8 Steps to Throw the Best Backyard Party
As a parent, it’s your job to come up with a fun birthday party idea for your child every year—an idea that will help ensure the special day is exciting and memorable.
This year, you might have decided to create a backyard carnival bash for your young one and their little friends. To pull off this themed party, here’s what you’ll need to do. Your guests’ smiles and laughter will be worth all the planning and organizing.
1. Tents and Booths
The party simply won’t feel like a carnival if you don’t have a big food tent and some party rental game booths. This will give you the exact carnival atmosphere you’re going for. You can easily rent both tents and booths to make this part of the planning process easier.
Decorate the tent and booths with bright linens and festival lights—think circus stripes. There should be a separate booth for each game or activity you offer. Make sure to create big signs telling the kids what they’ll find at each booth.
2. Send out Special Invitations
It isn’t a carnival until your backyard is packed with kids, so make sure to get them excited to RSVP with special carnival-themed “admit one” party invitations. These invites will keep with the spirit of the party and ensure the kid are eager to come.
3. Incorporate Games
Of course, your carnival will require games. It can be tempting to get creative here, but it’s often best to choose tried-and-true carnival games people have come to expect. Plus, this makes it a lot easier to organize each booth. Some games and activities to consider include face painting, hole in one, skeeball, fishing in the pond, ring toss, and bean bag toss. You can rent the equipment for all these games at your local party store.
And don’t forget to create tickets to hand out to the guests, so they can play the games of their choice and win prizes at the end of the day.
4. Offer Carnival Food
No carnival experience would be complete without classic carnival food. Think hot dogs, cotton candy, snow cones, and popcorn. Fortunately, this part of the planning process is also as easy as pie—you can rent these machines for the day to lower your workload and make sure the party is a hit for your child’s birthday. Of course, you can also serve fruits and vegetables alongside these classics to balance out the menu.
5. Get a Photo Booth
Make sure to create lasting memories by renting a photo booth, so each guest can take silly photos and remember the fun they had on your child’s special day. Gather up any old costumes you can find in storage or head to the dollar store to find accessories such as sunglasses, boas, hats, and more.
6. Decorations
You want guests to immediately know they’re entering a carnival zone, so take the time to decorate your backyard using bright balloons, lights, ribbons, and signs. Sometimes, the success of a party is in the details. You can either purchase these decorations or create them yourself to add that special touch.
7. The Prizes
Of course, no carnival experience would be complete without prizes. You can find relatively inexpensive and fun toys to give away at each booth at the dollar store, such as glow sticks, bouncy balls, and action figures. Have a variety of choices based on how many tickets each prize is worth.
8. The Rides
If you want to go above and beyond, consider renting some bigger attractions such as a cart wheel or a merry go round. Of course, you’ll need to ensure you have the space for these rides in your backyard, but they’re a big hit with kids if you can swing it.