Transform your afterschool program into a fun-filled carnival for Lights On

For the sheer variety of activities, there’s nothing like a carnival to showcase all the ways your program supports kids and families in your community. Attendees of your celebration have numerous opportunities to explore everything on offer through booths or stations with different games, STEM demonstrations, nutritious snacks, and day-in-the-life activities.

Get some inspiration from last year’s events:

• Kissimmee, Florida: Deerwood Elementary School’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers hosted a carnival in their cafeteria. The celebration showcased students’ academic achievements through a fun evening of activities and games, including pick a pop, ring toss, darts, kerplunk, water coin drop, a bean bag toss, cup pong, and a performance from the cheerleading squad.

• Augusta, Georgia: E.W. Hagler Boys & Girls Club of Greater August hosted a Halloween Tricks & Treats carnival for Lights On Afterschool. The family-friendly event featured STEM activities including light-up crafts, scarecrow can crash, boo bubbles, and a creepy crawlers mystery station, along with pumpkin putt-putt, a pumpkin patch scavenger hunt, face painting, a witches hat ring toss, feed Frankenstein cornhole, and boo-ling.

• Salt Lake City, Utah: The Evergreen Afterschool Program held a Halloween carnival for students and parents. Participants played various carnival games, including twister, pin the bow on the skeleton, dart boards, musical chairs, and cup pong. The event also included cookie decorating and a dance party. 

To see how other programs have celebrated with a carnival or festival in years past, visit the searchable events database!

We’re just five weeks away from Lights On Afterschool—halfway there! This week, call to confirm whether any VIP guests are still able to attend your event. Arrange transportation and other logistics for dignitaries and guest speakers, if necessary.

Register your program to make sure your 10 free posters arrive in time for your celebration. Once you sign up, we’ll be in your inbox each week with top planning tips to help you make the most of the time between now and Lights On Afterschool Day.