A recent circus show sparked our desire to host a party of our own. The smells of cotton candy, popcorn, and peanuts filled the air, and it did not take long before we were planning how to bring that same feeling to our next birthday party.

Bring the party to life with activities such as face painting, pony rides, a giant slide, or a bounce house.

Provide entertainment for your guests by preparing a short circus show. Ours included animal acts, clowns, and balancing acts.

This guide shows you how to create a circus experience of your own.

Start the party off by giving each guest four different colored tickets. They will use these to "purchase" the different activities at your circus.

Use bold, cheerful elements to set the stage:

• Primary colors: red, yellow, blue, and white
• Streamers arranged to resemble a big top
• Circus animals - whether stuffed or cardboard cutouts
• Clowns
• Ticket rolls

A red ticket buys a face painting.

Hire someone if possible, or recruit an older brother or sister to help out with this.

Keep four simple templates ready:

• Tiger
• Lion
• Clown
• Stars
• Hearts

Face painting is an easy way to begin the fun. Start as guests arrive so that everyone gets a chance to have theirs done before other activities start.

Your main activity will of course be the circus show. Other activities to include are:

• Karaoke (Dumbo and The Greatest Showman have songs to karaoke to)
• Ring toss
• Circus animal charades
• Bounce house
• Giant slide
• Backyard fire 

The Greatest Showman was one of those movies that when you first watch it 3 years after it was released you wonder why you had never seen it before. "Once you see it, oh! you'll never, never be the same!" Uh--I meant you will never get the catchy music out of your head! It is a must-watch for everyone who enjoys good entertainment. 

In The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman, supported by a cast of "freaks", stars in this movie with his amazing singing and dancing. Jackman, who played the main role of P.T Barnum, spent 10 weeks learning the songs and he clearly displays his talent that we did not know he had!

Barnum is the metamorphosis character as he is always searching for more and better when he finally realizes that he has always had what he needed. P. T. Barnum learns the more you gain, the more you will want. 

He also learns that he cannot disregard those who really matter in pursuit of fame and it doesn’t matter how much you have, ambition will always feel empty and dissatisfied as long as you are searching for more. 

Some points to consider about the movie:

• One of the ladies has serious cleavage in one of the scenes. 
• Be prepared to talk to your children about the sixth commandment as there is a temptation presented to the main character which he responds to very heroically. 
• There is another scene that is a little too sensual for my taste with the trapeze artist. 

One of the main aspects of the movie, and all of the best parts, is the dancing and the singing. The songs and their accompaniments are well written. The choreography is even better! The actors did a very good job of acting and performing this musical. 

I really enjoyed watching this movie. I promise you will not be disappointed! 

Dumbo offers a softer kind of circus story, centered on a young elephant's perspective of the circus and what he must do to use his "freak" quality to stand out.

Why kids enjoy it:

• Animal characters they recognize and enjoy
• Gentle pacing suited for younger kids
• Simple story that is easy to follow

This film works well for your party by:

• Getting the children to love the theme
• Inspiring children to try their own acts
• Comedic moments with the clowns that children can use for their acts

Each yellow ticket purchases a food item. Be sure each guest is given enough to buy each type of snack.

There's nothing like themed food to really make your party feel just right. Get the party in the circus mood by serving your guests:

• Hot dogs
• Peanuts
• Kettle corn
• Circus cake and colorful ice cream

A green ticket buys a pass to the show.

Plan this part of your party to have an emcee. Have this person dress the part with a top hat and microphone if possible. Your emcee introduces each act and keeps the show moving.

Prepare music and a few simple skits. Guests may watch or take part. Audience involvement makes the performances more enjoyable.

Keep the show between half an hour and one hour with three minutes or less per act. This ensures that everyone gets a turn, but the circus doesn't drag on.

Incorporate karaoke throughout the show. Use songs between acts to keep things moving. Songs from both The Greatest Showman and Dumbo are available on YouTube to karaoke.

Prepare lion and tiger masks and set out a few stools.

The lion tamer’s job is to guide the "animals" onto the stools. A simple whip prop adds to the effect. Let the children pretend and play along.

Set a 4x4 across the ground for a balance beam for the children to walk across.

Encourage your performers to walk across slowly or add simple tricks. A balancing stick and a little pretend stumbling make the act more convincing.

Be sure the clowns prepare a few simple jokes and short skits.

Clowns may interrupt other acts, act foolish, or surprise the audience with a simple skill such as juggling.

One skit that works well is the “Save My Baby” scene from Dumbo. Practice ahead of time.

After the first act, "sell" popcorn. Halfway through, "sell" peanuts.

Prepare these ahead of time and let guests use their tickets.

Let the guests relax and visit while you prepare a simple meal. Hot dogs with all the fixings fits well with the party theme. Plus it causes minimal mess and cleanup! 

Your guests have been having a few snacks, so don't worry about making it a full meal.

If you are having your party during winter months, having chili dogs is a fun alternative. Encourage the party to move around the campfire or table with the presents and serve the food. If time allows, this is when the animal charades can begin as well. 

Have cake and ice cream before you send your guests home with carnival toys or bagged cotton candy. It will be a circus theme party they will not soon forget!

Copyright © 2026. Industrious Family LLC. All rights reserved.

Disclosure: We show products that we think will help you. If you use our links, we may earn ad commissions at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.