Creative DIY Carnival Games for Backyard Parties 

TL, DR

This article features creative DIY carnival games to level up your backyard parties.

Ball Toss Booth is an amusing game and is an essential part of carnivals. Without much hassle, you can take some objects from around your house as your own set of mock obstacles, and then you can arrange them in rows of different distances.

Finally, every obstacle may be assigned different point values, with the hardest container to reach getting the most points.

Another carnival game you can go for is the ring toss. You can use soda bottles and make rings from ropes or embroidery hoops. The game here is to throw the ring around the necks of the bottles to get points or even some bonus prices.

You can easily replicate the duck pond game right in your backyard with a bucket of water, a few plastic ducks, and a kiddie pool. Write the given number or point/privilege value at the bottom of each duck with its label on it. Each participant selects a duck to know what they have been awarded.

For the Can Knockdown game, all you need are six to ten cans in a pyramid-like structure. Give the players three attempts to knock down the cans using a ball. They get a prize if they can knock all the cans down.

Plinko board is a game that involves luck and is very simple to make. If you want to build your own Plinko game, you’ll need a flat board, plywood or cardboard, and small wooden pegs or nails. Originally, the board was inclined, and players slid a little ball or disk from the top. The disk goes through the pegs and jumps randomly into one of the holes at the end, dividing the latter into point categories.

You only need a pool for the fishing game.  Fill it up with water and ethereal fish, for example, from foam or plastic. The game is to let the players catch the fish by moving the magnetic pole to the fish’s magnetic pole. A homemade prize wheel can be a perfect focal point in any carnival party event since it gets everyone excited and energetic about the prizes.

With all old games, bring a new twist to the traditional tic-tac-toe game by making a giant tic-tac-toe board on the ground with the help of tape chalk or cardboard. It is as simple as it sounds as the regular tic-tac-toe, where the aim is to align the bean bags in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal manner.

Make your mini-golf course by making hurdles out of empty boxes, books, and pipes, among other items from your house. It is very flexible, and you can make as many turns as possible. Finally, for the last game, Balloon darts are carnival games that anyone can easily set up and play in the comforts of their homes.

Creative DIY Carnival Games for Backyard Parties

It is a great idea to have carnival-themed backyard parties that can help children and adults enjoy their weekend. However, it can be a costly mission if we talk about the rental of carnival equipment or direct purchase of ready-made games; there are numerous low-cost DIY alternatives that you can opt for to ensure a fun and lively carnival theme for any celebration.

This means that even with just cardboard, paint, and other items you find around your house, you can create interesting games that can be played at the backyard carnival. This article is your list of creative DIY carnival games to elevate your backyard party.

1. Ball Toss Booth

Ball Toss Booth is a fun yet simple game and is an essential part of carnivals as they are easy to set up. Without much hassle, you can take some objects from around your house as your own set of mock obstacles, and then you can arrange them in rows of different distances. Every obstacle may be assigned different point values, with the hardest container to reach getting the most points.

You can make this game even more exciting by decorating the obstacles in bright carnival colors or intricate patterns and using small sponge balls, ping-pong balls, or bean bags. You can even add a little fun challenge by adding a touch of theme. For instance, you can have the ‘Milk Bottle Toss,’ whereby participants try to knock down bottles stacked on each other, which can be made of recycled plastic.

2. Ring Toss

Another familiar carnival game you can go for is the ring toss. You can save money using soda bottles and making rings from ropes or embroidery hoops. The game here is to throw the ring around the necks of the bottles to get points or even some bonus prizes. You can increase the difficulty level by taking the bottles farther or decreasing the ring’s size.

Ensure they do not topple over to enhance the appearance and make it more challenging. You can make it look fun by painting the bottles brightly and filling them with colored sand or liquid.

3. Duck Pond Game

Everyone must have played the Duck Pond game once in their lifetime. It is extremely easy to set up but extremely entertaining and interesting to play. You can easily replicate this game right in your backyard with a bucket of water, a few plastic ducks, and a kiddie pool.

Write the given number or point/privilege value at the bottom of each duck with its label on it. Each participant selects a duck to know what they have been awarded.

This game is interesting for young kids as it is simple to play and very flexible regarding the sort of rewards that can be offered.

4. Can Knockdown

One of the favorite carnival games you can easily assemble is the Can Knockdown. All you need is a set of six to ten cans in a pyramid-like structure. Give the players three attempts to knock down the cans using a ball. They get a prize if they can knock all the cans down.

You can make this more fun using cans of different colors and sizes. If you wish to make the game look more professional, paint the cans to resemble carnival figures or characters.

5. Plinko Board

Plinko board is a game that involves luck and is very simple to make. If you want to build your own Plinko game, you’ll need a flat board, plywood or cardboard, and small wooden pegs or nails. Originally, the board was inclined, and players slid a little ball or disk from the top.

The disk goes through the pegs and jumps randomly into one of the holes at the end, dividing the latter into point categories.

To make this game more interesting, you can paint the board with the typical carnival accents or even choose some Carnival patterns; you can also add prizes corresponding to the particular slots.

6. Fishing Game

If you are not afraid of the water mess even after the duck pond game, you are also good to go with the fishing game. You only need a pool; you can use the one used for the duck game. Fill it up with water and ethereal fish, for example, from foam or plastic.

Install small magnets for every fish and make a fishing line using a small wooden stick or a dowel with a magnet at the end. The game is to let the players catch the fish by moving the magnetic pole to the fish’s magnetic pole.

Mark each fish in different numbers to entertain certain prizes. It’s another suitable game for young kids but prepare for the mess beforehand.

7. Prize Wheel

A homemade prize wheel can be a perfect focal point in any carnival party event since it gets everyone excited and energetic about the prizes. To make a DIY prize wheel yourself, all you need is a cardboard circle or a plywood disc as the foundation piece.

Split the circle into a few segments and write a prize or the number of points on each segment. Place the wheel on a stand and introduce a pointer to determine the award.

You can paint different segments on the wheel according to party requirements, and depending on the number of guests, you can easily add other prizes.

8. Bean Bag Tic-Tac-Toe

With all old games, bring a new twist to the traditional tic-tac-toe game by making a giant tic-tac-toe board on the ground with the help of tape chalk or cardboard.

The rest is to do with the players; they should make small bean bags which they have to throw into the created grid, or you can buy them from the market. It is as simple as it sounds as the regular tic-tac-toe, where the aim is to align the bean bags in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal manner.

It is possible to match the bean bags’ colors to each player and even make the game grid a different size for varying levels of difficulty.

9. Balloon Darts

Balloon darts are carnival games that anyone can easily set up and play in the comforts of their homes. You can also do it by blowing up balloons in many colors and fastening them to a big board or plywood wall. The player must stand at a specific distance and then toss darts, and the objective is to burst as many balloons as possible.

For safety measures, ensure that soft tippers or foam darts are used if you have children at the party. As an added bonus, you can also put petty papers with the respective prize numbers and balloons.

10. Mini Golf Course

Make your mini-golf course by making hurdles out of empty boxes, books, and pipes, among other items from your house. It is very flexible, and you can make as many turns as possible. You can make the course as long or short as you like and use small plastic balls and toy golf clubs. This DIY game will let all your friends show their sporty selves in the carnival atmosphere; all the guests can play this.