Carnival themed party

Five *cough* years *cough* ago, we celebrated my grandmother's 80th birthday with a carnival/circus themed party. Apparently, this blog post has been sitting in my drafts ever since, so now it's time for it to see the light of day!

Craft E Magee teamed up with family to celebrate a fantastic lady's birthday: Grandma Janet! What carnival/circus themed party would be complete without games, a clown, and fun treats? Scroll down to see all of the fun things that made this party a spectacular extravaganza!

J and I handmade illustrated posters for each of the sections of the space where we hosted the party. 

I also got some clear plastic gallon "paint" buckets to make inexpensive centerpieces. Simply add some red and white striped scrapbook paper (for about 25 cents) around the inside, securing with tape, and you've got the perfect circus centerpiece. Top it with a plastic tiger or elephant and you're all set!

A photo booth is a must for any extravaganza, so family members helped gather props to use against a red and white striped piece of fabric that served as our backdrop. 

Mr. J and I went with black and white and red all over for our photo!

We even had a friendly clown at the party which was a hit with the kiddos.

Simple games like ring toss, tic-tac-tow, and bowling were easy for the kids to play without parental guidance.

Party treats included animal crackers, peppermints, Pixy Stix, gumballs, Cracker Jack, Circus Peanuts (marshmallows), ring pops, and more. You will notice we utilized some old trunks for some of the props and treats at the party. It's a fun way to carry the theme even further.

If you have a Jack-in-the-box on hand, it would make a great centerpiece as well!

Or simply fill some popcorn boxes and let people grab and go!

We were lucky to borrow a popcorn machine, which added to the festivities.

A simple, but special way to decorate the cupcake stand is to use paper raffle tickets around each tier. Affix tickets with tape so you can re-use your cupcake stand with other themes.

Along with desserts, and carnival foods, we had some healthier fare options too, including fruits, veggies, and salad.

It really was a fun party full of our large family and even some of Grandma's friends. Thanks to my family for helping to pull off this wonderful 80th birthday extravaganza for this fabulous woman!

Have you ever thought about doing a circus theme or carnival theme party? I'd love to hear about it or see links in your comments. Party on!