Carnival Party Decorations
Lots of red and yellow balloons and streamers Make colorful signs to hang above each game booth and stand. Put up a brightly colored tent or tarp (or decorate a plain one) for the food stations and bring out small tables and several chairs incase kids (or parents) want to take a break in the shade.

Fun Ideas
Buy a large roll of tickets at the discount store and have kids trade them to play the different booths, games and for food. Decorate a large appliance box in red and yellow and make it into a ticket booth. The kids can exchange their “money” for tickets.

Carnival Party Games
Make booths or stations with large signs for each carnival game.
 Have a container - coffee can with a lid to hold the used tickets. 

Bounce house or Moonwalk

Face painting

Balloon animals

Knock down a pyramid of cans
Use empty cans (paint them bright colors) and stack them in a pyramid shape on a table. Have guests throw bean bags at the pyramid and try to knock them over.

Ring toss
Fill 2 liter bottles with water and set them in a triangle shape about 4 feet from where the children will be throwing the rings.

Mystery Fishing
Kids fish for prizes in this fun game!　 For the "water" use a large appliance box, hang a sheet across a doorway, or cover a table so that the "fish" (and the person in the water) are hidden from view. Tie a string to a stick and attach a clothespin on the end of the string.　 Birthday party guests take turns "casting" the line into the "water". The person in the "water" puts small gifts, favors or candy on the clothespin and then tugs the string to signal that there is a "fish" on the line.　 Then kids pull up the line and retrieve their prize.　 This is a simple but fantastic birthday party game that kids adore!　 Have lots of prizes because kids will　want to do this carnival game again and again.　

Duck Pond Grab
Carnival guests pick rubber ducks out of a wading pool - they win a prize according to the number on the bottom of the duck. Write the numbers 1 - 5 (repeat numbers according to how many ducks you have) on the bottom of the ducks and place in the pool full of a few inches of water. In back of the pool on a table have 5 baskets with different prizes and number the baskets 1 through 5. Carnival guests pick up a duck to see what number is on the bottom then win the prize that corresponds to the number of the prize basket. If the carnival guest picks up a duck with the number 4 on the bottom, they get a prize form the number 4 basket. It’s a simple game, but children love it! The more ducks the better in the pool … give them away as party favors after the carnival.

Toss ping pong balls into fish bowls

Lucky Lollipops
Buy a large Styrofoam cone from the craft store and paint it a bright color. Take lots of lollipops and color the end of about ¼ of them with a permanent marker. Stick the lollipops into the cone - make sure the mark can not be seen. The children choose a lollipop and they get to keep the one they pick. If they choose a lollipop that has a mark on the end they get to keep the lollipop and win a small prize.

Activities
While children are arriving for the carnival have them decorate a white paper bag with their name on it. They can carry this from booth to booth and it will hold their tickets and prizes.

Food
Hot dogs wrapped in foil
Popcorn
Nachos
Snow Cones
Cotton Candy
Ice Cream