Have a Circus Party ! Clown around at the Greatest Show on Earth!
Circus Party Invitation Wording
With lions and bears
Clowns in funny pants
Peanuts, popcorn
And elephants
The circus is coming
To our town!
Join the fun and
Come on down!
Location: ________Family Fair
RSVP to the Ringleader
Circus Costumes
- Have the children come to the party in their clown clothes:
- Oversized clothes, suspenders, crazy socks , tutus, long red underwear ,big shoes, bowties, polka dots, bright colours… have them use their imagination …
- Make clown collars (Fabric or Paper)
- Make simple Bowties
- Simple Cone Hats (decorated with pompoms, glitter, stickers, paper cutouts).
- A face-painting station will really add a lot of fun to your party for very little cost.
- Foodtrays can be made by covering large box lids with attractive fabric/paper. Add holes to the sides of the tray and tie a rope to the sides of the tray and have a volunteer serve the children peanuts, popcorn, pretzels and crackerjacks from the tray.
- Use traditional paper tickets as “currency” at the party.
Circus Decorations
- For cheap circus flare get yourself some red, yellow and blue plastic tablecloths. Cut some into long thin triangle shapes and staple to some string and make bunting to hang around your party place
- The same tablecloths can be cut into wide strips and then swagged around the walls
- Any bright fabric/drapes can be used to create a tent-like atmosphere (drape the fabric over a hanging hula hoop for a nice circular draping fabric).
- Trapezes can be made out of paper towel tubes suspended from the ceiling (you can have the birthday child’s favourite stuffed toys hanging from the trapezes).
- You can make an arcade for all your circus/carnival games. “Booths” can be made of appliance boxes, summer-time tents, cardboard duct-taped together, or PVC pipes attached with fabric placed over them.
- You can also mark the different arcade game areas with signs or even streamers.
- You can hang up posters you’ve made on ticket board.
- Large polka dots cut from bright paper can look really fun stuck on the wall.
- Make an Obstacle Course (the funnier looking the better).
Circus Activities
- Have a Barker at the door telling everyone about the Carnival attractions.
- If you have some fun parents as helpers you can have them dress up in side-show type outfits: like the ringmaster (in top hat and Tux), strongman (with his fake styrofoam barbell) and the bearded lady and clowns in funny outfits with squirt rings and over-sized glasses.
- Make sure you have the calliope music going in the background.
Arcade games
Shooting Games:
- Use darts/ rubberband shooters/bouncy balls
Target Games:
- A pyramid of decorated tin cans
- “Ring the coke bottle game”
- Throwing things through the “circle of fire” (decorated hula hoop)
Balance Games:
- Pick up sticks
- Barrel of Monkeys Game (remember those)
- Diablo
- Juggling Practice
- Kerplunk
- Hula Hoop contests
- Juggling Contest
- Spin a plate on a stick contest
- Relay while balancing an item on your head
Have a Parade
Luck Games
- Pick a Lucky Lollipop Game (stuck in foam – the bottom of the lucky lolly is coloured a special colour)
- Bubble Blowing
- Shaving Balloons (Cover with Shaving Foam and then shave very carefully …or else..pop!)
- Cake Walk
- If you have a very brave volunteer …. the old “pie in the face” target practice game (use a bit of shaving cream in a foil pie plate)
Circus Party Food
- Popcorn (in red and white paperbags),
- Candy sticks, Cotton candy, Crackerjack, Pretzels, Peanuts, Hotdogs, Snow Cones …
- Wilton Cake Decorating sells a set of clown decorations perfect for a circus cake.