How to Host a Carnival Birthday Party: Free Printable Invites
NOTE: There is a giveaway at the end of this post. Please read to the end for details
As I mentioned the other day when I shared Madeline’s Birthday Cupcakes – Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Cupcake – we had an adorable Carnival themed birthday party for her last weekend. Madeline hasn’t had a special birthday party since she turned 1, so I was extra proud of how this turned out and wanted to take a minute to share how I put the party together.
I’ll try my best to document all my sources should you wish to replicate anything from this party, however if I miss something please don’t hesitate to ask!
How to Host a Carnival Birthday Party
The Carnival Birthday Party Invitations
I designed our carnival birthday party invitations myself using an adorable carousel image that I found and purchased. I knew I wanted a horse theme, but one thing lead to another and soon we had the idea for the Carnival Party.
click image to download the FREE PRINTABLE invitation, then right click > save to your computer
Using Illustrator I changed the color scheme of the carousel to fit what I thought was a Carnival color scheme: Yellow, Red, and Turquoise. Originally it was pink and purple and very pretty but not quite what I had in mind for this party.
I’m offering up a generic FREE printable version of the carnival birthday party invitations that we used (name, address, party date and time removed) as well as a FREE printable matching thank you card. These cards both fit perfectly in these envelopes: 4-3/8″ x 5-3/4″ Greeting Card Envelopes.
click image to download the FREE PRINTABLE thank you, then right click > save to your computer
Disclaimer: Copyright GoodLife Eats. For personal use only. These Carnival Birthday Party invitations and thank you notes are shareable, however I ask that you please credit appropriately and link directly to this post – not the printable file. Thank you for understanding!
Carnival Party Decorations
Decorations were kept pretty simple. The food tables were draped with a cute Circus print fabric and an inexpensive solid turquoise fabric that I found at one of our fabric stores.
We had a balloon bouquet in red, yellow and turquoise tied to a wooden circus train car (found at Michael’s and then painted) with a toy giraffe in it.
I purchased a Happy Birthday banner from Meringue Designs on Etsy that I had been wanting for a while – something I can reuse over and over that matches our home deocr – and hung that above the sliding door that heads to the back door.
The Carnival Party Food
I kept things simple with the food and selected items that most 3-5 year olds would be guaranteed to eat, but also good enough for the parents to enjoy since at this age some parents still choose to stay at the party with their child.
Easy Carnival Lunch
The party was 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm so we served a light lunch that consisted of:
- Hebrew National Hot Dogs with the usual fixings
- Sliced Watermelon Wedges
- Apples – red and green
- Fresh, Raw Vegetables – broccoli, mini bell peppers, and grape tomatoes
- IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate Juice – kept cool with ice in a Galvanized Steel Beverage Tub
- Ice Cold Lemon Water
Tip: I purchased the IZZE on Amazon using the Subscribe & Save option to receive an extra 15% off my order, plus received free shipping with Amazon Prime.
This kicked an additional $3.50 off the price and saved me a trip to the store. I selected 1 case every 6 months as my delivery option. After the party, cancel the subscription to the item.
The Sweets & Treats Table
I set up a table with a few post-lunch treats and included goodie bags so the kids could take a bag of treats home after the party. In addition to the cupcakes, I chose a few other treats that in my eyes felt like they belonged at a carnival sweet stand.
- Orange Gumballs – Purchased at Party City
- Blue and Clear Rock Candy – Purchased at Party City
- Twizzlers – pictured in 1-Gallon Apothecary Jar
- Salt Water Taffy – pictured in 3-Quart Apothecary Jar
- Popcorn – pictured in West Bend 2.5 Ounce Theater Popper
- Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Cupcake – pictured on Adjustable Tiered Tower
I already had the tiered cupcake tower and have been wanting to purchase a couple of apothecary jars to use for party purposes or storing things like cookies, etc. I thought these worked out great and were sturdy, thick glass options that should last a while.
Carnival Party Activities
Again, things were kept relatively simple. These are mostly preschool aged kids after all and they didn’t need a ton of games to have fun playing.
They played in the back yard on the swing set, and with crouquet and ring toss on the grass. The real surprise were the ponies. I rented 2 ponies from Lazy River Pony to come to the party.
Madeline is beyond obsessed with horses and while I certainly don’t have the money, space, or energy to purchase her a horse of her own I could budget to rent her two ponies to ride at her birthday party.
This was so much more memorable of a gift from Mommy and Daddy than a few new toys. She will remember this experience for the rest of her life. Not to mention, more memorable for the party guests than a bag of treats and dollar store junk that would likely get thrown away within a week.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when she saw the ponies. I think she was actually a bit stunned. I imagined based on the look on her adorable face that she must have been thinking “This can’t possibly be happening. Am I asleep? Or is this real?” The birthday girl was in pony heaven!
All of her other little friends caught on to the what was about to happen. We had kept it a surprise from her and only Eric, Logan, and I knew but somehow the word spread. It was so cute how giddy everyone one was and how clueless Madeline was.
She was shy at first when she say the ponies. But once she got on she was all smiles and waves!
Giveaway Prize (1 winner):
West Bend is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year on September 25th at Washington County Fair Park. In conjunction with this celebration, they are offering a popcorn popper to one GoodLife Eats reader. Please see giveaway details below.
1 winner will receive a 82512 – Stir Crazy® Theater Popper, 2.5 oz. (value $119)
Giveaway Requirements:
- Answer the following: What is your favorite carnival memory or treat?
- Contest ends October 1, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
- Contest open to US States only.
- Winners will be chosen via random.org and will have 3 days to respond before disqualified and a new winner chosen.
Optional Extra Entries:
Additional entries can be earned by doing any of the following, giving you a total of 5 extra entries. Leave a separate comment for each of your entries.
1. Follow goodlifeeats on Twitter and ReTweet the following message: I entered to win a West Bend Stir Crazy Theater Popcorn Popper from @goodlifeeats http://su.pr/2RYECb #giveaway
2. Add this post to Pinterest: Pin It
Onika says
Are you still answering questions from this post?
Katie Goodman says
Yes, do you have a question?
Brina says
Hi,I love the whole carnival themed birthday and I am doing one for my 1 y.o. I tried to use the invitation you put up,but the resolution turned out very low and it resulted in a very unclear picture. Why is this so?
Katie says
You will need to click the graphic to open it in a new window in the full resolution size. If you do that and it still doesn’t work, then I don’t know because this is the same file I used. I uploaded it to fedex/kinkos online and had it printed there.
Betsy Connolly says
Thanks for the info. I received ten yards of this fabric today.
Thanks Again
Fabric says
Where did you get the fabric that the cupcake is setting on?
Betsy Connolly
Katie says
I got it at Hancock Fabrics.
Rebecca says
Thank you sooo much for creating and sharing this invitation template. It has been so hard to find something suitable! This will be perfect for my 6yr olds carnival party – especially as she is having a carousel cake!! Thanks again, Bec from Australia
Bethanie says
And how could I not repin this fantastic party?!?
Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Bethanie says
I’m also now following you on Twitter! YAY! And I’ve tweeted about the giveaway 🙂
Bethanie says
I loved eating funnel cake when we went to the carnival!
Jessica says
FUNNEL CAKE!! = D & THANK YOU!! I am having my daughters 5th b-day at the end of Oct. I believe she will LOVE the carnival theme!! So, once again THANK YOU for the wonderful ideas!!!
Staci A says
I love Kettle Corn and funnel cakes. Yum!
Julie U says
cotton candy!!
Emily says
I have to admit that the salty popcorn only comes second to the the elephant ears 🙂
Angie M. says
My favorite carnival treat is funnel cake!!! Love the carnival birthday party! The popcorn machine would be a wonderful addition to my home theater.
Sarah says
My favourite memory is easy! I’m not a big carnival person – I have lots of allergies (so most of he food is out) and I get sick on twirly rides (so, that’s that). But I spent one year as an exchange student in Denmark and you can’t visit Copenhagen without at least stopping by Tivoli! It was great – huge and so much more than just rides. I went on a a kind of ferris wheel with three other students, and even though we told the operator not to, he spun the twirly part of our carriage. We were able to stop it by grabbing the central pole, but the way the Japanese student cussed him out (in Japanese, of course) once the ride was over was priceless – highly amusing to the folks lined up to get into the carriage we’d just vacated. My favourite treat was something I can’t remember the name of (I didn’t speak Danish at that point), but it was thick ice cream and stewed cherries with almonds. The four of us had to split it it was so rich!
Corinne says
Love the party and thanks for the freebies! I grew up in Australia where they don’t do carnivals like you have here, but I loved cotton candy, or fairy floss as we call it there.
Bronwen says
I love all the carnival food.
Trisha says
Corndogs!:)
Barbara Hundley says
Love the party idea! My favorite part of a carnival has always been the homemade corn dogs and the petting zoo.
JoeyfromSC says
Added the post to my pinterest(addictive site lol)
JoeyfromSC
ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com
JoeyfromSC says
Following you on twitter @JoeyfromSC and tweeted:
http://twitter.com/#!/JoeyfromSC/status/117341826943418368
ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com
Coco and Isa says
Love the mini doughnuts!
JoeyfromSC says
wow SO cool!! Love the ideas!!
My fave carnival treats are cotton candy & candied apples lol:)
Thanks for the chance to win!!
ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com
Abby says
Cute party ideas! Definitely going to look into that cupcake recipe. My favorite carnival treat was the homemade fry stand and drizzling them with yummy malt vinegar. My mouth is watering…
Jen says
My favorite treats were the funnel cakes… piping hot with melting powdered sugar. Yummm.
Salena Begley says
I also pinned it!
Salena Begley says
I love cotton candy. Always something I get at a carnival!
Sarah Bauer says
Love the Carnival b-day party idea! I’m filing that away for future use!
My favorite carnival treat is definitely funnel cake!!!!
Laurie says
Cotton Candy, please!
Theresa says
My favorite carnival memory is when they had elephants there & we got a chance to ride one. Favorite carnival treat cotton candy. thanks for the chance!
Brenda C. says
My favorite carnival food has to be cotton candy. I will admit, however, that I’ve read about deep fried frito pies and will probably stuff my face silly if I ever see one.
Kim B. says
What a FUN party!! My favorite carnival memory is seeing the elephants 🙂 They looked GYNORMOUS to me when I was a kid!
Marie says
I absolutely LOVE caramel corn! 🙂 It’s definitely my favorite carnival treat!
Laurel says
I love kettle corn!
Shawn Wright says
Kettle corn always makes me think of carnivals!!!
mary says
I love corn on the cob!
Megan J says
My favorite carnival memory is when I was in elementary school and my school had a carnival each year– we got to go on all the rides and play all the games for free during recess!
jessie says
I love fresh grilled corn on the cob dipped in melted butter.
Cindy says
I love funnel cakes at the carnival – hot andso, so sweet! The only time of year we used to be able to eat them was summer carnival time.
Cera says
My favorite was always the elephant ears…big fried pieces of sweet dough covered in cinnamon sugar…definitely fair or carnival food.
Donna Lamontagne says
I love carnival’s and the fun – the bright colors and especially at dusk. Favorite treat are the funnel cakes.
Alice says
My favorite carnival memory is feeding elephants peanuts and standing under the big top … it was simply amazing at my age (at the time… 🙂 ) – I have always wanted to throw a bday part at a carnival, but it never happened… maybe one day I can do the same for my daughter? 🙂 your party looked amazing!!!
Karina says
My favorite carnival snack is funnel cake.
Brooke Doroha says
hi love the Carnival theme so sweet…. My favorite Carnival memory hands down is Kettle Corn hot and fresh mmmmm mmmmmm good…..
Thanks for the awesome giveaway….. 🙂
Melissa says
My favorite carnival snack is cotton candy! Mmmmm. Melt in your mouth goodness.
Kim T says
My favorite carnival treat is without a doubt the cotton candy. It is a must every time!
Jenne says
Twittered the contest too!
Jenne says
My favorite carnival treat is funnel cake. Anytime the carnies come to town I am right there for funnel cake. I also always loved going just to play the darts with balloons and shooting water into the clowns mouth to pop the balloon.
Amanda says
Funnel Cakes ! Yum.
valerie says
Definitely elephant ears!
Kristen M. says
I love caramel apples and elephant ears. Mmm.
Katy says
My favorite carnival treat is Kettle Corn and a Soft Pretzel!! YUM!
Jenna says
My favorite treat use to always be the cotton candy! I don’t think I could stomach it now… those were the days 🙂 I would love to win a popcorn machine, we’re throwing a circus party for halloween!
Abby H says
the big brick of fries!
Liz N says
I am now following on Twitter!
Liz N says
I Pin’d on Pinterest!
Liz N says
Tweeted @mrschef05!
Liz N says
My favorite memory is cotton candy (yum!) and the smells of the animals (not my favorite part)!
Andrea D. says
I love corn dogs or funnel cakes/elephant ears because you can’t make it the same way at home.
Christie says
I tweeted! 🙂
Christie says
Mini donuts!
Cindy B. says
I follow goodlifeeats on Twitter and tweeted
about this giveaway.
Eli says
Definitely the corn dogs, with lots of mustard
Cindy B. says
My favorite carnival treat is cotton candy!
Kari says
I loved snow cones.
Vaishali Sharda says
Shaved ice!
Kristen says
Looks like such a fun time! I have to admit… I love cotton candy!
Amanda Thompson says
Hand-dipped corn dogs, cotton candy, and kettle corn!!
Melissa says
I don’t do well on rides. I remember once going on a ride three times to try to overcome my fears, didn’t work. My husband got me to go on a ride once and he regretted it because I screamed all the way through it, it was the pirate ship, I guess it’s a baby ride but it scared me.
I still go to places with rides for my family. I just sit and wait for them to finish their ride and walk to the next one. I love to see them happy.
Jacqui says
My favorite carnival treat was always cotton candy! And as I got older I always had to get either funnel cake or fried oreos 🙂
Mary K. says
What an adorable party! I love the color scheme you chose. Adorable!! My favorite carnival treat is definitely the COTTON CANDY!! Love that stuff.
Michelle Torres says
My favorite carnival memory was when me and my sister’s would eat the candied apples together! We always went crazy excited for those things and there was no way a carnival would have felt complete without eating those sticky delights!
Lisa says
My favorite carnival memory is the carnival that came to our military base a few days before my husband deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. Our boys had such a great time riding kiddie rides with their daddy, and I savored our joyful time together! Thanks for the fun giveaway!
I absolutely loved your party ideas and photos! It’s something I could imagine featured in Martha Stewart’s Living or another magazine!
barbara n says
my favorite carnival treat was always cotton candy – what a sugar rush!
Amy Tong says
What a wonderful giveaway! My best carnival memory was with my best friend who visited from Canada. We had an amazing time and enjoyed the carnival so much especially the cherros. Now whenever I came across cherros or something cinnamon-y, I thought of my best friend and the great time we had together. 🙂
amy [at] utry [dot] it
Jamie says
I retweeted
JamieG63 Jamie Gibbs
RT “I entered to win a West Bend Stir Crazy Theater Popcorn Popper from @goodlifeeats su.pr/2RYECb #giveaway”
Jamie says
I now follow @goodlifeeats on Twitter
Jamie says
So many memories so much fun. My favorite carnival memory is from growing up in New Orleans. Catholic school fairs are a big thing in New Orleans. They are usually 2 to 2 1/2 day events and the kids from the school perform through out the fair. One year, I was probably in 6th grade me my sister and 2 friends choreographed a dance to the song Rockin Robin. We work the same shorts and tank tops that we put a record decal on. We then did the dance at the fair. 🙂
Jamie says
My favorite carnival memory is from growing up in New Orleans. Catholic school fairs are a big thing in New Orleans. They are usually 2 to 2 1/2 day events and the kids from the school perform through out the fair. One year, I was probably in 6th grade me my sister and 2 friends choreographed a dance to the song Rockin Robin. We work the same shorts and tank tops that we put a record decal on. We then did the dance at the fair. 🙂
Megan says
When I was really little, I rode an elephant my dad trained in the circus when he was young – crazy. Treatwise? Carmel corn and funnel cake!!
I totally want to do a carnival party for my daughter’s next birthday! What a fun theme.
Kari says
I love love love the party and everything about it! I am helping my sister plan my niece’s carnival birthday party next month!!
My favorite thing about carnivals was the funnel cakes! And all the fun rides!
Lynette says
I tweeted about this give-away! Thanks so much for the give-away!
Lynette says
Favorite Carnival Treat is Funnel Cake! Yum, Yum, yum! Thanks so much for the give-away! Spectacular Party!
Theresa Sea says
My favorite carnival food is funnel cake, but with only powdered sugar. I like it simple. 🙂
Saleta says
Funnel cakes and candy apples. Yum!
Steph says
Love funnel cakes!
Mariee says
Follow on twitter and tweeted: https://twitter.com/marieimy/status/116676220288122881
Mariee says
My favorite is funnel cakes!
Katie says
I follow on Twitter and tweeted about the giveaway.
Katie says
I am all about the funnel cakes.
beverly says
my favorite memory is our local Interstate Fair when I was a kid. Seeing all the lights and neon of the carnival…and the smell of the food vendors…grease and sugar….cotton candy and carmel apples 🙂 yum!!
beverly says
I linked u on my pintrest! thank you for the great opportunity to win 🙂
Bonnie Tanner says
We didn’t get to eat a lot of the carnival food, so I’m just remembering the cotton candy and probably an apple fritter. I loved the pig races! Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Emily says
My favorite part of carnivals were always the petting zoos!
Bonnie Jones says
I tweeted this giveaway on Twitter 🙂
http://twitter.com/#!/bonniejonestn
Bonnie Jones says
I added this post to Pinterest
http://pinterest.com/bonniejintn/pins/
Aimee Porter says
I follow goodlifeeats on Twitter and tweeted about the giveaway:)
Bonnie Jones says
Favorite carnival memory….riding the carousel, eating cotton candy and popcorn!!
Aimee Porter says
I pinned this post on Pinterest:)
Aimee Porter says
My favorite carnival memory was getting to ride an elephant as a little girl:)
Robyn | Add a Pinch says
Such a precious party. We had a carnival party for my son’s 2nd birthday and everyone’s favorite were the ponies!
Jennifer Monroe says
Some of the best memories I have were going to the local fair with my family. It was always just after school started and cooler weather was setting in. My favorite memory was a roller coaster for kids, it scared me to death but I would ride it over and over again. Then we were always treated to the huge corn dogs.. Great memories!
Meghan says
Funnel cakes were always a delicious part of carnivals!
Kathi says
We just had our company picnic and it was a carnival theme – I was on the committee and it went over so well. We had so much fun and I had the best time playing carnie all day.
Amber says
I pinned this post in pinterest! (Great alliterative comment!)
brenda says
I love the popcorn! bydubois10@yahoo.com
Amber says
My favorite memory of a carnival is seeing my kids just light up at the prospect of getting to ride everything! That my two littles (3 & 5) rode everything they were big enough for, and then some, was the icing on the cake! As far as treats go, it’s caramel apples hands down!
Corissa Davidson says
Cinnamon Rolls, so gooey I still look forward to them.
sue lehman says
oh my favorite has to be the caramel apples and the games for sure !!
ChristaLaree says
Popcorn!!
Nicole M says
The Cotton Candy!!!! Btw, Very cute party ideas!
Stephanie J says
I loved the cotton candy and the carousel!
Mary P says
Deep Fried Snickers!
Devon says
I distinctly remember riding a camel at a carnival when I was a little kid. My parents don’t remember it and I don’t know where it was, but if it was a dream it was a very vivid one! That’s my favorite carnival “memory,” half baked as it may be.
Cinclo says
I remember when the state fair served fresh corn on the cob (on a stick). It was kept warm in a giant vat of butter!
Cinclo says
and remember those giant pickles they kept in huge glass jars? They put them on a stick and we walked around eating a giant dill pickle. (why in the world would we think that was fun? LOL)
Liz Lewis says
Elephant Ears!
Cinclo says
Favorite carnival food: gotta love those Funnel Cakes!
andria says
Cotton candy, for sure!
Margie says
cotton candy!
Lissa says
Definitely Elephant ears!
Amy says
Funnel cake! Yum!
Kelly says
Popcorn is definitely my favorite treat!
Heather Spooner says
My favorite carnival foods are corndogs and cotton candy. Thanks for the giveaway!
Whitney says
Funnel cake!
Liz says
Funnel cake, for sure!
KaTena says
Oh goodness….loved riding the elephants and eating cotton candy!!!!!
Jennifer says
My favorite carnival treat are funnel cakes and cotton candy. Love the idea and the invites are so cute!
Katherine Griffin says
I love corn dogs! They taste better at the Texas State Fair than anywhere else on earth!
Roberta Graham says
I forgot to mention that my favorite treat at a carnival when I was a kid was cotton candy, but now I don’t like it.
Roberta Graham says
I am having a carnival themed party for my daughter on October 1st! I wish I could get the popcorn popper by then!
spice says
Cotton Candy & Fairies Wheel
Courtney says
I pinned this in pinterest!
Courtney says
Funnel Cake is my absolute favorite carnival treat. The carnival themed party is a great idea!
Allison C says
So cute! I wish my birthday parties were as cool as that! I always loved getting rainbow slushies and fried cheese curds (I grew up in MN) at carnivals.
Tamara says
What an adorable party! My favorite carnival food is anything with ice cream.
Deborah says
What an incredibly adorable party! And the pony looks like it was such a fun surprise!!
meredith dean says
my favorite carnival memory is watching the local bands play and eating elephant ears!
aliza says
LOVE cotton candy! and very cute party.
Deb M says
Love the carnival food!!! It was fun to eat all the foods you normally couldn’t have! Yum
Natalie @ Cooking for My Kids says
You are so creative. What great ideas for a special birthday party!
I loved the carnival food – all of it. 🙂
Ashlee says
My favorite carnival treat would definitely be cotton candy! I have a giant sweet tooth, this is my all time favorite treat!
Pili says
Oh my, those are such great ideas! And I really need to try the cupcake recipe for sure!
The invites are also very cute, thanks for sharing.