When we hosted our own version of Survivor for our friends, we knew that it had to include Tribal Council. And Tribal Council must have fire because, as Jeff Probst would say, "fire represents life".

We considered some indoor campfire options, but we wanted something that would be kid-safe with no real flames AND also look as realistic as possible. And we came up with a really easy way to do it!

Video tutorial for making a fake campfire

Here's a video showing how we made a fake campfire:

If you can't see the video, try viewing it directly on YouTube.

If you prefer step-by-step instructions, keep reading to see exactly how I made this kid-friendly Tribal Council fire.

How to make a fake fire for Survivor Tribal Council

We started with a platform, made of a rustic wooden barrel topped with a metal tray. The tray will be totally covered, so it can be just about anything, but the metal edge on this one gave me just the right campfire look.

In the middle of the tray, I placed this inexpensive fake fire light that has flickering ribbon "flames" and an LED light. And around the edges of the tray, I started putting a bunch of small rocks.

I added more rocks until the tray was totally covered, nestling them around the middle fire light and covering up its electric cord.

To make it REALLY look like a campfire, though, we needed some logs around the flames. I collected various branches and small logs from the woods and then made them look burned by quickly wiping on some black craft paint with a paper towel.

I added the paint very randomly, applying it thick in some places and thin in others, to create the natural look of logs that would be burning unevenly in the campfire.

When I started stacking the logs around the electric flame, it made such a huge difference!

Soon I had an authentic looking campfire that would be totally safe to "burn" all night, with no risk of any of the kids getting hurt.

Along with our DIY Survivor torches, this fake campfire made our Tribal Council so much more authentic for our DIY Survivor event.