Vintage Circus Party

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Come one, come all to the greatest show on earth! From the Heart Events created this kids birthday celebration and it’s full of great inspiration for decor, games, food, and fun!

This party has a vintage feel with an awning backdrop, old-fashioned font, and classic carnival games. If you have a little one with a birthday coming up, you’ll find inspiration in the details and photos below.

Decor To Set The Scene

Decorate a rental space, a Community Center, or your own back yard with intentional choices and designs. Here, the vision is traditional but not over the top with red, turquoise, burlap and wood tones to keep the old world feel.  

Hang a red and white stripe awning over the candy table, a handmade fabric bunting, and balloon towers to give the party a focal point that’s undeniably fun! 

Stock old fashioned candy jars with salt water taffy, lollipops, gumballs, marshmallow Circus Peanuts, Pixie Sticks, candy necklaces, rock candy sticks, and small toys. Be mindful of choking hazards for small children!

I suggest boxes of Cracker Jacks too, as they’re an icon of vintage treats.

Activities

Create custom carnival games and a photo backdrop with festive circus props, and let guests enjoy at their leisure. Some will require hiring professional help.

• Hire a balloon artist to make balloon animals.
• Hire a caricature artist or someone to do face painting.
• Hire a clown if you like, however they are somewhat controversial as to whether they’re creepy or cool.
• Set up a photo booth using a DIY pipe and drape to hang a backdrop. Place a bail of hay to sit on, along with props like “heavy” weights, carnival mustaches, clown hair and noses, and silly hats.
• Hang a pinata. If you have various age groups you can hang a few and let different groups participate, with each pinata filled with items more suitable to the ages.

Games

Open the carnival games either before or after lunch so the schedule is focused.

Set up a “general store” where the kids can shop after earning tickets from playing the carnival games. This is what the candy bar at the top is set up for. Provide bags or boxes for kids to fill.

In addition to candy you can provide yo-yos, whistles, wooly willy games, pocket mazes, and more.

Here are some great games to include:

• Bean Bag Toss. Earn 2 tickets for each hole the bag goes into.
• Ring Toss. Set up empty soda bottles in vintage crates for stability. Toss small rings to try and land the them around the neck of the bottle. Earn 3 tickets for each bottle you land.
• Knock-Em-Down. Spray paint empty bottles and stack them one on top of two. Have small balls to throw to try and knock them down. Earn 2 tickets for a knock-down.
• Horseshoe Toss. Use soft (child-friendly) horseshoes to try and land it around a thin pole. Earn 3 tickets for each horseshoe landed.
• Duck pond fishing. Fill a large galvanized tub with water and float magnetic rubber duckies inside. Fish for the ducks using coordinating magnetized fishing poles. Earn 1 ticket for each duck “caught.”
• Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Earn 1 ticket for far away, 2 tickets for intermediate distance, 3 tickets for close, and 4 tickets for the target.

Food

Serve old fashioned offerings like hot dogs and corn dogs, a popcorn machine, peanuts in the shell, sodas, and of course, cotton candy.

For added fun set up a DIY birthday ice cream soda bar with old fashioned soda bottles and flavors.

Top it all off with a custom decorated birthday cake from a local artisan.

Party Favors

Party favors are simple; kids get to go home with small toys or candies they gather at the party. However, you may want to include one more themed item – a classic box of animal crackers. They’re already packaged in cute circus themed boxes so they’re the perfect choice.