Christmas Carnival Game Ideas

Christmas carnivals provide holiday party fun suitable for those of all ages. Since every good carnival has fun games, if you are helping to set up a Christmas carnival, a key element is activities that everyone can enjoy. These family games don't need to be complex as long as they embody the atmosphere of the holiday.

From silly games to those of chance, here are, dare we say "awesome"?, ideas for games to play at your Christmas carnival.

Snowblower is a silly Christmas carnival game anybody can play. While you generally play it with just four players at a time, if you want more people to play, simply set up multiple stations. The host tapes four plastic cups to the edge of a table and puts small prizes like Christmas candies in each cup. Players (one for each cup) take old toilet paper or paper towel tubes and try to blow ping pong balls ("snow") across the table into the cups. The first person to get a ball into the cup wins and gets to take a prize from the cup.

Most winter carnivals have some kind of spin-the-wheel board game. Christmas Wheel of Fortune is a holiday version of the original TV game. Only one person can play at a time, but gameplay is very quick. The host sets up a spinning wheel divided into sections. Each section is labeled with Christmas-related prizes such as a candy cane, small present or holiday hug. Players get to spin the wheel one time to get a prize.

The holiday party host may charge a small fee to play if the carnival is intended as a holiday fundraiser. To complicate things, add a "lump of coal" section to the wheel—if players land on this section, they don't get a prize. There really are no limitations on what holiday game prizes the host can include.

A great Christmas party idea, especially during a school holiday, is Santa Hat, which is a Christmas carnival game that any number of people can play. Plus, it's suitable for all ages.

The host provides Santa hats to all the guests. Alternately, the host can provide simple party hats with a snowman, or Christmas themes printed on them, since these are cheaper and easier to come by.

The host puts on one of the hats along with the guests. The idea in the original version of the game is for the host to remove their hat discretely during the evening and wait for the guests to follow suit—the guests are supposed to avoid being the last person wearing a hat.

For a Christmas carnival version, this process may be reversed, with the objective to be the first one to notice that the host has removed their hat. The first person to notice and come to the host gets a prize from under the Christmas tree, and then the host can start a new game.

Additionally, the host can create variations by taking off elf ears, a Grinch hat or a Christmas scarf. This means that the guests really don't need to wear the items, but the host may require it for gameplay to create a festive mood.

This year, add these fun Christmas party games to your carnival and make merry!