9 ways to ace autumn events

Fireworks

Both Bonfire Night (5 Nov) and Diwali (12 Nov) are big family occasions that benefit from a light show of fireworks. Keep it low-key with sparklers and give out glow sticks for kids or go all-out with an impressive display. Remember safety is a big consideration. Read the rules here.

Warm and spicy drinks

Never mind mulled wine, what about mulled cider and warm apple juice for children? It’s the perfect hand-warmer on chilly nights. Add cinnamon sticks, orange peel and cloves for that spiced flavour. For extra oomph, apple brandy (adults only!) makes a scrumptious addition.

Try this hot cider recipe and pumpkin mocha.

Say cheese!

Create a fun backdrop for customer photos. The Instagram generation will love it and it’s great publicity for your venue when they tag you in posts. For Halloween, decorate a corner of your venue with scary skeletons, cobwebs and masks for customers to wear. For Bonfire Night, put on a competition – get customers to take a photo of friends or family with the fireworks display in the background. Offer a prize, such as a round of drinks, for the best entry posted on social media using your personalised hashtag.

Bonfire beats

If you want to give your Bonfire Night a boost, hire a local live band to extend the night beyond fireworks. Depending on your venue’s space (and the weather!), you could host the band indoors or outside by the bonfire. Charge customers a small entry fee for the entertainment and run food and drink offers.

Delicious deals

Make your venue’s offering too tempting to pass up. Encourage customers to make an evening of it with ‘buy one, get one half-price’ deals on drinks when buying a jacket potato with chilli or a hot dog. For every two adults’ meals bought, give customers a half-price kids’ meal and drink. Jugs of beer or autumnal cocktail pitchers for Halloween can catch customers’ attention. Don’t forget to shout about them on your social media, blackboards and posters in the window to get the word out there.

Free snacks

Halloween and Bonfire Night can both be big nights for on-trade. Small bowls of free snacks served with drinks orders impress and are great for tempting sales. Make sure customers know about your selection. Matt Collins, Trading Director at KP Snacks, advises: “Position your snacks with high visibility – 37% of customers purchase snacks because they noticed them while at the bar.” Pubs and bars should stock a selection of popular snacks such as KP Nuts and McCoy’s.

Walkers and Quavers crisps are also essential, while Doritos with dips can create simple yet tasty sharing platters – chicken goujons and halloumi fries both go down well too.

Get creative

These autumn events aren’t just for evenings. If you’re a café or pub that opens in the daytime, increase footfall by hosting family-friendly activities. The weekend before Halloween, offer pumpkin carving (with adult supervision), biscuit decorating or get some spooky mask templates and let the kids get creative. A small charge per child will cover materials, then entice the adults with themed hot drinks (try this Pumpkin Pie Latte) and cakes. Try fun soft drinks for kids too – they’ll love a neon green potion!

Party ideas

For bars and pubs, a Halloween party is a must. Set yours apart from the rest with themed drinks, a star attraction (think a tarot card reader or makeup artists) and a playlist or DJ to keep everyone dancing all night long. Sell tickets with an early bird discount or half-price drink thrown in. Insist on fancy dress, giving a prize for the best dressed.

This Bat Bite cocktail is amazing.

Festival gifts

Diwali is often a stay-at-home family occasion but it doesn’t mean people won’t go out to celebrate over the festival weekend. Get the candles out to create an atmospheric environment. Go for a mainly veggie menu with plenty of soft drinks such as lassis. Advertise gift boxes for customers to give to friends and family – include samosas, pakoras and Indian sweets such as barfi and gulab jamun.