Small town festival

[SquirrellyMama]

I'm on the committee of our town festival. For the kids we have inflatables. It's always the same. What else can we do? It seems like every little town festival has the same stuff. Any ideas on something different?

 

Kelly

[Katy]

Check Pinterest.  I helped design a festival a few years back & found some good ideas there.

[SquirrellyMama]

Check Pinterest. I helped design a festival a few years back & found some good ideas there.

I've looked at Pinterest, but a lot of that doesn't work for this. I tried life size board games, big flop :(

 

Mostly, parents don't want to be bothered by their kids. Parents playing Bingo and drinking beer, kids semi-supervised by the inflatable staff.

 

I'm slightly disillusioned. What did you use from Pinterest? Maybe I'm picking the wrong stuff.

 

Kelly

[Katy]

Ummm, I searched for "Fall festival" and "pumpkin patch," things like that.

 

 

ETA: this was a (Protestant) church event, so even though some parents let kids run a bit wild, there were no beer tents to disappear into.

 

Renting carnival equipment (ferris wheel?) or getting a local stable to let you do pony rides might be options.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Katy

[AnnE-girl]

Our summer festival used to have a huge sandbox for the kids to play in. I think it was sponsored by one of the local construction companies. It's probably really only exciting for kids if you aren't close to a real beach though.

[Xahm]

Would it work to have competitions? Either silly or semi competitive? Three legged race, egg toss, egg on spoon race, and so on?

[Innisfree]

Our state fair used to have a big (BIG) box of dry corn, like a sandbox, with agricultural equipment-type toys. It must have been 10-15' square or so. Hay bales all around for parents to sit on. It was always a hit with younger kids.

 

A petting zoo.

 

The standard baby chicks hatching in an incubator and ducklings with the slide.

 

A straw bale maze.

 

Pony rides, or pony-cart rides.

 

And, you know, the old standbys are still new to the kids. ;-)

[Zoo Keeper]

I've looked at Pinterest, but a lot of that doesn't work for this. I tried life size board games, big flop :(

 

Mostly, parents don't want to be bothered by their kids. Parents playing Bingo and drinking beer, kids semi-supervised by the inflatable staff.

 

I'm slightly disillusioned. What did you use from Pinterest? Maybe I'm picking the wrong stuff.

 

Kelly

 

I having a lot of fun with visions of "inflatable staff".  Maybe I need a few inflatable people for my off days so I can just go play bingo and drink...more coffee. ;)

[Jane in NC]

How about a big bubble area with dishpans of soapy water.  The kids can make the wands from drinking straws and string.

 

http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/really-big-bubble-maker/

[alisoncooks]

Can the fire department bring out a truck and let kids climb on/sit in/try on a uniform?

 

Painting station?  Either a large mural (plywood whitewashed before hand) or we've done it with those tiny pumpkins.  Had a bunch of them and kiddos would come and sit and paint a tiny pumpkin.  Send it home in a take-out box, if you can get a bunch (donated?).

[TechWife]

Will the fire dept sponsor a splash zone? Ours does this at the end of the Independence Day parade. They basically donate the water in one water truck. If the weather is hot, it would be a lot of fun.

 

Depending on the time of year - watermelon or pumpkin or apple pie eating contest divided into ages. The watermelon eating contest could be followed immediately by a seed spitting contest.

 

Old fashioned games like a cake walk, fishing game, etc. might go over well too.

 

Recess games like red rover, kick ball, etc. (randomly assign teams or have it tournament style. This could involve both kids and adults.

Edited September 14, 2017 by TechWife

[TechWife]

Can the fire department bring out a truck and let kids climb on/sit in/try on a uniform?

 

Painting station? Either a large mural (plywood whitewashed before hand) or we've done it with those tiny pumpkins. Had a bunch of them and kiddos would come and sit and paint a tiny pumpkin. Send it home in a take-out box, if you can get a bunch (donated?).

You could involve the park and rec dept and have them hit paint dipped tennis balls against a piece of plywood or canvas drop cloth.

[MercyA]

Our small town festival always had a "penny scramble." Pennies and occasionally other coins are hidden in a kiddie pool or large shallow container full of corn or sawdust. Kids get a certain amount of time in which to dig and can keep what they find. Good fun!

 

You could set up tricycle or "Big Wheel" races or just an obstacle course for the kids to ride them through.

Edited September 14, 2017 by MercyA

[MercyA]

Old fashioned games like a cake walk, fishing game, etc. might go over well too.

 

I loved the fishing game! Our fall festival always had a cake walk, too.  :)

[Garga]

I having a lot of fun with visions of "inflatable staff". Maybe I need a few inflatable people for my off days so I can just go play bingo and drink...more coffee. ;)

This made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Garga

[happypamama]

Rock wall

[Miss Tick]

 

You could set up tricycle or "Big Wheel" races or just an obstacle course for the kids to ride them through.

This was what I was going to suggest with a course constructed out of hay bales.

 

What about a pet parade? There was a hilarious one in the book Owls in the Family. Probably no one in your town has a pet rattlesnake, though?

[Zoo Keeper]

This made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe.

 

Oh no! Save your breath for the inflatable staff!   :lol:

 

Or buy an air compressor. 

 

 

_{sorry for the thread derail…but I really did read it as inflatable staff… :leaving:} 

[matrips]

A friend of mine posted about one she went to: they had a 'Crafts with Grandpa' tent and each kid got one to make a toy with. Thy used real tools (saws, drills etc) and wood.

There was also a pottery making tent where kids got to try their hand at that.

And a spot where kids could try making marionette type dolls dance.

It looked like the most awesome festival!

[scrapbookbuzz]

Can you do Nerf gun battles? Inflatable sword fights? potato sack races? carnival games like: toss the ring on the milk bottle, etc?

[Rachel]

Human foosball? http://people.com/sports/human-foosball-table-see-the-game-thats-all-the-rage-in-brownton-minnesota/

 

Those giant inflatable balls you get inside?

 

Corn hole?

 

Giant water balloon fight?

 

I like the idea of the bubbles and nerf gun battles.

[Rachel]

The giant inflatable balls are a ton of fun but work best for elementary age kids and older.

 

Foosball may not work as well with kids. They do it st the summer camp my son attends, but I'm not sure if all ages play or just older kids.

[Donna]

Face painting

Some sort of craft

Games like throwing the bean bag into the holes 

 

[teachermom2834]

Depends on weather but the ones around here often have a dunk tank.

[Bambam]

Our local children's museum had a couple of different crafty tables set up for one event. The most popular by far? The one with misc supplies - paper, toilet paper rolls, glue, scissors, shoe boxes, etc. The kids had a ball constructing things from trash. Maybe something like that? 

[Rachel]

Our local children's museum had a couple of different crafty tables set up for one event. The most popular by far? The one with misc supplies - paper, toilet paper rolls, glue, scissors, shoe boxes, etc. The kids had a ball constructing things from trash. Maybe something like that?

My kids love stuff like this. Paint stirrers work well with this kind of thing too.

[Rosie_0801]

Ours gets a lady to come in and do a puppet show.

[school17777]

A big hit here for the kids is the pumpkin painting table.

[Remudamom]

Our little town has trike races, turtle races and stick horse races.

 

[wintermom]

Our local scout troop sets up a little low rope course and car racing track. It promotes their organization and activities, and it's really neat for kids and parents.

[SquirrellyMama]

Our summer festival used to have a huge sandbox for the kids to play in. I think it was sponsored by one of the local construction companies. It's probably really only exciting for kids if you aren't close to a real beach though.

 

We're in IA so we are pretty far from a beach. That might be an interesting option. 

 

Kelly

[SquirrellyMama]

I having a lot of fun with visions of "inflatable staff".  Maybe I need a few inflatable people for my off days so I can just go play bingo and drink...more coffee. ;)

 

Honestly, inflatable people would probably have been as helpful as some of the staff were  :laugh:

 

Kelly

[SquirrellyMama]

Would it work to have competitions? Either silly or semi competitive? Three legged race, egg toss, egg on spoon race, and so on?

 

Right now we have pie and wing eating contests. Not pie and wings together :) That would be an interesting contest. 

 

Remember Minute to Win it? I used some of those games for a birthday party and it worked well. 

 

I've thought about this one. We might need to add that in after the parade and eating contests.

 

Our state fair used to have a big (BIG) box of dry corn, like a sandbox, with agricultural equipment-type toys. It must have been 10-15' square or so. Hay bales all around for parents to sit on. It was always a hit with younger kids.

 

A petting zoo.

 

The standard baby chicks hatching in an incubator and ducklings with the slide.

 

A straw bale maze.

 

Pony rides, or pony-cart rides.

 

And, you know, the old standbys are still new to the kids. ;-)

 

We have a petting zoo and pony rides. A hale bale maze sounds interesting. I'll look into that.

 

How about a big bubble area with dishpans of soapy water.  The kids can make the wands from drinking straws and string.

 

http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/really-big-bubble-maker/

 

We had this activity this year. It was a hit!

 

Can the fire department bring out a truck and let kids climb on/sit in/try on a uniform?

 

Painting station?  Either a large mural (plywood whitewashed before hand) or we've done it with those tiny pumpkins.  Had a bunch of them and kiddos would come and sit and paint a tiny pumpkin.  Send it home in a take-out box, if you can get a bunch (donated?).

 

The police have something similar to this. The Fire Station has a silent auction and hog roast the same day so they are out on the kid fun.

 

Will the fire dept sponsor a splash zone? Ours does this at the end of the Independence Day parade. They basically donate the water in one water truck. If the weather is hot, it would be a lot of fun.

 

Depending on the time of year - watermelon or pumpkin or apple pie eating contest divided into ages. The watermelon eating contest could be followed immediately by a seed spitting contest.

 

Old fashioned games like a cake walk, fishing game, etc. might go over well too.

 

Recess games like red rover, kick ball, etc. (randomly assign teams or have it tournament style. This could involve both kids and adults.

 

We have a volleyball tournament and a bags tournament, but it might be fun to try something that the kids and adults can do together.

 

This was what I was going to suggest with a course constructed out of hay bales.

 

What about a pet parade? There was a hilarious one in the book Owls in the Family. Probably no one in your town has a pet rattlesnake, though?

 

A animal show would be fun and free.

 

Thanks all!

[Arctic Bunny]

Our town little town had a portable climbing wall come in, a miniature ferries wheel (like, four cars with two kids each), a magician show...

[SquirrellyMama]

So, I love all the craft and paint ideas. I've tried some of those already and it just didn't work  :glare:  I don't know what it is about our town. Not sure if the kids are just used to "not free" stuff. 

 

I have thought of having the town do a mural through out the weekend. I'm not sure where we'd put it overnight so we don't get some smart ass painting weird stuff on it. 

 

Things we already have is a kiddie tractor pull, parade, 5k/10k run, face painting, balloon animals, a hypnotist, a band in the beer tent, community band and chorus... We have a ton, but people just aren't happy. They want more!

 

I'm a people pleaser, and just want everyone happy.

 

Kelly

[BarbecueMom]

What age range of kids need something "more"? The under-10 set or the tweens/teens?

 

For the older kids, what about a "not-beer" tent, just a place to hang out, listen to "their" music, eat and drink junk food. I remember going to fairs and festivals about that age and just wanting to roam or sit with friends, not actually "do" anything. Maybe end the night with a movie on an outdoor projection screen (some libraries have the license and equipment for this).

[heartlikealion]

something simple like corn hole?

 

Cake walk?

 

Face painting?

 

Balloon animals?

 

I know, not exactly original lol.

[J-rap]

Our town has a little plastic duck race that's fun, but we have a river that runs through the park in our town.  Everyone picks out a little duck (the kind that floats, obviously), writes down the number on it so you know which one is yours, and then they all get tossed into the river where the park begins.  Then there's a finish line where it ends.  We do this numerous times all day long.

[Guest]

Teens here like it when the radio station sets up a stage with amps and the festival hosts the local teen bands. Folks of all ages will listen and some dance.

[SquirrellyMama]

Teens here like it when the radio station sets up a stage with amps and the festival hosts the local teen bands. Folks of all ages will listen and some dance.

My dh suggested a battle of the bands. I wonder if a radio station would come? Hmmmm, I'll have to figure out who to talk to. Do you think that would work in the afternoon?

 

Kelly

[athomeontheprairie]

I'm in a small town (pop 400). This year my library is bringing the zoo (over 90 miles away) for a two hour presentation. (In the park with everything else).

 

Last year, the community club brought in inflatables... But the race/obstacle ones. And a rock climbing wall-that was a huge hit!

 

Other cheaper things have been rock/paper/scissors tournament, bean spitting contest, side walk chalk contest (with prizes!) Geocaching, scavenger hunt, hidden objects around the area.

[Guest]

My dh suggested a battle of the bands. I wonder if a radio station would come? Hmmmm, I'll have to figure out who to talk to. Do you think that would work in the afternoon?

 

Kelly

Yes, sfternoon is fine. Bands appreciate opportunity to advertise themselves.

 

The Battle of the Bands is already done by another group here as an annual fundraiser.

[fairfarmhand]

Horshoe tournament for kid/adult pairs.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[heartlikealion]

So, I love all the craft and paint ideas. I've tried some of those already and it just didn't work  :glare:  I don't know what it is about our town. Not sure if the kids are just used to "not free" stuff. 

 

I have thought of having the town do a mural through out the weekend. I'm not sure where we'd put it overnight so we don't get some smart ass painting weird stuff on it. 

 

Things we already have is a kiddie tractor pull, parade, 5k/10k run, face painting, balloon animals, a hypnotist, a band in the beer tent, community band and chorus... We have a ton, but people just aren't happy. They want more!

 

I'm a people pleaser, and just want everyone happy.

 

Kelly

 

Can you get feedback from the town?? Like a survey you mail or hand out or put in public places like the library? Or just ask around?

 

In one of our homeschooling groups we're planning some games and one suggestion was like a ring toss with a pumpkin. You try to get it to land on the stem. I've also heard suggestions lately for rock painting? If they painted a rock (assuming you could get some) they could take them home and you wouldn't have the issue like the mural thing. Because even after you stored the mural you could still have to worry about graffiti I guess.