Carnival Party Games

Fun carnival party games and a good carnival themes will add some festivity to your party. That's because: what's better than just carnival? A carnival party, that's what!

Remember to keep some prizes on hand for the lucky winners. Everyone likes prizes.

(Photo from Presleyjesus)

Ring Toss

(Photo from nerissa's ring)

One of the more popular carnival party games: all you need is a board, rings, glue, and some bottles. 20-ounce plastic soda bottles work just fine.

Most brands of shower curtain rings will fit easily over their necks. Packed too tightly, players might not be able to ring anything at all, so leave a little space in between when gluing down the bottles. Full soda bottles should be heavy enough to not need any glue, but keep some on hand anyway when thirsty partygoers raid the ring toss game for a drink! Set the throwing line at about six feet away for a good challenge and start tossing.

Look out for broken glass if you are using glass bottles!

If you don't want to glue the bottles to the board, use

• a tasty soft drink

• alcoholic beverages

as prizes the throwers can keep and drink when they hit!

Bean Bag Toss

(Photo from DieselDemon)

Cut some holes in a large sheet of wood for a quick and easy game. The board should be a sturdy material that won't break when hit by the bean bags, and large enough to hold several holes.

The holes should be large enough for a bag to go through, but not large enough to be too easy. Make them different sizes and space them apart, giving them various point values.

Paint a fun decoration on the board, such as a big clown face. Give each player a certain number of colorful bean bags and see who can get the most points.

If you want higher stakes, use very soft balls and dip them into sauces or food coloring and place a person behind the board! It could be used as a penalty if someone misses several times in a row!

Don't forget to take photos and to clean up the mess!

Balloon Pop

(Photo from tauntingpanda)

Don't play this with kids without adult supervision since there are darts involved.

Like at most carnival parties, there will be plenty of balloons lying around.

Make sure you have a surface that can get riddled with holes. Don't use a wall without a sheet or wood or cork in front of it for protection. Tape some small balloons in rows to the surface. Take balloons of different colors for fun and give them various point values. They should be full enough of air to burst with a satisfying explosion. See who can pop the most balloons, or get the most points, with a set number of darts. This game is a blast!

Ball Toss

(Photo from Zaskoda)

Stack up some cans and knock them down!

14.5-ounce soup cans are perfect for this. Make sure they're empty, or this game could become very messy. The larger 28-ounce cans can be used for an easier challenge. Set two cans next to each other and one on top in the middle to make the stack. Softballs are ideal for this game.

The best challenge is to try to knock them all down with one throw. Give everyone one or two throws and see who can knock down their stack, or who can knock down the most stacks in a row.

This simple carnival party game can very easily become highly competitive and addictive! 

Carnival party games provide a great time for any mix of guests. Make them easy for kids, but challenging for adults, and the fun is guaranteed.

(Photo from todbaker)

These festive and colorful games are always a hit. Just remember to get some prizes. Everyone likes prizes.

Last but not least, make sure you get out the most funky and cool costume ever! Everyone at your carnival party should put on a costume to add to the fun.

If you find some guests who sneaked in without costumes, give them some fun penalties to do! The most popular ideas are:

• Get a colored hair spray and color those guests without costumes

• Have a welcome drink ready at the entrance. Only guests in costume get one. Alternative: have a great and a nasty penalty drink ready!

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