Come one, come all the fair is in town! Welcome to our Backyard County Fair Party where you’ll find games, food, fun, and prizes!
Every year our family looks forward to playing hookey from school and heading down to Fair Park to visit the State Fair of Texas. We always have lots of fun with a trip around the giant Ferris wheel and playing games at the Midway. Of course, a trip to the fair wouldn’t be complete without fried food and cotton candy!
We were disappointed that we couldn’t attend the State Fair of Texas this year but decided to make the most of it and host our own Backyard Country Fair Party for friends and family. This would also be such a fun theme for a birthday party or school fundraiser.
How to Host Your Own Backyard County Fair Party
Set the scene with a ticket booth, a food tent, and Midway Games.
I found the cutest decorations for our party at Oriental Trading. They are my one-stop shop for parties. They have everything from party decorations to games and prizes, perfect for your County Fair Party.
County Fair Party Decorations
I made a colorful balloon garland to serve as the focal point for our “food tent.”
I filled in and layered the backdrop with paper fans and a gingham pennant banner.
Fill mason jars with yellow sunflowers and place them on your dessert table, or use them as simple centerpieces on picnic tables where guests will sit to eat.
County Fair Food
Next, I added all of our favorite fair foods to our food tent table. I included everything from award-winning pies to home-grown vegetables.
You simply can not go to the fair without getting a big bag of cotton candy. I filled this adorable Ferris Wheel treat stand with cotton candy that the kids could come and grab.
A trip to the State Fair of Texas isn’t complete without Fletcher’s corn dogs. Luckily we were able to keep this tradition alive and serve Fletcher’s corn dogs at our Backyard County Fair Party thanks to a local partnership here in Dallas.
Midway Games
My kid’s favorite part of visiting the fair is getting tickets to play games at the Midway. I created a ticket booth where they could get their fun pass and tickets to play the games.
I used carnival games from my twin’s Carnival Birthday party and created a few new games to play in the backyard.
Think of all of your favorite games at the fair and create a similar version at home. Oriental Trading has tons of options for backyard games, everything from duck ponds to shooting baskets. Don’t forget the prizes!
While celebrations look different this year it doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun. Find new ways to create memories and keep traditions alive and bring the county fair to your own backyard!
Emily Murphy says
Did you buy a balloon kit? Or do you mind going into more details about the balloons?
Mariah says
I didn’t use a balloon kit, but I did create a balloon garland. They are actually pretty easy to make and there are lots of great tutorials on TikTok or YouTube, just search how to make a balloon garland without balloon strips.