25 Carnival Party Food Ideas + Games, Decor & More

Setting up a carnival for kids can be a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun for everyone involved. If you’re not sure where to begin, here are our favorite carnival party food ideas sure to make this celebration one to remember.

Keep in mind that half of setting up is choosing the right decor. You can use colorful carnival-inspired tablecloths and embellishments to transform your backyard into a child’s paradise. There’s no need to get overly fancy, unless you want to of course! Choosing simple set ups and easy made food will keep the good times rolling.

Carnival party food for kids

When it comes to parties for kids, simple is perfect. Keep the servings small and stick to things they like to minimize waste. You can label foods with fun new names to add intrigue and stick to the carnival theme. 

1. Corn dogs

Use frozen corn dogs and bake them in the oven for no-mess party food. Serve ketchup and mustard in easy-to-use squeeze bottles.

2. Popcorn

Serve popcorn in small boxes, striped paper bags, or fresh from a mini popcorn machine.

3. Soft pretzels

A carnival staple, pretzels are easy to make and loved by everyone. Set up a variety of dipping sauces like melty cheese, brown sugar, or cinnamon butter. Alternatively, you can also use pretzel bites!

4. Veggies arrangements

Place broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers to resemble a clown face, elephant, flowers, or any design you can think of! Have a few kid-friendly dips like ranch dip and French onion. 

5. Caramel apples

Sweet and crunchy, caramel apples are a carnival favorite and are great because they can be made or bought well in advance of your party. Alternatively, you can serve sliced apples covered with caramel dip and topped with chopped pecans, sprinkles, or even chocolate drizzle.

6. Walking tacos

Whoever thought to put taco fillings into individual serving-size bags of chips was a genius. To serve, let kids fill their chip bags with taco meat, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and other taco toppings. 

7. Chicken nuggets

You can never go wrong with serving chicken nuggets. Don’t forget there are tasty vegetarian-friendly options for kids who don’t eat meat. 

8. Chocolate dipped marshmallows

To make these sweet snacks, insert a pretzel stick in large marshmallows like a popsicle and dip in it into melted chocolate. Place the marshmallows on wax paper and top with sprinkles, edible glitter, or chopped candies. Let them dry for four hours before serving.

9. Fresh fruit cups

Add some healthy options for sweets with apple slices, grapes, and strawberries served in ready-to-eat cute cups. Use whatever fruits are in season, or choose colors that coordinate with your party theme. 

10. Tater tots

Always a crowd favorite and super simple to make, either deep fry or bake frozen tots and serve on a platter.

11. Kettle corn

Serve in a bowl on the snack table or in small bags the kids can carry around to activities.

12. Deep fried Oreos

If you’re looking for an American carnival classic, deep fried Oreos are the way to go. Make a spectacle of frying them in front of the kids and serve them fresh. Remember to let them cool before taking a bite!

13. Fried chicken and waffle bites

Take your frozen nuggets a step further and pin them to quartered waffles with toothpicks. These bite-sized chicken and waffle appetizers are even more fun if you use dino nuggets.

Carnival party food games

It’s not a carnival without games! Try a few of these carnival party games even the adults are sure to love. Better yet, combine these ideas with food for tasty entertainment.

14. Pick-a-lollipop

All you need is one lollipop per participant and a blue marker to dot the bottom of one lollipop’s stick. Put them in a vase or stick them through holes in a piece of cardboard. Make sure no one knows which candy has the dot. Then each child picks a lollipop, and the one with the blue dot is the winner. 

15. Fortune cookies

You can use ready-made fortune cookies or make your own by attaching printed “fortunes” to prepackaged cookies. You can make this interactive for even more fun, with kids creating the fortunes and later randomly choosing one from the basket and sharing their fortunes with their friends. 

16. Ring around the pop bottle

All you need are a few bottles of soda and some plastic rings to play this classic kids’ party game. Arrange the bottles of soda with some closer and some further away from the tossing line. 

17. Candy guessing jar

Kids of all ages love guessing games. Fill a see-through container with candy and let guests estimate how many pieces are inside. 

18. Chocolate medals

For a fun prize for the winners of party games, use candy bars and string to make edible medals. To make these, punch a hole in the packaging and run a piece of string through the hole, then tie it securely. 

19. Donut on a string

This is a fun party game that’s best done outdoors. Run a string between two trees or poles, as you would a clothesline. For each participant, take a shorter length of string and tie a donut to one end. Then, spacing them evenly, tie the other end to the main string. Without using their hands (tell them to place them in their pockets or hold them behind their backs), kids should attempt to eat the whole donut without falling. 

20. Cakewalk

Bring back the nostalgia with an old-fashioned cakewalk. Instead of using cakes, you could use bakery cupcakes or cookies for the lucky winners. 

Carnival party drinks

What’s a party without beverages? Try one, or all, of these kid-friendly drinks at your carnival. 

21. Soda

Keep it simple and classic. Glass bottles, cans, or liters are easy to serve and dress up, especially if you have fun drinkware straws from which to sip. 

22. Lemonade

The quintessential carnival beverage, lemonade is versatile, delicious, and pair well with any food. Go the old-fashioned route with lemons, sugar, and water or choose a powdered lemonade drink mix if you need something quick. Even better, add muddled raspberry or pomegranate juice to add a tasty twist.

23. Rainbow sherbert punch

Bright colors are perfect for carnival parties. The sherbert’s fruity flavor and the lemon-lime soda‘s fizz with create an unforgettable experience. Be prepared to make a couple extra batches so there’s enough to go around!

24. Rootbeer floats

This classic beverage can double down as dessert and couldn’t be easier to make. All you need is vanilla ice cream, root beer, cups and spoons. 

25. Water

Stay hydrated out there!

Get into the celebration

Add to the carnival theme by handing out tickets for raffle prizes and goodie bags. Have a variety of games to keep with the theme with the teens and up running them. Wear silly outfits, accessories, and half-aprons to pass out the tickets and hand out goodies.

Feed your inner child and lean into the fun. Make this a memory for all involved and remember to take a photos, this will be one for the books.

Bring the carnival home to you

Planning a carnival party can have a lot of components. With Instacart, you can cross “buy food” off your list from the comfort of your home or venue. Just add everything you need to your cart, place your order, and choose in-store pick-up or delivery at checkout. Spend less time stressing and more time making memories.

Instacart

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