Is your little one a fan of circuses and carnivals? Then throw your child an entertaining birthday bash worthy of the Big Top with our Circus Party Ideas! We offer suggestions for everything from circus invitations to carnival party games. So read on and let the show begin!

Circus Party Planning & Invitations

In addition to basic circus party supplies, like plates, cups, napkins and decorations, you may want to consider purchasing, borrowing or renting the following items for your Circus party:

• Clown costumes
• A popcorn machine
• A bubble Machine
• Snow cone or cotton candy makers
• Prizes for the party games
• Disposable cameras

• Design each invitation to resemble a circus ticket.

• Make clown faces out of paper bags and write the invitation information on the back. Add a few pieces of candy to the envelope before sending.

• Attach a card-style invitation to a bag of circus peanuts or a box of animal crackers and hand-deliver them to your guests.

• Attach a card-style invitation to a big red nose and ask your guests to wear the nose to the party.

• Send each invitation inside a flattened popcorn bag.

If you would rather not make your own invitations, but would still like a personalized touch, consider our personalized invitations! We'll include your child's name and all the party details on a background that complements your circus theme.

Circus Party Decorating & Food Ideas

• Circus Tent: Use brightly-colored streamers to form a canopy over the center of the table, simulating a circus tent. The streamers should cascade from a point in the middle, down and out to the sides of the room.
  

• Trapezes: Create flying trapezes by stringing rope though empty paper towel tubes and hanging them throughout the party space. Then, set one of your own stuffed animals on each trapeze.

• Strongman's Barbell: Make a fake barbell by gluing a plastic ball to each end of a wooden dowel. Spray paint the whole thing black, and add the words "500 lbs." to each end with a white paint.

• Circus Posters: Make easy circus posters using pages from any circus coloring book. Just enlarge the pages at an office supply store, and then color them yourself with craft paint or watercolor crayons, which cover large areas easily. Or, create circus signs with craft paint and poster board.
  

• Ticket Booth: Set up a ticket booth at the front door or at the entrance to the party area. Have an adult wearing a top hat or clown outfit manage the ticket booth. He or she can distribute tickets, which your guests can exchange for candy or prizes.

• Clowning Around: Ask an older child or adult to dress as a clown and make balloon animals for the children.
  

When it comes to food, partygoers are usually perfectly content to eat pizza or hotdogs, which is certainly much easier on the hosts! However, if you have the time and would like to serve up some more interesting treats, consider these ideas:

• Traditional Circus Fare: Offer food the kids might find at the circus, such as corn dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, cracker jacks, pretzels, peanuts in the shell, lemonade, and cola or root beer floats.

• Clown Ice Cream: Make clown heads using scoops of bright orange or raspberry sherbet topped with sugar cone "hats" surrounded by rings of icing "ruffles." Make faces using round, red candy for the noses (try gumballs), M&Ms for the eyes, and red licorice strings for the mouths.
  

• Concession Stand : Make a poster for the food area that says "Concession Stand", and include pictures of the snacks you'll be serving.
  

• Fresh Popcorn: Consider renting a commercial popcorn machine to give your circus an authentic feel. Everyone loves freshly-popped popcorn! For added fun, serve the popcorn in red- and white-striped popcorn bags.

• Sweet Circus Treats: Make sweet circus treats for your guests using a borrowed, rented or purchased snow cone maker or cotton candy machine.

• Animal Crackers: Serve animal crackers right out of the box!

Circus Party Favors

Thank your guests for attending your child's Circus Party by giving them fun party favors like

• Silly straws
  
• Animal crackers
• Animal stickers and temporary tattoos
• A bag of cotton candy or popcorn
• Bubbles