Fall Festival Game Ideas – Fall festival games bring a festive atmosphere to any autumn celebration, combining fun, creativity, and seasonal themes. From pumpkin carving contests and corn hole tournaments to apple bobbing and scarecrow making, these games are designed to engage guests of all ages. Classic outdoor activities like ring toss, sack races, and pie-eating contests are popular, while newer ideas like caramel apple decorating and fall-themed trivia add a twist.
Whether you’re hosting a family gathering, a community event, or a workplace celebration, fall festival games create a lively environment, fostering friendly competition, teamwork, and a sense of nostalgia for the cozy season. These games can also incorporate harvest elements like hayrides, a haunted house, and other spooky challenges, making them perfect for embracing the spirit of fall.
Fall Festival Game Ideas
Here’s a list of fun and creative Fall Festival Game Ideas:
- Pumpkin Bowling
- Apple Bobbing
- Pumpkin Carving Contest
- Cornhole
- Ring Toss (using small pumpkins)
- Sack Race
- Pie-Eating Contest
- Pumpkin Painting
- Scarecrow Making
- Fall-Themed Trivia
- Pumpkin Hunt
- Harvest Bingo
- Haunted House Walkthrough
- Mummy Relay Race
- Cider Tasting Challenge
- Caramel Apple Decorating
- Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin
- Pumpkin Toss
- Ghost Ring Toss
- Tug of War (using fall-colored ropes)
- Candy Corn Relay
- Zombie Walk
- Fall-Themed Pictionary
- Balloon Dart Toss (with fall-themed prizes)
- Guess the Number of Candies in the Jar
- Harvest Hoop Shoot (Basketball)
- Apple Toss (using real apples)
- Leaf Pile Jump
- Falling Leaves Obstacle Course
- Pin the Tail on the Black Cat
- Pumpkin Pie Relay
- Harvest Memory Game
- Fall-Themed Water Balloon Toss
- Hot Apple Cider Pong
- Mini Hay Bale Toss
- Fall-Themed Face Painting
- Scavenger Hunt (with autumn items)
- Fall Bowling (with mini pumpkins)
- Pumpkin Seed Spitting Contest
- Harvest the Cornfield Maze
- Gourd Guessing Contest
- Falling Apple Game (roll apples down a hill)
- Pumpkin Patch Obstacle Course
- Hayride Bingo
- Acorn Toss
- Pumpkin Balance Race
- Witch’s Hat Ring Toss
- Fall Charades
- Spider Web Relay
- Corn Kernel Toss
These games are great for bringing out the fun of the season and can be enjoyed by all ages at your fall festival!
Here’s a detailed guide on how to play each of the Fall Festival games step-by-step:
1. Pumpkin Bowling
Requirements: Small pumpkins, empty cans or plastic bottles (painted with fall designs).
- Setup: Arrange 10 empty cans or bottles in a bowling pin formation (4-3-2-1) at the end of a long lane.
- How to Play: Players take turns rolling small pumpkins down the lane to knock over the pins. Each player gets two tries per turn, and they score based on how many pins they knock down.
2. Apple Bobbing
Requirements: Large tub or basin filled with water, fresh apples.
- Setup: Fill a large tub with water and place apples in it.
- How to Play: Players must try to grab an apple using only their mouths, without using their hands. The player who catches an apple first wins the round.
3. Pumpkin Carving Contest
Requirements: Small pumpkins, carving kits, markers.
- Setup: Provide each player with a pumpkin, carving tools, and markers to design their pumpkins.
- How to Play: Players carve their pumpkins with the most creative or spooky designs. Judges will decide the winner based on creativity, execution, or spookiness.
4. Cornhole
Requirements: Cornhole boards, bags filled with corn or beans.
- Setup: Place cornhole boards across from each other about 10–15 feet apart.
- How to Play: Players take turns throwing bags onto the board. Points are awarded for getting bags on the board or in the hole. First team to 21 points wins.
5. Ring Toss (using small pumpkins)
Requirements: Small pumpkins with stems, rings or hoops.
- Setup: Place the small pumpkins on a table or the ground, making sure the stems are facing upward.
- How to Play: Players take turns tossing rings or hoops over the stems of the pumpkins. The player who successfully lands the most rings on the pumpkins wins.
6. Sack Race
Requirements: Large burlap sacks.
- Setup: Mark a start and finish line.
- How to Play: Players climb into their sacks and hop to the finish line. The first player to cross the finish line wins.
7. Pie-Eating Contest
Requirements: Pies (usually pumpkin or apple).
- Setup: Provide each participant with a pie placed in front of them.
- How to Play: Players must eat the pie without using their hands. The first person to finish their pie wins.
8. Pumpkin Painting
Requirements: Small pumpkins, paints, brushes, aprons.
- Setup: Set up a table with all painting supplies and pumpkins.
- How to Play: Each player paints a pumpkin in their own creative style. After a set amount of time, the winner is decided based on the best design.
9. Scarecrow Making
Requirements: Old clothes, hay or straw, twine, and a pumpkin (optional).
- Setup: Lay out all materials to create the scarecrow.
- How to Play: Players work in teams to assemble a scarecrow using the provided materials. The most creative or lifelike scarecrow wins.
10. Fall-Themed Trivia
Requirements: Pre-written trivia questions, pens, and paper.
- Setup: Divide participants into teams.
- How to Play: The host asks fall-themed trivia questions. Teams write down their answers, and the team with the most correct answers wins.
11. Pumpkin Hunt
Requirements: Small plastic or real pumpkins with numbers or letters on them.
- Setup: Hide the pumpkins around the area.
- How to Play: Players are given a list of clues to help them find the pumpkins. The person who collects the most pumpkins wins.
12. Harvest Bingo
Requirements: Bingo cards with fall-themed images (pumpkins, leaves, etc.), markers or chips.
- Setup: Distribute Bingo cards to each player.
- How to Play: Players mark off items on their cards as the host calls out fall-related words. The first person to get a full line or a “Bingo” wins.
13. Haunted House Walkthrough
Requirements: Halloween decorations, spooky sound effects, dim lighting.
- Setup: Create a spooky walkthrough area with decorations and eerie props.
- How to Play: Players walk through the haunted house, trying to make it through without screaming or getting scared. The fastest or bravest person wins.
14. Mummy Relay Race
Requirements: Toilet paper rolls.
- Setup: Divide participants into teams.
- How to Play: One player from each team gets wrapped in toilet paper by teammates, trying to create the best “mummy” within a set time limit. The team that finishes first wins.
15. Cider Tasting Challenge
Requirements: Various apple ciders, small cups, tasting spoons.
- Setup: Prepare small cups of different types of cider.
- How to Play: Players sample each cider and try to identify their flavors. The player who guesses the most correctly wins.
16. Caramel Apple Decorating
Requirements: Apples, caramel sauce, toppings (chocolate chips, sprinkles, nuts).
- Setup: Provide apples and various toppings on a decorating table.
- How to Play: Players dip apples into caramel and decorate them with toppings. The most creative or delicious apple wins.
17. Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin
Requirements: A large pumpkin poster, paper noses, blindfold.
- Setup: Hang up a pumpkin poster with a missing nose, and have paper noses ready.
- How to Play: Blindfold players and spin them around before having them attempt to stick the nose onto the pumpkin. The closest to the right spot wins.
18. Pumpkin Toss
Requirements: Small pumpkins, buckets or hoops.
- Setup: Place buckets or hoops a certain distance away.
- How to Play: Players take turns tossing small pumpkins into the buckets or hoops. Points are awarded based on where the pumpkin lands.
19. Ghost Ring Toss
Requirements: Ghost-themed rings or hoops, large bottles or cones.
- Setup: Place the ghost-themed objects (bottles or cones) in a row.
- How to Play: Players toss rings or hoops at the ghosts. The player who successfully lands the most rings wins.
20. Tug of War (using fall-colored ropes)
Requirements: Fall-colored rope, markers to mark the center.
- Setup: Place a marker on the ground for the center.
- How to Play: Divide players into two teams. Teams tug on the rope, trying to pull the other team across the center marker. The team that wins the tug-of-war wins the game.
21. Candy Corn Relay
Requirements: Candy corn, spoons, small cups.
- Setup: Set up two teams with equal candy corn and spoons.
- How to Play: Players must transfer candy corn from one cup to another using only spoons. The team with the most candy corn in the cup at the end wins.
22. Zombie Walk
Requirements: Zombie costume or face paint.
- Setup: Mark a start and finish line.
- How to Play: Players must walk from the start to the finish line while imitating a zombie’s walk. The player with the best zombie imitation wins.
23. Fall-Themed Pictionary
Requirements: Pictionary cards with fall-themed prompts, paper, and markers.
- Setup: Divide players into teams and distribute paper and markers.
- How to Play: One player from each team draws a fall-themed prompt, and their team must guess what it is. The team that guesses the most correctly wins.
24. Balloon Dart Toss (with fall-themed prizes)
Requirements: Balloons, darts, fall-themed prizes.
- Setup: Inflate balloons and attach them to a board with prizes behind them.
- How to Play: Players throw darts at the balloons to pop them. When a balloon pops, the player wins the prize behind it.
25. Guess the Number of Candies in the Jar
Requirements: A jar filled with candy corn or other autumn-themed candy.
- Setup: Fill a jar with candy and set it up for display.
- How to Play: Players write down their guesses for how many candies are in the jar. The person who guesses closest to the actual number wins.
26. Harvest Hoop Shoot (Basketball)
Requirements: Small basketball hoops, mini basketballs, fall-themed prizes.
- Setup: Set up mini hoops at various heights or distances.
- How to Play: Players take turns shooting mini basketballs into the hoop. Points are awarded for each successful shot. The player with the most points wins.
27. Apple Toss (using real apples)
Requirements: Apples, baskets or buckets.
- Setup: Place baskets or buckets at varying distances.
- How to Play: Players try to toss apples into the baskets or buckets. The further the basket, the more points are awarded. The player with the most points wins.
28. Leaf Pile Jump
Requirements: Large piles of fall leaves.
- Setup: Gather a large pile of leaves in a designated area.
- How to Play: Players take turns running and jumping into the leaf pile. The player who makes the biggest or most exciting jump wins.
29. Falling Leaves Obstacle Course
Requirements: Various obstacles (cones, hay bales, etc.), artificial or real leaves.
- Setup: Set up an obstacle course that incorporates leaves and fall-themed items.
- How to Play: Players race through the course while navigating around obstacles and jumping into leaf piles. The fastest player to complete the course wins.
30. Pin the Tail on the Black Cat
Requirements: A large black cat poster, a tail, blindfold.
- Setup: Hang up a large picture of a black cat with a missing tail.
- How to Play: Blindfold players, spin them around, and have them try to pin the tail on the cat. The player who gets closest to the right spot wins.
31. Pumpkin Pie Relay
Requirements: Small pumpkins, spoons, small containers.
- Setup: Set up two relay stations with pumpkins and spoons.
- How to Play: Players use spoons to carry small pumpkins from one end of the field to the other and back. The fastest team wins.
32. Harvest Memory Game
Requirements: Cards with fall-themed pictures or symbols.
- Setup: Lay the cards face down in rows.
- How to Play: Players take turns flipping over two cards at a time, trying to match pairs. The player with the most matches wins.
33. Fall-Themed Water Balloon Toss
Requirements: Water balloons, a large open space.
- Setup: Players partner up and stand a few feet apart.
- How to Play: Players toss water balloons back and forth, stepping further apart after each successful toss. The last team standing with an unbroken balloon wins.
34. Hot Apple Cider Pong
Requirements: Cups, ping pong balls, apple cider, tables.
- Setup: Arrange cups in a triangular formation on tables.
- How to Play: Players take turns bouncing ping pong balls into cups of apple cider. If the ball lands in a cup, the opponent must drink the cider. The player who sinks the most balls wins.
35. Mini Hay Bale Toss
Requirements: Mini hay bales, hoops, or buckets.
- Setup: Set up hoops or baskets and place mini hay bales nearby.
- How to Play: Players attempt to toss hay bales into the hoops or baskets from varying distances. The player with the most successful throws wins.
36. Fall-Themed Face Painting
Requirements: Face paint, brushes, sponges.
- Setup: Have face paint supplies ready.
- How to Play: Players choose a fall-themed design (pumpkin, scarecrow, etc.) to have painted on their faces. The best-painted face wins a prize.
37. Scavenger Hunt (with autumn items)
Requirements: List of fall-themed items (acorns, pumpkins, etc.).
- Setup: Create a list of fall items for participants to find.
- How to Play: Players must find all the items on the list in a certain amount of time. The player who finds the most items wins.
38. Fall Bowling (with mini pumpkins)
Requirements: Mini pumpkins, empty bottles or cans.
- Setup: Arrange the bottles or cans in a bowling pin formation.
- How to Play: Players roll mini pumpkins to knock down the pins. The player with the most pins knocked over wins.
39. Pumpkin Seed Spitting Contest
Requirements: Pumpkin seeds, measuring tape.
- Setup: Provide each participant with pumpkin seeds.
- How to Play: Players spit pumpkin seeds and measure the distance each seed travels. The player with the farthest distance wins.
40. Harvest the Cornfield Maze
Requirements: Cornfield maze or DIY maze setup.
- Setup: Create a cornfield maze or set up a maze with fall decorations.
- How to Play: Players navigate through the maze, trying to reach the exit first. The fastest person wins.
41. Gourd Guessing Contest
Requirements: Various types of gourds, a large jar.
- Setup: Place a collection of gourds in a jar.
- How to Play: Players guess how many gourds are in the jar. The person with the closest guess wins.
42. Falling Apple Game (roll apples down a hill)
Requirements: Apples, hill or inclined surface.
- Setup: Roll apples down a small hill or ramp.
- How to Play: Players take turns rolling apples down the hill, trying to make them travel the farthest distance. The player with the farthest apple wins.
43. Pumpkin Patch Obstacle Course
Requirements: Hay bales, small pumpkins, obstacles (cones, ropes).
- Setup: Set up an obstacle course using fall items.
- How to Play: Players race through the obstacle course, navigating around pumpkins and other obstacles. The first player to complete the course wins.
44. Hayride Bingo
Requirements: Bingo cards with fall-related images, markers.
- Setup: Provide each player with a bingo card and markers.
- How to Play: As the hayride moves along, players mark off images they spot on their bingo cards. The first person to complete a row wins.
45. Acorn Toss
Requirements: Acorns, small baskets or hoops.
- Setup: Place baskets or hoops a certain distance away.
- How to Play: Players toss acorns into the baskets or hoops. The player with the most acorns in the baskets wins.
46. Pumpkin Balance Race
Requirements: Small pumpkins, spoons.
- Setup: Mark a start and finish line.
- How to Play: Players must balance a small pumpkin on a spoon and race to the finish line without dropping it. The first player to cross the finish line wins.
47. Witch’s Hat Ring Toss
Requirements: Plastic witch hats, rings or hoops.
- Setup: Place the witch hats on the ground.
- How to Play: Players throw rings or hoops at the hats. Points are awarded for each successful ring toss. The player with the most points wins.
48. Fall Charades
Requirements: Fall-themed charades prompts.
- Setup: Write fall-related words or phrases on slips of paper.
- How to Play: Players take turns acting out fall-themed words or phrases while the rest of the group guesses. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
49. Spider Web Relay
Requirements: String or yarn, space to create a web.
- Setup: Create a “spider web” using string or yarn.
- How to Play: Players must crawl or maneuver through the web without touching the strings. The fastest player to complete the challenge wins.
50. Pumpkin Bowling
Requirements: Small pumpkins, empty cans or bottles.
- Setup: Set up cans or bottles in a bowling pin formation.
- How to Play: Players roll pumpkins to knock down the cans or bottles. The player who knocks over the most pins wins.
These Fall Festival Game Ideas can be easily adapted to suit any group size and space, and they’re guaranteed to add fun and laughter to your fall party!
Hi, I’m Maggie Culp, the founder of PartyVibesFun.com, based in North Little Rock, Arkansas, United States! With a passion for creating unforgettable celebrations, I specialize in turning any event into a fun and vibrant experience. From birthday parties to themed gatherings, I’m here to help you bring your party ideas to life with ease and excitement. Whether you’re looking for unique games, creative themes, or party planning tips, I’m dedicated to making sure every moment of your event is filled with joy. Let’s create memories together and make your next party the talk of the town!