A Halloween carnival lives or dies by its booths. When every game has a bright, clear sign, children know where to go, volunteers know what to do, and the whole event looks professional. This template gives you four booth signs in one file, styled like a striped carnival tent, with the game name, how to play, and the ticket price at a glance.
Carnival Tent Style
Each sign is landscape, 11 x 8.5 inches. Across the top runs a striped tent valance, alternating the booth colour with cream, finished with a scalloped edge and a thin accent stripe at the very top. Below, on a dark background, the booth name is set in big Bangers lettering, a comic-book Google font, with a coloured drop shadow. Two lines explain how to play, and a pill-shaped badge promises WIN A PRIZE EVERY TIME!
On the right, a large round badge with a dashed inner ring shows the prize: a booth icon, a big number, and TICKETS (or TICKET). A row of glowing marquee bulbs runs along the bottom, with the OTO logo underneath.
The Four Booths
| Page | Booth | Colours | Price shown | Icon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ring Toss | Orange stripes on charcoal | 2 tickets | Witch hat |
| 2 | Face Painting | Purple stripes on midnight, lime badge | 3 tickets | Bat |
| 3 | Candy Walk | Red stripes on dark brown, gold badge | 1 ticket | Lollipop |
| 4 | Pumpkin Bowling | Teal stripes on navy, orange badge | 2 tickets | Jack-o’-lantern |
How Each Game Works
- Ring Toss: players toss three rings at witch hats (or orange cones). Landing one wins a prize. Place the hats closer for younger children.
- Face Painting: children choose a design from a board: bats, cats, pumpkins, or spider webs. Use skin-safe face paint and keep wipes nearby.
- Candy Walk: a Halloween twist on the cake walk. Numbered squares form a circle; when the music stops, a number is drawn, and that player wins a treat.
- Pumpkin Bowling: players roll a small pumpkin to knock down ghost pins, such as white-painted bottles or toilet-paper rolls with faces drawn on.
Making More Booth Signs
Most carnivals have more than four games. Duplicate any page in the editor and change the name, how-to-play text, price, icon, and colours. Popular extra booths include:
- Bean Bag Toss into a pumpkin’s mouth
- Witch Hat Ring Toss for older kids (smaller rings)
- Mummy Wrap race with toilet paper
- Fishing for Monsters with magnetic rods
- Guess the Candy Corn in the jar
- Cookie Decorating
- Haunted Photo Booth
- Duck Pond with glow-in-the-dark ducks
Setting Ticket Prices
Most school and church carnivals sell tickets for a small fixed amount each, then price games by how long they take and how much they cost to run. Quick games such as the candy walk cost one ticket. Games with prizes every time, like ring toss, cost two. Activities that take longer, such as face painting, cost three or more. To change the price on a sign, double-click the number and the TICKETS label. A matching price list at the ticket booth helps families plan.
Customising Colours and Icons
The striped valance is a single group on each page, so you can recolour all the stripes at once to your school colours. The background, badge, bulbs and title shadow are separate objects that are easy to recolour. The booth icons are editable vector illustrations; select one to change its colours or swap it for a different Halloween icon from the editor. Fonts are Bangers and Montserrat, both from Google Fonts.
Displaying the Signs
- Print on heavy card stock or have the signs mounted on foam board for outdoor use.
- Tape the signs to the front of each booth table, or attach them to a stand at eye level for adults and a lower one for children.
- For outdoor events, slip each sign into a clear plastic sleeve to protect it from damp.
- Number the booths on a map at the entrance so families can find their way around.
Volunteers and Booth Shifts
Each booth needs at least one volunteer at all times, and two for busy booths such as face painting. Plan shifts of about an hour so volunteers can enjoy the carnival with their own children. Give each volunteer a small card with the game rules and the prize instructions, and a pouch for collected tickets. A runner who restocks prizes and collects ticket pouches keeps every booth moving.
Prizes That Do Not Break the Budget
Booth prizes add up quickly, so most carnivals rely on small, inexpensive items bought in bulk: spider rings, glow sticks, stickers, mini erasers, bouncy balls, pencils, and fun-size sweets. Ask local businesses to donate a few bigger prizes for a grand raffle. A prize bucket at each booth, refilled by a runner, means volunteers never run out.
Printing the Signs
Download the PDF and print each page in landscape on card stock. The dark backgrounds print richly on a laser printer; for a large event, a print shop can produce them on weatherproof board. Print an extra copy of each sign in case one gets damaged during setup.
Carnival Sign Questions
How many booths does a school carnival need?
Eight to twelve booths suit most school carnivals with a few hundred visitors, plus a food stand and a ticket booth.
Can I print the signs bigger?
Yes. The design scales up cleanly to tabloid or poster size at a print shop.
Should every booth give a prize?
Prize-every-time games keep young children happy and the lines moving, so most school carnivals use them.
Can I show prices in money instead of tickets?
Yes. Replace the number with a price such as $1 and change TICKETS to PER PLAY.
Are these suitable for a fall festival?
Absolutely. Change the colours to autumn tones, and they suit harvest festivals too.
Can I add the school name?
Add a text line under the title or above the marquee bulbs with your school or church name.
Pick your booths, set the prices, and print the signs. Then let the ring tossing, face painting, and pumpkin bowling begin.
