A popular outing taken with children, even when they are quite young, is a trip to the circus. Animals galore, fun food, and exciting games are all part of the good time. So, why not make the theme of your child’s next party “Circus Mania” and show all your guests that same good time.

If you want to have a true circus, you may want to rent a huge tent! Place it in your front or back yard and you will be set no matter what the weather. Even if it is only large enough to accommodate your guests (with a little room to spare), they will still get a kick out of saying the got to play in “The Big Top”.

Now, regardless of whether you have a tent, you can set up the three rings found in a circus. With chalk or paint (anything visible on the ground), draw your three rings. During your party you can have acts going at all time in one of the three rings. (Don’t have more rings going at one time. Young children are easily distracted and may not get as much enjoyment when their attention is split between two events.)

Some events you could have in your circus are:
Face Painting – At any craft store you can find paints appropriate for face painting. The artwork on the guests’ cheeks doesn’t have to be fancy, so anything simple like a balloon, a sun, or a flower will still be exciting.
Hire a clown – What is more fun than a clown? Some do magic tricks, so this could be the center of your party! (Balloon animals are normally an expertise of a professional clown, too!) You could even talk a family member or friend into dressing up.
Circus/Carnival Games – You could have throw rings over the bottles, bowling, throw the bean bag into the can…prizes given away can replace the goodie bags.
High Wire Act – Okay, so you won’t really be on a high wire. Just find someone to dress as an artist on the high wire and have them walk across a simple balance beam.
Any kind of animal act!

The possibilities are numerous and limited only by your imagination. You can expand your party into a full-fledged carnival - complete with carnival games and prizes to be won. Toss bean-bags, pennies or chestnuts into juice cans. Set up a target and let the kids try to kit it with a wet sponge. You could even bob for apples. You can set up a table with prizes for all the winners - making sure everyone gets a prize!

When you think of food at a circus, the main items you should think of are popcorn, peanuts and sno cones! Many party supply outlets have machines for rent which make these items. Why not place them around your circus for the guests to enjoy as they please? With the cake, you would have everything you need to make your party a success!

The circus mania theme is easy to find in many party outlet stores. You will be able to find plates, cups, napkins, decorations, invitations and thank you notes, all with a circus or animal theme. If you do happen to have trouble located paper products, go to your computer and look at the many quality party stores that are located online. (Tip: when ordering online, leave plenty of time for shipping!)

If you have time at the end of the party before the guests are picked up, you can have them relax and calm down in front of the brand new clay-mation show, Jo Jo’s Circus. Young children just love the antics of all the characters at the circus, plus they learn something in every show!