Step Right Up For a Day of Fun With These Carnival Theme Party Ideas

The main goal of hosting an event is to have fun. What could be more enjoyable than organizing the most magnificent and enchanted circus event in the area? A day under the large tent with fair cuisine, carnival games, and rewards in the form of stuffed animals awaits everyone. We can assist if you're considering throwing a carnival or circus-themed celebration.

Come one, come all to a carnival theme party where you will experience magic, wonder, and fun all day long. You can find ideas for carnival-themed activities, snacks, and circus-themed decorations for any event you're hosting. These ideas can be used for a fancy bridal shower or a child's first birthday party. These suggestions will guarantee that your circus party is a huge success.

How to Host a Carnival Style Party

The first thing to do when throwing a party is to decide where it will be held. You can go to the fair in person or throw a wild carnival circus celebration in your backyard. Another option is to work with a party planning business to organize a circus-themed celebration at a local location.

Your needs and budget totally determine the ideal location. Prior to making any selections, consider the amount of time you have to organize the celebration. Keep in mind that more complex events will need more preparation, including more time and legwork.

After you've selected a location for your event, you can begin planning all the exciting elements, such as carnival fare, games, and activities. Do you need some motivation? Here's how to have a carnival-themed party with décor and cuisine that are reminiscent of the circus.

Play the Outdoor Carnival Theme Birthday Party

Dress to fit the occasion to get into the mood. Wearing a top hat and a red and gold blazer, you can take on the role of the ringleader as the host. You can also dress up as clowns, jugglers, acrobats, magicians, and lion tamers, among other carnival characters. Everybody may dress up as their favourite character for an exciting day at a carnival, which is why these events are so much fun.

You can be as creative or simple with your costume as you like. You can purchase carnival costumes from party supply stores using a simple method. Alternatively, you can enjoy the run-up to the big day by making homemade costumes with your kids or friends.

You can make a top hat with cardboard and felt. You can also use clothes you already own, such as a black button-up jacket, for your ringleader outfit.

Set the Stage

You may go all out when it comes to stage design and interior decor when you choose a circus theme. You can rent a carousel or a tent to simulate a county fair if you're throwing a carnival-themed celebration in your garden. You can hire a local animal agency to arrange horse and donkey rides for an extravagant event. In certain places, you can even rent camels and other exotic animals.

Thankfully, you don't need to spend a lot of money to throw an amazing circus-themed party. To give guests the impression that they are actually at the show, decorate your home creatively. To create your decor, look for printables with a circus theme online.

You can create your tent by covering a pole or large post with a white cloth or a white tarp if you don't want to pay to rent one. To bring the large top inside, you may also build a streamer canopy. Instead, create a circus backdrop for a circus party as a simple alternative.

There must be a ticket counter at every circus. At the front, welcome partygoers and give them their tickets for the large fair. You can hang a birthday banner with the child's name or age over the ticket booth if the celebration is a carnival birthday party. Send your guests on their way to enjoyable activities or delectable cuisine after you've welcomed them.

Magic and colour reign supreme when it comes to carnival party supplies and decor. You can use red and white stripes on your tablecloths or silverware to mimic the design found on most circus tents. Vibrant colours are another characteristic of carnival decor, so you can use balloons, streamers, and confetti in bright colours to set the mood. Animal balloons and magic show props, such as wands, hats, and cards, can be spread around the area.

Serve Fair Food

A substantial spread of enchanted fair fare is a must-have for any carnival-themed celebration. Sweets like cotton candy, rainbow-coloured head-sized lollipops, funfetti ice cream, and snow cones are guaranteed to be a hit. Hot dogs and corn dogs, among other salty snacks, are also necessities.

Popcorn is another well-liked fair food item. You can buy or rent a popcorn maker that makes freshly popped kernels. You could even colour the popcorn with red and blue food colouring and serve it in adorable popcorn boxes.

If you are serving a larger meal, the popcorn boxes can also serve as centrepieces. Stuff them full of treats, stickers, party hats, or party trinkets that visitors can take home at any time of the day.

Don't forget the birthday cake for a carnival-themed party for a young child, like a second birthday celebration. A customized multitiered cake with a circus tent on top can be purchased, or you can create a simpler one at home. You can make a big circus cake with just cake mix and frosting, as shown in Betty Crocker's video.

Another option is to get adorable circus cupcakes. Edible glitter can be used to give older children attending a circus-themed party a more opulent appearance. Animal cookies make excellent cupcake toppers for younger kids.

Set Up Fair Games

Play entertaining fair games to try your luck and win rewards for your guests. You can rent fair games with workers in costumes from a party supply business or planner. Alternatively, you can make your own circus games in your backyard. For smaller children, you can also provide activities like face painting.

To get you started, consider these suggestions for carnival games:

• Ring toss: Set a stake in the ground at a level spot of your choosing. Place a cone or other marking at a distance of ten paces to indicate the participant's position. Visitors may hurl rings onto the stake; the winner of the most wins a reward, such as a plush animal. A bean bag toss is an additional option.
• Strongman: Hold a strongman competition to prove to everyone that you are the strongest person there. You may set up a barbell and ask your visitors to lift as much weight as they can without getting hurt.
• Photo booth: Use a photo booth to capture moments from the exciting "a-fair" for your guests. Include character cutouts and party décor so that attendees may have fun.
• Balloon shoot: This balloon and dart game is one of the most well-known carnival games. Just inflate balloons and suspend them from your fence or wall. Give each person a dart, and if they can pop the balloons, give them a prize.
• Go fishing: The game where you try to land a ping pong ball in a fishbowl is another well-liked circus activity. Typically, the winner receives a goldfish, but betta fish are also an option.
• Guess the jelly beans: Ask guests to estimate how many jelly beans are in a jar by writing down how many they believe are there. The winner of the candy jar is the individual who comes the closest without going over. In the event that your circus event is for a baby shower, you can also fill the jar with other goodies like pacifiers, tiny toys, and various delicacies.
• Axe throwing: You can put up an axe-throwing activity if your circus party is an adult-only affair. An excellent target is an old, soft stump, or you can order a target and hang it on a bale of hay.

Circus and Carnival Style Birthday Party Invitations

Now that you know what it takes to throw a theme party with a carnival, it's time to decide who you want to invite. With your guest list in hand, you can quickly select and send out the ideal invitations. A beautiful and efficient method to invite people to your event is with digital invites, such as those offered by Greenvelope. There is no hassle involved in purchasing stamps or making excursions to the post office.

You can select the ideal design from our selection of online invites and alter it to fit your style and occasion. For a genuinely one-of-a-kind invitation, you can even upload your artwork. It only takes a few clicks to send out the invitations, and our dashboard makes it simple to see who has accepted and who you need to get in touch with.

Do you need some ideas for invites for a carnival-themed party? These six carnival-themed party invitations are some of our favourites and are sure to captivate your guests.

Classic Carnival Invitation

This vintage circus invitation is perfect for a child's circus-themed birthday party since it has adorable illustrations of seals, lions, and elephants. You can rearrange the components to make the ideal arrangement, and you can change the backdrop colours and typeface to fit the theme of your party.

Carnival Party Invitation

A carnival theme is best announced with hand-spun cotton candy. To further pique guests' interest in the forthcoming event, this entertaining invitation also includes circus passes and popped kernels. It's sophisticated enough for an adult gathering and cute enough for a first birthday.

Christmas Carnival Card

Not all birthday parties need to have carnival themes. Another option is to throw a circus celebration for Christmas or New Year's.

The old circus invitation has a hand-drawn picture. The picture shows Christmas carousels, popcorn stands, and fun rides. They all go with the circus theme.

Friendly Ringmaster Invitation

This circus invitation is one of our happiest designs. It features a cheerful ringmaster inviting guests to enjoy a magical and joyful day or evening. The curly, celebratory font will set the tone for an amazing occasion, and the star and diamond drawings give a whimsical touch.

Come One, Come All Invitation

This carnival invitation has themes and drawings that make it appropriate for both classy adult gatherings and kid-friendly movie nights and parties. Retro circus parties and baby showers go well with the vintage carnival banner and artwork.

Step Right Up Invitation

This die-cut invitation comes with background options in classic red, vivid turquoise, and bubblegum pink to fit any carnival-themed party. The cursive script adds a little whimsical charm, while the studded border adds a little star power. To make it unique for your event, alter the font and colour.

Bring the Circus to Town With These outdoor Carnival Theme party Ideas

If you're hosting a party for adults, a baby shower, or a children's birthday, a carnival theme is a fun way to celebrate. This party theme, with its vibrant colours, candy, and entertaining games, is a surefire way to make sure that everyone has a wonderful time. You'll create lifelong memories of laughing and spending time with your loved ones throughout the day.