by A.C. Turley

Created on: October 19, 2009

With creativity and excitement filling the crisp fall air, the joys of splurging on treats and ghoulish costumes, and the promise of more holidays soon to come, it's no wonder that Halloween is such a celebrated time of year. Holding a Halloween carnival for your school or non-profit program, or simply as a revamp to your usual Halloween party may be the perfect way to celebrate with the "living dead" and open the gates to Halloween fun for families and friends alike. A carnival style Halloween party is a family friendly event usually held outdoors, at schools, or in a barn, which makes it conducive to a variety of fun entertainment options. For your festivities this year, consider including some of the ten Halloween carnival games below, many of which can be easily adapted for events at which admission is required or game tickets are sold.

1) Pumpkin Bowling. Fill ten two-liter bottles halfway with water or sand and set them in the standard ten-pin bowling triangle formation at least twenty feet from the throwing line (or foul line). Have a basket of smaller round pumpkins available as bowling balls, and let your Halloween guests play a full ten-frame game if appropriate, or allow each patron two throws per paying turn. Award special prizes for strikes, and smaller prizes for spares. If very small children want to play, allow them to roll the pumpkin balls from a closer starting line.

2) Three-Legged Race. This old-fashioned harvest game continues to delight families. Mark off out-of-bound zones with hay bales and string colorful orange crepe paper out to create the start and finish lines. Tie each couple's inner legs together with sturdy rope, making sure to snip any access rope that might cause tripping. When you say "Go!" watch the fun begin as couples try to race while bound together. Hold separate races for different age groups, and offer prizes for the first three couples to cross the finish line.

3) Gourd Fishing.* To prepare this Halloween carnival game, you will need several small, light gourds and a metal barrel or small kid's pool to fill with water. You can find gourds in the supermarket, or even in some craft stores. Test one first, and make sure it floats like you want before investing in all of them. Then, using old wire hangers and wire cutters, fashion wide loops to each gourd's stem, and write numbers on their bottoms in waterproof ink. These numbers will correspond to different prizes. For the fishing rod, you can purchase a toy fishing

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