and company reviews (4.8 average from 540+ reviews); review themes from our own analysis of 583 reviews, October 2026 (27 mention guests, family or friends); quotes are as written and excerpts are marked. Prices and specifications are from our product pages as of October 2026. Meteor showers: EarthSky, Orionid meteor shower guide and Leonid meteor shower guide, retrieved October 2026. Propane runtime: Fire Pit Surplus, propane usage calculator (20-lb tank ≈ 4.7 gallons × 91,500 BTU ≈ 430,050 BTU). Tank storage: San Francisco Fire Department, outdoor grill, fire pit and heater safety.