25 School Fall Festival Ideas PTAs Can Pull Off

A school fall festival lives or dies on three things: whether the games sell enough tickets to cover the rentals, whether there are enough volunteers to run them, and whether you have a plan for the October Saturday that turns out to be 44 degrees and raining. The good news is that the pieces that solve those problems are the same pieces the kids want anyway: a pumpkin bowling lane that sells tickets all afternoon, a Carnival Game Trailer that replaces six volunteer stations with one, and a set of gym-friendly games that move indoors without a fuss.

Here are 25 school fall festival ideas organized by the problem they solve: games that sell tickets, attractions for the field, the indoor backup plan, the little kid corner and the volunteer savers. Every one of them is rentable from the fall rentals collection at Perfect Parties USA, and each comes with a planning tip on tickets, staffing or space, whether your school is in Framingham, Providence or Nashua.

Games That Sell Tickets

The booths where a ticket setup pays for the rest of the festival.

1. A Five-Booth Fall Midway

Fall Carnival Stalls (5): Five striped fall booths in one package: Apple Toss, Crow Knock Down, Pumpkin Darts, Ring A Corn and Scarecrow Tooth Knock Down. Planning Tip: Sell a punch card at the entrance, one prize for a full card, and the midway pays for itself by mid-afternoon. Rent the Fall Carnival Stalls package.

2. Pumpkin Bowling

Halloween Pumpkin Bowling: Roll a real or foam pumpkin down a full lane at the seasonal pins, the game every age understands on sight. Planning Tip: One ticket per roll and a lane attendant who resets in seconds keeps the line moving and the tickets coming. Rent Halloween Pumpkin Bowling.

3. Bobbing for Apples, Supersized

Bobbing for Apples: Two contestants in bungee harnesses race to fill their buckets with foam apples before the cord pulls them back, about 60 players an hour with a crowd of spectators built in. Planning Tip: Two tickets per race, and put the teacher heats on the schedule; those sell out. Rent Bobbing for Apples.

4. Roll-a-Ball Horse Racing

Deluxe Roll-a-Ball Horse Racer Carnival Booth: Roll balls into the holes to advance your horse; first across the line wins, and a full row of players makes it the loudest booth on the field. Planning Tip: Run it in heats and hand the winner a ribbon rather than candy. Rent the Deluxe Roll-a-Ball Horse Racer Carnival Booth.

5. The High Striker

High Striker: Swing the mallet, ring the bell, and settle every playground argument about who is strongest. Planning Tip: Post the day’s best hits by grade on a whiteboard; the leaderboard is the prize. Rent the High Striker.

6. A Prize Wheel

Prize Wheel: A spin-to-win wheel where every slice pays out something. Planning Tip: Make a spin the reward for a full punch card, and your youngest volunteer can run it all afternoon. Rent the Prize Wheel.

7. Giant Plinko

Giant Plinko: Drop a puck from the top and the slot decides the prize. Planning Tip: Load the big prizes into the outside slots and the crowd stays to watch every drop. Rent the Giant Plinko.

Attractions for the Field

The big pieces that make the festival visible from the drop-off loop.

8. The Cob-stacle Course

Cob-stacle Course: A corn themed inflatable obstacle course, timed by grade for the kids who need to burn energy. Planning Tip: Post the best time for each grade next to it; the rematches keep the line full. Rent the Cob-stacle Course.

9. The Corn Maze Inflatable

Corn Maze Inflatable: A 35 by 40 foot inflatable corn maze that runs more than 150 people an hour through its turns. Planning Tip: Make the exit a punch card stop so every child goes through once. Rent the Corn Maze Inflatable.

10. Carnival Bumper Cars

Carnival Bumper Cars: Five bumper cars in an enclosed arena with an operator, with a 42 inch minimum height that most of the elementary crowd clears. Planning Tip: It needs a 45 by 45 foot footprint and two dedicated 20 amp circuits, so place it first on the site map. Rent the Carnival Bumper Cars.

11. A Train Around the Field

Trackless Train: A trackless train carries up to 18 passengers per trip on a loop of the field and doubles as the shuttle from the far parking lot. Planning Tip: Run it continuously with three stops. Rent the Trackless Train.

12. Human Pig Racer

Human Pig Racer: Students in inflatable pig suits race a short course while the crowd cheers. Planning Tip: Schedule a teachers versus parents heat; it draws the biggest crowd of the day. Rent the Human Pig Racer.

13. The Scarecrow Slide

Scarecrow Slide: A scarecrow themed inflatable slide tall enough to be the landmark of the field. Planning Tip: Rope a clear landing zone at the exit and keep foot traffic on one side. Rent the Scarecrow Slide.

The Indoor Backup Plan

Games that move into the gym or the cafeteria when the forecast turns, so the festival never gets cancelled.

14. Witch’s Brew Toss

Witch’s Brew Frame Game: A tabletop toss into a cauldron frame that sits on a cafeteria table and needs no attendant. Planning Tip: This is the game to hand to a fifth grader to run. Rent the Witch’s Brew Frame Game.

15. Baggo Bean Bag Toss

Baggo: The classic bean bag toss in a compact two-board set that fits a gym lane. Planning Tip: Chalk two throwing lines by grade and run it as open play. Rent the Baggo bean bag toss.

16. Corn Hole

Corn Hole: Full-size boards for the older students and the parents who followed them in. Planning Tip: Run a bracket on a whiteboard and let the final play at center court. Rent the Corn Hole set.

17. Giant Tumbling Tower

Giant Tumbling Tower (giant Jenga): The giant block tower that draws a circle of spectators every time it wobbles. Planning Tip: Put it on a gym mat so the crash is safe and loud. Rent the Giant Tumbling Tower (giant Jenga).

18. Fun House Mirrors

Fun House Mirror Deluxe: A set of carnival fun house mirrors that need no attendant and never have an empty line. Planning Tip: Line them along the gym wall between the games so they entertain the crowd in transit. Rent the Fun House Mirror Deluxe.

19. The Claw Arcade Game

Claw Arcade Game: A glow-in-the-dark arcade claw machine from the glow games collection that runs indoors on a standard outlet. Planning Tip: Ask about prize options when you book, and set it by the gym doors so the line forms out of the game lanes. Rent the Claw Arcade Game.

The Little Kid Corner

Kindergartners need their own corner, away from the bumper cars and the big kids.

20. The Jumpin Pumpkin

Jumpin Pumpkin: A 40 by 60 foot pumpkin jumping pillow that becomes the centerpiece of the kid corner. Planning Tip: Mark a stroller parking area beside it so the entrance stays clear. Rent the Jumpin Pumpkin.

21. The Pumpkin Bounce

Pumpkin Bounce: A smaller pumpkin bounce sized for the youngest guests. Planning Tip: Run it next to the Jumpin Pumpkin with an age split. Rent the Pumpkin Bounce.

22. A Pumpkin Painting Station

Pumpkin Painting: A staffed station where every child paints a pumpkin to carry home. Planning Tip: Hand out a numbered ticket at the gate, one per child, so the pumpkins last until closing. Rent the Pumpkin Painting station.

Volunteer Savers

The rentals that replace a table of volunteers with one attendant.

23. The Carnival Game Trailer

Carnival Game Trailer: A trailer with a full row of carnival games built into it, one delivery and one setup for most of a midway. Planning Tip: It is the shortcut for a PTA with a short volunteer list and a long kid list. Rent the Carnival Game Trailer.

24. The Grand Carnival

The Grand Carnival: A large inflatable carnival game station with several games in one footprint, so one blower and one attendant run a whole corner. Planning Tip: Pair it with the five stalls and you have a full midway for 200 to 400 guests. Rent The Grand Carnival.

25. A Carnival Treat Shop

Carnival Treat Shop: An inflatable treat shop that turns the concession table into part of the midway. Planning Tip: Place it on the path to the parking lot, where the last purchase of the night gets made. Rent the Carnival Treat Shop.

How to Choose School Fall Festival Attractions for Your Event

Start with your headcount and your volunteer list. A festival of 200 students and parents runs well on the five-booth midway, the pumpkin bowling lane, one field attraction and the kid corner, with a punch card at the gate; the carnival game ideas for school fairs and carnivals guide covers the ticket and volunteer plan in detail, and how to plan a school carnival covers the timeline. A festival of 500 adds the bumper cars, the Corn Maze Inflatable and the Carnival Game Trailer, and prices the rides by the ticket; the carnival games for fundraisers post has the pricing models. For the Halloween version of the same afternoon, the Halloween festival ideas guide has the spooky lineup.

As a rule of thumb, plan for one game booth per 25 to 50 guests and one anchor attraction per 150 to 200 guests, and always book at least six indoor-ready games so a rainy forecast moves the festival into the gym instead of cancelling it. Schools across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire book the last two weekends of October first, so reserve the anchors early. If you are on the North Shore, the carnival game rentals in Peabody, MA page shows what is nearby.

Rent School Fall Festival Attractions From Perfect Parties USA

Perfect Parties USA is based in Peabody, Massachusetts and owns hundreds of attractions, including every rentable item on this list, so the games you book are the games that arrive, maintained and ready to play. Every rental includes delivery, professional setup, trained attendants and prizes for staffed games, and complete teardown. We are fully insured, with a certificate of insurance available for venues and schools, and we have produced events of every size across New England and the Northeast for decades, from Massachusetts, Boston, Connecticut and Rhode Island to New Hampshire and New York.

Ready to get this party started? Contact Perfect Parties USA to talk to one of our Party Pros. Request a Quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school fall festival ideas for a PTA?

The best PTA fall festival ideas are a five-booth harvest midway sold by punch card, a pumpkin bowling lane, one field attraction such as the Cob-stacle Course or the Corn Maze Inflatable, a kid corner with the Jumpin Pumpkin and a set of gym-friendly games in case of rain. Perfect Parties USA builds that lineup for schools across New England.

What school fall festival games work indoors if it rains?

The Witch’s Brew Frame Game, Baggo, Corn Hole, the Giant Tumbling Tower, the fun house mirrors and the Claw Arcade Game all run in a gym or a cafeteria on standard outlets, and the fall carnival stalls fit indoors as well. Book at least six indoor-ready games and a rainy forecast moves the festival inside instead of cancelling it.

How many attractions do you need for a school fall festival?

Plan for one game booth per 25 to 50 guests and one anchor attraction per 150 to 200 guests. A festival of 300 people runs well on the five fall stalls, a pumpkin bowling lane, one obstacle course, one inflatable and the kid corner. Perfect Parties USA sizes lineups for PTAs across New England.

Can a PTA rent fall festival games and inflatables?

Yes, every attraction in this guide is available to rent, from the Fall Carnival Stalls package and the Carnival Game Trailer to the Corn Maze Inflatable, the Carnival Bumper Cars and the Jumpin Pumpkin. Rentals from Perfect Parties USA include delivery, professional setup, trained attendants for staffed pieces and complete teardown.

Does Perfect Parties USA deliver school fall festival rentals in Massachusetts and New England?

Yes, Perfect Parties USA delivers school fall festival rentals across Massachusetts, including Boston and the North Shore, and throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New York. The company is based in Peabody, Massachusetts, owns its inventory and provides a certificate of insurance for schools on request.

How does a school fall festival make money?

A school fall festival makes money on tickets: sell a punch card for the midway booths, charge per roll on pumpkin bowling and per race on Bobbing for Apples, price the bumper cars and the maze by the ticket, and run a Corn Hole bracket with an entry fee. Keep the kid corner free and the paid pieces cover the rentals.

How far in advance should a PTA book fall festival rentals?

Book school fall festival rentals six to eight weeks before the date, and earlier for the Carnival Bumper Cars, the Corn Maze Inflatable and the Carnival Game Trailer, which are reserved first for October weekends. Booking early with Perfect Parties USA also leaves time to plan the field and the gym layouts with a Party Pro.