Throwing a carnival party and need some carnival game ideas?
Traditional carnival games are generally played in the carnival booths. Usually, you trade one or more tickets for a turn in a game. Examples of carnival game booths include the Duck Pond game, Hoopla, Toss the Ball, Knock the Can and, of course, Coconut Shy. If you are hosting a carnival party, you can rent game booths or, better yet, make your own. To make a simple carnival playhouse, you need a small table, a cloth large enough to cover the table (brightly colored if possible), a large card stock, and some thick paints or markers.
Simply place the cloth on the table, letting it hang across the front of the table to the floor. Using your paints or markers, write a fun sign that indicates the name of the game; You can get really creative here! Finally, put the sign on the fabric and there you have it – your very own homemade carnival arcade stand. If you really want to look authentic, buy a cheap, narrow plastic pipe (available at hardware stores), cut into pieces to make a rectangular frame for the cabin (you will need a long one, just a little longer than yours). table length and two shorter ones (decide how high you want the frame to be).
Use strong tape to tape the pieces of pipe together to form a three-sided rectangle, then secure it to the table and secure it again with strong tape. You can hang a lightweight sign from this, but be a little careful, the frame won’t tolerate too much weight. You can purchase ready-made kits to use at your stands if you wish. However, you can make your own. Keep cans of food, rinse and dry. Cover these cans with brightly colored paper and use them to stack for the Knock the Can game. Add a couple of beanbags and your game is ready to go. To play, the guest tosses the bean bags, one at a time, into the cans. If they knock down all the cans, they win. For the Coconut Shy, you will need to buy some fresh coconuts. To make the coconut holders, use empty soda bottles that have been rinsed and dried. Cut the caps off the bottles and cover them with bright colored paper. Place the bottles on top of the table, well spaced, and place the coconuts on top of the bottles. Have three small balls, or bean bags, per turn, and you’re good to go.
To play, the party guest throws the beanbags or balls, one at a time, at the coconuts. If they eliminate one, they win. Toss the Ball is an easy game to do. Cover a trash can with bright colored paper, place it at the back of the cab or on the ground. Place a marker a fair distance from the basket. This is where the party guests will stop to take turns. Use whatever ball you want, for example a basketball or baseball, it should fit in the destination bin. To take a turn, the guest stands on the scoreboard and throws the ball. If he goes into the basket and stays there, they win. You have two main prize options. Or gift your guests tickets when they win a game, which will eventually be exchanged for a prize. Or, give a small prize at the booth to each winner. Have fun!
