Party · GamesNo. 7208 · The 2026 edition
Halloween carnival games you can build from boxes, cups and cans.
Twenty DIY ideas for school carnivals, trunk-or-treats and backyard parties, from ghost bowling and a cauldron toss to a poke-a-pumpkin board and a mummy to unwrap.
Good Halloween carnival games explain themselves in seconds and keep a line moving. The twenty guides below are built for school carnivals, trunk-or-treats and backyard parties, and many start from ordinary supplies such as boxes, cups, cans and paper tubes.
Some themes come up more than once: ghost bowling twice, a pair of ping-pong tosses, three ways to pick a pumpkin. Where a theme repeats, the blurb says what sets that version apart. Two entries are roundups of fifteen and eleven games rather than a single build, and every guide is its creator’s own work, so follow the links for the full steps and materials.
Twenty booth games, from bowling to bobbing
- Homemade Ghost Bowling Game — The spray-paint take on ghost bowling: empty containers get sprayed white and given black paper faces, then line up as pins once the glue has fully dried. Roll an orange ball or a pumpkin down the lane; it suits any age. The guide
- The Spider Race - A Halloween Party Game for Kids — Black-painted coffee-creamer lids become spiders with pipe-cleaner legs, pom-pom heads and wiggle eyes, each threaded on its own yarn line by a paper straw. Players race them up the strings; keep tape handy for repairs after a rough round. The guide
- Halloween Party Game: Eyeball Toss — Bring a drill: this one means cutting and painting plywood, mounting creepy hands and cups, adding point values and wiring in LED spider lights, before players toss bouncy eyeballs for points. One for a host who enjoys building. The guide
- Halloween Pumpkin Pickin' Party Game — A flat-screen TV box becomes a prize station here, with pumpkin-shaped openings cut to a kraft paper template and felt-covered shipping boxes to dress it up. Kids pick a pumpkin and find candy or a small toy inside. The guide
- Making a Poke-A-Pumpkin Game — Thirty cups, each hiding a candy or prize, get covered in orange and green tissue paper and arranged into a pumpkin shape on poster board, then decorated with a moon, bats and grass. Kids poke through the tissue to grab a surprise. The guide
- Great Halloween Pumpkin Game — Paper plates, craft sticks and iron-on vinyl become pumpkin paddles for keeping a balloon in the air, each with its own face from a cutting machine. Suits a party or a classroom event. The guide
- Halloween Party Ghost Game — Wrap a box in white poster board, add a ghost cutout, cut a mouth hole, and players toss ping-pong balls into the ghost’s mouth. A simple build with one target, unlike the fishbowl toss further down. The guide
- Halloween Punch Board Game — Plastic cups hot-glued to foam board each hide a prize under tissue paper with a little ghost face drawn on, held tight by a rubber band. Players punch through a ghost to claim what's inside, so every cup is one turn. The guide
- Unique Halloween Game Idea - DIY BOO-Loon Pop! — Balloons are clipped to a painted plywood ghost, with tacks beneath the clothespins, and players toss bean bags to pop them; off-center tacks make it harder. Outdoors, secure the setup and set throw lines by age. The guide
- Frightful Fish Halloween Game — Twenty-four fishbowls, half with a plastic fish at the bottom, and three ping-pong balls per player. Land one in a winning bowl for the top prize; everyone else still gets a consolation prize, so nobody leaves empty-handed. The guide
- Halloween Carnival Games — A roundup rather than a single build: fifteen games and activities, among them water gun targets, ring toss, photo booths and a candy walk. Set the stations up indoors or out; it’s the one to skim when you’re planning for a mixed-age crowd. The guide
- Boo Bowling! A Ghostly Halloween Party Game that's Fun for the kids — Ghost bowling moves indoors here: decorated paper towel rolls make the pins, a foam pumpkin joins the set, and everything comes from everyday supplies. A good fit for a living-room party with kids. The guide
- Witches Brew Halloween Game — Three witch cauldrons sit at staggered distances from a throwing line marked with glowing pumpkins. Each player tosses three stuffed frogs, one per cauldron, nearest first, and landing a frog in every cauldron earns the top prize. The guide
- How to Play Bobbing for Apples — The old autumn standby, set up with everyday containers, cool water and a dozen apples: players race a two-minute clock to retrieve fruit using only their mouths, and the quickest wins. Expect a mess. The guide
- 11 Halloween Games for Kids That Are Easy, Fun & Totally Party-Ready — A second roundup, this time eleven kids’ games including Pin the Boo and a glow-in-the-dark ring toss. Where the first roundup reads like a menu of stations, this one mixes familiar party games with Halloween twists, for any age or energy level. The guide
- Halloween Party Game — Hands go through holes in a stained sheet to feel bowls of foods with creepy names, and players guess what each one is. It’s for kids who like a gross-out; set it up near a sink for cleanup. The guide
- Fun Trick or Treat Game Kids Will Love — Unlike the two pumpkin picks above, this one can hand out a dare instead of a treat. Players take turns choosing a mini plastic pumpkin bucket, and printable trick cards and a decorated tree complete the set-up. The guide
- Unwrap The Mummy Halloween Party Game — Kids take turns unwrapping a mummy-head prize ball made from a few toilet paper rolls, googly eyes included, to reach the treats hidden inside. Easy to make; budget time for cleanup. The guide
- Halloween Can Knock Down Game — Monster-themed cans, three bean bags per player, and prizes that scale with how many cans fall. Starting lines are set by age, so younger and older kids can share the booth fairly. The guide
- Halloween Mystery Box Game — Boxes covered in construction paper hide things to feel and name: peeled grapes as witch eyes, cold spaghetti as zombie brains, candy corn as monster teeth. A labeled box per item, a hand hole in each, and plenty of squealing. The guide
Most carnival games are a throw, a pick or a guess with a prize at the end.
For a full night, stack a mix: a toss or two (the cauldron, the cans, the ghost’s mouth), one pick-a-prize station and one hands-in game like the mummy or the touch-and-guess sheet. Set throw lines by age for anything with bean bags or balls, as two of these guides do, and put the messy stations together near a sink. The full Carnival and Booth Games shelf has more, each linked to its creator’s guide.