School carnivals are always popular events for parents and students alike, allowing everyone to have fun and play with other families in the community. Carnival rides are always a blast, but yours doesn’t have to follow a specific formula to be unique and exciting! Plenty of ways to plan a carnival with fun amusements for hire that your guests will love while working with your space and budget. 

Ready to plan the best school carnival your school has ever seen? Here is your go-to school carnival planning guide to help you make the most of this special event: 

1. Assemble a Team 

First, you need a setup committee to help make everything come together! Volunteer parents will be your bread and butter, especially if your carnival is a fundraiser for school supplies or other community needs. Send out a letter or email well before the carnival planning time, inviting parents to sign up for everything from hosting a booth to bringing food to joining the planning team to make it all come together. 

To make it a seamless experience, you should have at least a few point people from your school’s faculty or staff who can answer questions and ensure each aspect of carnival planning goes seamlessly. 

2. Determine Your Mission 

You may already have a specific goal, like some school fundraising needs. But if not, now is the time to ask your committee for input on what cause the carnival should support!  

The more your team and community are excited about the fundraising side of things, the more likely they are to participate and make your carnival a success! And don’t forget to get specific about your cause too. The more distinct, the more likely the community is to rally around your cause and come out to support your school carnival.  

3. Choose a Theme 

Your school carnival’s theme can focus on the season (like a fall festival), holidays, or another creative party idea. The possibilities are endless! A popular school fundraiser idea is a backyard fall theme to kick off the school year, but you can also stick with the classics and do a classic carnival theme with fun amusements for hire. 

4. Set Your Destination 

Next up, you need a location! This may be as simple as the school gymnasium or football field, but depending on your school’s size and the event specifics, you may want to rent out a space that better fits your needs. Think about the time of year when planning your event’s location.  

5. Schedule the Big Day 

If your theme is holiday- or season-dependent, choose a date and time that works well! Remember what else is on the school calendar when your event occurs. For example, you won’t want to hold a spring school carnival the first weekend of spring break. Weekends and after school are usually ideal, giving parents the best chance to volunteer! You should also consider other community or local events that may conflict with your school carnivals, such as sporting events or annual community celebrations. 

6. Get Your Ducks in a Row 

Any significant event will involve some level of permits and insurance. It’s essential to ensure everyone is safe and everything is above board to protect your school and attendees. 

Aside from the obligatory preparations, the rest of your ducks are much more fun. It’s time to pick your activities, games, and concessions — and that means scheduling vendors!  

7. Don’t Skip the Details! 

The more thought and attention to detail you put into this event, the more exciting and immersive the big event will be! Here are a few bonus tips to round off our school carnival planning guide: 

Map out your event ahead of time with all your rentals and activities, and consider printing maps to hand out at the carnival. Have activities where attendees can win prizes. Plan and organize your finances. You don’t want money flying everywhere, getting lost, mismanaged, or even stolen! Appoint a trustworthy individual as committee treasurer and task them with budgeting your funds for the event, and on the day of, try to set up only one location that sells tickets attendees can redeem for food and activities. 

Plan Your School Carnival the Melbourne Amusement Hire Way! 

At  Melbourne Amusement Hire, we love engaging with schools by bringing fun to our communities with the best catalogue of rentals around. Once your theme, committee, and budget are ready to roll, contact us for a quote! Melbourne Amusement Hire offers a wide range of jumpers, slides, obstacle courses, and combo units perfect for birthday parties, fairs, carnivals, and other events. Look through our selection of quality inflatables and place your order today.