Catering ideas for a circus-themed party

Did you like the article?! Tell your friends - it’s useful for them, it’s nice for us

Share

With the arrival of spring and the anticipation of warmer weather, many event managers are already starting to plan outdoor events. For those who organize carnivals and events in the circus style, the ideas spotted at the launch party of Ted Baker’s new collection, held at the end of February this year, the theme of which was the circus, will come in very handy.

Specialists from the catering company Creative Edge worked on the treats for the event, which took place in the Hoffman lobby of the High Line Hotel.

Sausages in a cage

The cages in which the guests were served corn dogs were shaped like a classic big top.

DEEP Platform is the No. 1 platform for online events. Event.ru recommends everything for online/hybrid events - the best platforms! Revolution - 8 halls for online events in the center of St. Petersburg! Comprehensive technical production from Structura Turnkey drone show! 15% discount for new clients All the most popular every day in Telegram! One day - one post! Loft #3 – 10 new halls, accommodating from 20 to 800 guests EventsWallet – instead of a dozen separate tools for organizers A new solution for online events from Sweden Event.ru recommends – reliable contractors! Multimedia support for full cycle events

How to get here?

All ads/Hide ads

Circus style party: invitations, costumes, menu, entertainment

Have you ever had a circus party in your life?
I'm not talking about those cases when someone gets drunk and starts acting weird. We are talking about a themed holiday. Do you remember the inner thrill that dad casually said: “We’ll go to the circus this weekend!”? How mesmerizing this fairy tale was: dexterous jugglers, flexible acrobats, funny clowns. And even the air is saturated with some kind of invisible magic and admiration!

A circus-style party will not only help bring back childhood delight, but will also bring quite adult joys.

Remember the movie "The Prestige"? Illusionists are ready to commit deception and betrayal for the sake of a new masterpiece trick - prestige.

And all for the sake of a moment of glory: an explosion of applause, enthusiastic faces and a new status as the best illusionist in the whole World! Be saturated with the charm of subtle humor, wordplay, bright costumes, entertainment in everything around you. This is how a party should be: loud, bright, brilliant, daring, fun and frank!

Try to transform yourself into an extravagant, expressive artist with unbridled imagination, high self-esteem and the overflowing emotions of real touring performers!

Let's talk about how to organize just such an enchanting holiday!

Relevance

This party idea is suitable for bold, relaxed groups. It is desirable that the team includes creative, artistic individuals. This evening format is suitable if you decide to celebrate a birthday, New Year, bachelor or bachelorette party, or corporate event in an original way! The big plus is that it can be arranged at any time of the year. Another option for celebrating a birthday in winter.

Inviting guests and invitations

It may take 2-3 weeks to prepare colorful outfits and characters, so you need to invite your friends in advance.

Invitations can be designed in the form of a circus tent: ordered from a printing house or made with your own hands from colored decorative cardboard.

Decorate the elements on the card with glitter for makeup or manicure. If you find colored feathers or beads, be sure to use them in the design of postcards.

The second option is a ticket to the circus. It is better to order such a leaflet from a printing house - it will be as similar as possible to a real ticket! If you are a decent “controller”, be sure to tear the ticket of the guest who entered the festive hall by invitation.

Dress code

You'll have to put a lot of work into the costumes. This is not a case where you can easily pick up something from your or even your grandmother’s wardrobe! Although renting or buying in specialized stores will not be difficult. In any case, there will be those who will try to reincarnate themselves. Here are the following tips for them.

Male images.

• Classical. Rent an old-fashioned tailcoat or tuxedo. A butterfly, an extravagant frill, a white or bright red shirt, a black top hat, classic shoes, eyes lined with black arrows will fit perfectly into the image of a magician or the host of a circus show!

• Master of pantomime. Black trousers, a stylish black and white vest, a black hat, white gloves and matching makeup. Instead of a vest, you can wear a white T-shirt and black suspenders.

• Clown. Everything is clear with this: we find a clown costume, practice applying stage makeup and voila!

• Trainer. An image for the brave: with classic black trousers, the top should be bright: not just a variegated color, but if possible shiny (sequins, decorative sparkles, golden fringe). Hair is combed back, if the length of the hair allows, you can wear a hat or top hat.

  
  It is important to work on posture and gestures - this is half of the chosen character.

Women's images.

• Clowns and pantomime artists. The elements of the costume are almost the same as for men. Choose playfully flirty shoes and jewelry in bright colors, high-quality artist makeup, and surprise your friends with interesting characters.

• Trainer. This image contains all the audacity and challenge of an imperious circus goddess, who can make not only wild animals, but also men’s hearts submit! A white tight blouse with a butterfly, a red or black satin corset, short shorts/skirt of the same colors, tights with glitter or fishnet, a stable high heel, a playful hat or large curls of hair. A cane or whip is the main attribute of a tamer!

  
  Makeup to match the entire look: expressive eyes lined with arrows, shiny rhinestones near the eyebrow or instead of a mole, light glitter on the eyelids, richly colored lipstick or transparent lip gloss. Be careful with stage accessories and makeup!

• An assistant or performer in a circus production. Bright tight jumpsuits, corsets or dresses in the style of the 30s, sexy bows, revealing necklines, flirty lace, high heels, beautiful posture, Hollywood smile and artistic gestures. Remember Scarlett Johansson in the movie “The Prestige” - a great example to follow!

For everyone: feel free to become a trained animal - a proud lion or an aggressive tigress - isn't it a special character for a circus-themed party?

Decoration of the festive hall

Restaurant, club, apartment, dacha. If finances allow, rent a circus arena. The main thing to remember is that the event requires a lot of space.

Looking ahead to the entertainment program, we focus on the fact that 2-3 real circus acts will make your party truly unforgettable. Therefore, if you are planning such a win-win highlight of the evening, make sure that there is enough space. Invite a juggler, gymnasts, fire tamers or a magician!

Color spectrum . A pretentious circus, of course, it dictates red and white stripes, luxurious cherry-burgundy satin and velvet, golden trims, shiny elements!

Decorative elements and simple nuances that will help create the atmosphere:

• At the entrance, arrange a “Circus” sign or cut out letters from foam and paint them red;

• Balloons, from which you can arrange bouquets or symbolic images: a magician’s hat, a clown, or simply voluminous garlands;

• A tent with popcorn, sweets and balloons filled with helium: what would a circus be without the notorious treats and souvenirs?
• Hang up posters with trainers, illusionists and actors from themed films;

• Try to make something like an arena with your own hands: if you can find soft ottomans (the bigger the better), arrange them in a semicircle or circle (as long as is enough), and cover them with red satin fabric;
• If you or someone you know has decorative rabbits or white rats, borrow them: place the cages in a visible place! After making an impression on the guests, place the cages in a separate warm room, since animals do not really like loud music;
• We set the table and decorate it in the appropriate style: white, red, blue, striped, golden. Cardboard party hats, umbrellas, garlands, and curved cocktail straws will fit perfectly into the overall picture!

Place for a photo.

Select a corner for a photo: a red curtain, a cone for a trained animal, a magician’s hat and cane, a clown’s wig, small acting paraphernalia, and if possible, ribbons or a hanging swing for spectacular photos.

If your budget allows, hire a professional photographer for a couple of hours. It is better to take high-quality photos in the first half of the celebration, while the costumes are sitting straight, the makeup is not smudged, and the eyes have not lost the ability to focus! And you will definitely take crazy selfies and photos on your phone hundreds of times before the fun ends!

In extreme, energy-saving cases, you can use the services of circus-style restaurants. There are these in many large cities. But I recommend checking the design and all the features of the room in advance, in case it turns out that your imagination is much brighter and your tent will turn out to be more soulful and festive!

Music

Meet guests to the Britney Spears hit “Circus”: excellent magical sound of music, under which pictures of a video with trained animals and sexy tamers pop up! If there is a screen on which you can display video, do not ignore this opportunity!

Songs about the circus, or indirectly reminiscent of the theme of performances, shows: “The performance is over” by P. Gagarina, “Furious beast, my master” from the group “Vintage”, “Harlekino” by A. Pugacheva, “Who will believe the comedian” by V. Meladze, “ Luna Park is leaving, I want to go with it." Mickey Newton. After warming up, you can prepare a playlist of modern hits. The main thing is to keep it fun, perky and rhythmic!

Menu and drinks

Circus artists are very active and agile: complex numbers, extreme performances, exhausting training! You can't feed them with a green salad!

Prepare a full, hearty menu that should include:

• Meat dishes (chicken legs, steaks, meatloaf);
• Roast with meat;
• Baked fish;
• Cheese slices;
• Sausage slices;
• Several salads, at the discretion of the organizer;
• Sandwiches are different (they go well with red caviar);
• Fruit assortment.

Beware of overeating - a hearty menu has its drawbacks! Compensate for it with active competitions or dances.

For dessert, cupcakes and pastries with bright cream, themed cookies, popcorn, ice cream in waffle cups and popsicles are perfect.

And where would we be without a huge, delicious themed cake? When ordering a cake, do not forget to emphasize the age of the birthday person so that the confectionery result does not turn out like for children!

Beverages. Non-alcoholic: assorted juices, mineral water. Alcohol: champagne, cocktails, wine, vodka.

Tip: any dishes and drinks can be decorated with colored straws, cones, raindrops, which will automatically turn them into a themed attribute.

Entertainment

• Try to organize 2-3 professional circus acts, this will make an unforgettable impression.
• Ask the trainer and animal characters to perform some kind of improvisational act. If there are several animals, offer mass execution of commands to the appropriate music! The main thing is that everyone gets into character 100%!

Competition “While the match is burning.” 3-4 people take part in turn. Task: as soon as the contestant enters the “arena”, a match is lit. While it burns down, you need to tell as much good things as possible about the birthday boy. The winner is the one who managed to tell the most interesting things during this time. If it is not a birthday, then the contestants must read out their express autobiography while the match burns out. The number of given facts in the “briefly about yourself” category is assessed.

The prepared exit of the “magician”. Preparation must take place in advance. That is, the magician must be the organizer of the holiday or a person to whom everything was explained in advance. 2-3 matches are painted with mascara, even better, thoroughly rubbed with soot and placed in the ashtray after the previous competition, immediately after which a miracle trick will take place: “Did you know that a burnt match can burn again one more time?” Watch how surprise, delight and a huge question mark grow on the skeptical faces of the guests! The magician’s task is to fully enter into the character, because it is quite simple to expose the “fraudster”, and the acting will be remembered for a long time!

Competition "Under the Circus Big Top". After a good “warm-up”, already in the second half of the holiday, ask several people who want to perform the following task: walk along a narrow ribbon (stretched evenly on the floor, fixed at the edges with weights), placing an apple on the top of the head. Halfway through, you need to draw a “swallow” figure. The most dexterous circus performer who doesn't drop the apple wins!

Competition "Climber". 5-6 people stand facing the wall, arms bent at the elbow, palms leaning against the wall. The facilitator asks questions that can only be answered “yes” or “no.” For each “no” we move our palms down by the size of one palm, for each “yes” we move them up in the same way. The host’s task is to ask as many questions as possible to which the guests will answer “yes,” for example: “Do you love your spouse?”, “Can you read?”, “Do you like the holiday?” When your hands are high enough, ask a question with a clearly affirmative answer: “Do you have a secondary education?” After the next “yes” you ask: “Why are you fighting against the wall then?” The reward goes to the one whose hands are higher than the others - whatever one may say, the best climber!

Competition "Master of Pantomime". What's a circus without pantomime? If there are people in appropriate costumes, invite them to become contestants. Make a wish for one character at a time and see who can get the correct answer from the crowd faster. Riddle something simple: “pissing boy” or “Samson tearing the lion’s mouth”, or “pissing boy tearing the lion’s mouth”! The main thing is to have fun, it’s a circus!

Incentive prizes

They should be simple, but as thematic as possible. Large multi-colored lollipops, champagne, hairspray with glitter, chocolate medals, craft figures made from long balloons for modeling, clown cookies…

If it's a birthday, give the birthday person something more worthwhile. Vivid, or indirectly related to the topic. If you manage to preserve the touch of humor embedded in the gift itself or the congratulations in the card, consider that you have managed to maintain the charm of the circus atmosphere in everything!

Simple gift ideas:

For a woman: good cosmetics, a boldly colored clutch, a beautiful umbrella or any accessory chosen with taste.

For a man: a good gift would also be an accessory that suits his individual image and style: a scarf, an umbrella, a diary, or the popular ones today: “Notebook for brilliant ideas”, “Superman’s notebook”.

The most limitless and fantastic fun at your Circus party!

Author: Victoria Sirotenko

striped pudding

Take

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp. l. flour
• 3 tbsp. l. cocoa
• 2 glasses of milk
• 1 tbsp. l. butter
• 2 tsp. vanillin
• berries and mint leaves

Preparation

Mix sugar and flour. Add milk. Boil the mixture and let it thicken a little. Add melted butter, divide the mixture into two parts. Add vanillin to one part, cocoa to the other. Heat both mixtures again until thicker. Serve the pudding in layers and garnish.

Photo: ShutterStock/, evgeniya_m/Fotolia.com; StockFood / PhotoCuisine / Nikouline, Natacha/; StockFood/Hendey, Magdalena/; StockFood / Grafe & Unzer Verlag / Daan Matthis/

How to learn to walk on stilts: balance games

Let's move on to dangerous stunts. We will learn the same way as trapeze artists and tightrope walkers do.

They walk high above our heads on thin ropes, and also perform jumps and all kinds of pirouettes, making the audience freeze with delight. All these exercises would be impossible if it were not for a person’s ability to maintain balance. This is what we have to learn.

We will need:

• tin cans (preferably strong square ones)
• 2 ropes
• rubber bands
• awl or can opener
• colored paper
• glue
• spray paint

1. To make the simplest stilts, you will need our favorite circus props - tin cans. First cover them with colored paper or paint them with spray paint.
2. In each jar, stepping back a little from the edge, punch two holes on opposite sides. Thread a rope through them so that both ends fit inside the jar. Tie the rope and pull it tight. The knot will be inside.
3. The result was real stilts. They are difficult and dangerous to walk on (try it yourself!), and children will need insurance at first.

For younger children, you can take low cans, for example, from canned fish, and instead of ropes, attach elastic bands to fit the circumference of the baby’s feet. You will get funny stilt slippers.

Suits

Don't want to burden your guests with a dress code? Any festive clothes will do, preferably bright ones with sparkles and rhinestones. And at the entrance the company will be greeted with themed accessories: clown wigs, mustache noses, caps, top hats, ties, bow ties, canes, etc. The atmosphere will be informal, even a little childish. Add to this inflatable dumbbells and barbells, huge hypnotic lollipops (made of cardboard) - fun and great photos are guaranteed!

If this is a costume party, warn guests in advance. Circus-style costumes can be rented, but finding the right outfit will still take time (not to mention sewing it yourself). Images, regardless of gender:

• entertainer
• acrobat
• equilibrist
• juggler
• mime, clown
• illusionist
• strongman athlete
• tamer
• trained animal. Why not? Although this is a party for adults, the circus is fun!

Menu, serving

Table decoration, serving and menu depend on the level of the event. This can be either an exquisite buffet with a variety of light snacks, or simple snacks to accompany beer (crackers, nuts, chips) . Perhaps, only the general feast does not fit too well into the theme, because the circus is a show, a festive atmosphere and the expectation of a miracle, and not culinary excesses.

If you plan to have an extensive entertainment program, do not forget to allocate a stage area. Arrange tables/chairs in a checkerboard pattern so that seated guests do not block each other's view.

Drinks are at the discretion of the organizer, the only request is real lemonade (prepared, not bottled). For ambiance, serve biscuits/cookies in the shape of diamonds, stars, triangles, decorated with multi-colored fondant or icing. Red cake pops resemble clown noses, memories of a circus buffet will bring back memories of sandwiches, boiled corn, eclairs, popcorn, ice cream in scoops, donuts.

Through the network you can buy circus-style tableware, cocktail straws, and cupcake skirts. Serving dishes can be easily decorated using self-adhesive film - cut out stripes, diamonds, stars, etc., and glue along the edge . Cover large flower pots with the same film, turn them upside down - you will get cabinets (stands) for the far row of plates. Lay out bright tablecloths, add toppers - you're done!

DECORATION OF A PLAYGROUND, DECORATION FOR A CIRCUS PARTY

As you know, the road to the circus begins at the ticket office. We had one like that too!

We made it from a large cardboard box from under the refrigerator. We cut out a window and painted the inscription “Cashier”. Here our little guests exchanged the invitation for a ticket to the circus. If only you could see the important faces with which the guys approached the box office to buy a ticket! And also, at the gates of the circus they were met by a huge “air clown” - as a symbol of the future holiday.

The second point is the circus tent

If the weather permits (your holiday falls in the warm season), you can build the main circus arena in the yard. To do this, you will need to set up a garden tent (cone-shaped) and decorate it with bright ribbons, balloons, and garlands of flags.

Circus dome

A very interesting decorative moment (can be used both to decorate a tent in the yard and a playroom in the house) is the design of a circus dome.

To make such beauty you only need a few meters of multi-colored chiffon and a bunch of balloons. In addition, aerial gymnasts' trapezes can be attached to the dome. To do this you will need: a paper towel holder and several meters of clothesline. And place soft toys on the “trapeze” (surely, in every home there are a dozen of these “fluffy gifts”).

During intermission, play shop with your guests.

Set up several outlets (lemonade, popcorn, cotton candy, chips). Let some children “sell” and others “buy”. For this purpose, it is worth stocking up on printed paper “money”.

Read also: How to make a fishing rod out of paper?

Posters will also help to maintain the fabulous atmosphere of the circus in your home (yard).

(pictures) depicting the main participants in the performance. If you decorate the walls of a tent (or room) with them, you can create an excellent “presence effect” at a circus performance.

You can also place posters on stands throughout the house (yard) with scenes from a circus performance.

, while cutting out the faces of the main characters (so that your little guests can stick their faces in there and take a photo).