Do you want to throw a party with yummy food, adorable decorations, and the best circus games in town? You have come to the right place! Everything you need to know to celebrate your party under the Big Top!
THE BIRTHDAY GIRLS
PLANNING
One of my new favorite things… plan it with a friend! Of course, planning a party is always fun, but planning with a friend is even better. My dear friend Amy and I both have daughters who were having birthdays within a week of each other. So we decided to throw a combined birthday bash instead of two separate parties. Two creative brains are better than one! After creating your list of friends to invite to the party and picking the date for the circus coming to town, we went crazy with our party planning.
I started with planning the food and decor. I plan them together because most of the fun colors are on the table and throughout the room in the food itself. We chose Red, White, Turquoise, and Yellow for the main party colors, and I used a lot these colors in the decor, food labels, as well as the food. Here is the breakdown of our circus party!
FOOD AND DECORATIONS
THRIFTY is NIFTY
I brought out all my vintage suitcases and dessert dishes. If you don't have dessert plates make some. Simply super glue an upside down wine glass to the bottom of a ceramic plate. Once dry, spray paint them your desired color or leave them as is! SO Easy! Let cure for at least 24 hours. the thin striped background was made from plastic tablecloth.
Balloons are a simple way to fill in space and bring in a lot of color. I filled the balloons with a Balloon Time air tank. It is so handy to fill the balloons with helium at home and not have to awkwardly shove them in to my car. The roll of yellow tickets were an adorable detail.
GUM BALLS and ELEPHANTS
The stylish glass gum ball jars are simply glass candle holders super glued to a glass jar. The elegant knobs are fastened to the lid by making a whole in the lid with a drill or large nail. The elephants are holding paper flags attached to lollipop sticks. I hot glued them on to the elephant making it easy to remove after the party. So simple and adds a charming touch to your “Big Top” party!
TENT DRAPES, CAGE and POSTER CUTOUTS
The cage was made by my friend and her husband for an other event. I painted and framed the circus poster. The kids had fun taking pictures in the cage and at the poster. Also the corn dog stand was a fun little project made by myself and husband. We made it to be used for other future parties (and my daughters insist we use it for a lemonade stand this summer).
CLOWN NOSES and BIG TOP PARTY FAVORS
These fun clown noses and party favor boxes were a perfect addition to the party! I had to get a picture of our two cRaZy selves. When you spend months planning a party for your sweet girls make sure you get evidence that you attended the party! The kids loved the circus tent boxes full of goodies. The circus tents are actually cupcake boxes, but we used them for party favors to pass out at the end of the party.
CIRCUS PEANUTS on a FERRIS WHEEL
Could a dessert holder get more adorable? I am seriously in love with this Ferris Wheel. The circus peanuts in red and white stripped cupcake liners were the cutest treat at the circus. You can find this Ferris Wheel cupcake holder HERE!
POPCORN CUPCAKES and CIRCUS WATER
The cupcakes were YUMMY and so simple to make. We made them with white mini marshmallows and the yellow marshmallows from the mini fruity marshmallow mix. Leave some whole and stick them to the frosted cupcakes and other pieces cut in half with scissors and stick to the whole marshmallows to create the popcorn look! Nothing quenches thirst like a bottle of water. A must at any party.
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓You will find your charming Free Water Bottle Labels here↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
ANIMALS, PEANUTS, and CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS … Oh, MY!
I remember begging my mom to buy these same animal crackers every time we went to the grocery store as a little girl. My kids love them, especially my three-year old, who has to know what every animal is before he can eat it. These yummy chocolate covered marshmallows are easy peasy! Press a lollipop stick into the marshmallows then dip in colored candy melts. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then warm white chocolate in a bag until melted, and cut the tip. Twist the colored marshmallow under the white chocolate as it drizzles on to it. The peanut boxes were absolutely perfect! I had forgotten how yummy peanuts are to snack on.
POPCORN and CRACKER JACKS
Ahead of time, we filled the popcorn bags with popcorn to speed things up during lunch time. The cracker jacks are a classic treat at the circus and were a delicious treat for the party. These cups, plates and napkins coordinated perfectly with the party favors and other decorations.
FUN AND GAMES
When the kids played games they earned tickets that they could later exchange for prizes. They had so much fun playing all the carnival games. I didn't put a limit on how many games they could play we just let them play all the wanted before lunch time.
RING TOSS and FACE PAINT
We used empty soda bottles wrapped with paper. Then painted the wooded rings to coordinate with the party the kept them in this yellow antique box to make sure they didn't fall off the table and break. It was a fun game. My friend's adorable, and super talented, teenage daughter painted all the kids' faces with their favorite animal as they arrived at the party. She did an amazing job! The kids looked adorable!
BALLOON PADDLE GAME and CIRCUS ANIMALS
The paddles were made with striped paper plates, taped to a large craft stick (oversized popsicle stick kind). Each child blew up their own balloon, then on the count of three the kids hit their balloons up in the air. The winner kept their balloon up the longest. This was by far the most simple game but turned out to be the most fun. These blow up animals were super fun! We gave each child an animal before heading home. My boys both chose tigers, and immediately began tiger racing.
TIN CAN BALL TOSS, BEAN BAG TOSS and DUCK MATCHING GAME
The tin can ball toss was another simple game. Just cover empty vegetable cans with paper, and stack them up. You can see below my boys loved the duck matching game. By the time we were finished with the games it looked like my boys had been swimming with them. Each duck has a number on the bottom and the goal is to find the matching number. The bean bag toss was made of a large cardboard box that I cut holes out of, then covered with wrapping paper and circle paper rings.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope your “Big Top” Bash is as fun as ours! Make sure to PIN IT for Later!
What suggestions do YOU have to add to our “BIG TOP” Bash?!?