This is a timeless party with so many possibilities to create that old fashioned fun feel! Your guests will have tons of fun and you will keep them busy and if you’ve read my previous posts, you know this is key! You also know I love a built in party favor and carnival prizes provide just that! Let’s get started!
This party is all about the carnival booth. You’ll need some pre-party time to set up your stations and this party will practically run itself. Start a few kids at each station to keep everything moving. Have an adult or older kid in charge of each station to help reset the game and give out tickets. Your guests will earn tickets at each station and those tickets can be redeemed at your prize booth. For younger guests, have your helpers give a ticket to each carnival goer just for trying and an additional ticket if they are successful at the game.
The ring toss is simple and fun! You can change it up depending on the age of the kids. Move older guests further away to make the game more challenging. I found the glass bottles at a local craft store and used a wooden crate to hold them in place. The rings are plastic bracelets (which are great for prizes too). Larger bottles and pool rings are also a great option.
Next up is the bean bag toss. Another classic that can be made using different materials. Painted empty vegetable cans are a great option. Take a couple of test throws, it feels pretty good to knock them down!
Ready, aim, shoot! Remember the water gun game at the fair? Because I have a full Nerf gun arsenal at my house, I chose this option. The traditional water gun works too.
The ping pong bounce is about as easy as it gets! A few buckets and ping pong balls is all you need. Give each contestant a few tries and they get a ticket for each ball in the bucket. You can also make one bucket worth 2 tickets.
You can let your guests rotate through as many times as they want, as long as you have enough prizes. Now that they’ve earned all of those tickets, they can trade them in! Your prizes will depend on the age of your guests. Pencils, erasers, stickers, yo-yo’s, tops, squishies, bouncy balls, rings, tattoos, small cars, and on and on. I don’t typically like the party favor goody bag filled with junk, but in this case we can make an exception, right? It’s not just about the plastic toys, it’s about playing games and earning plastic junk! Colorful bags are perfect for storing all of their loot.
My favorite part of this party, the photo booth! Your guests will have so much fun with this! Bring a printer and send them home with their own picture just like a photo booth.
Don’t forget a group photo. This makes a perfect card for thank you notes!
A carnival has to have carnival food right? The yellows and reds create a bright, fun carnival snack table.
I chose the carnival classics popcorn and cotton candy. For dinner, we served corn dogs, hot dogs, and french fries. Kid favorites and right on theme!
Aren’t these clown faces super cute! I found these happy clown cupcakes that are a prefect dessert for a carnival party! I used peach rings cut in half for the bright smile, icing decorative dots for the nose (fireball and cherry candies are good options as well), cotton candy tufts for hair, and star cake decorations for eyes. Your guests will love these cupcakes and they’re so easy to make. You can prepare them the day before, just don’t add the hair until you’re ready to serve. The cotton candy will completely disintegrate!
The possibilities are endless with this party! Face painting is always a hit. A variation of the dunking booth with water balloons would be fun too! Your guests will have tons of fun, they will stay completely busy, and they will leave with a built in gift! Even if it is a bag filled with cheap plastic toys!That is a great party!
