The temperatures are decreasing, pumpkins are appearing at the grocery stores and Walgreens flu commercials are on air. Fall is here! A tradition we have at our church every year in October is our Fall Festival. Meetings for planning are in the process of starting and we’re beginning to set up the details of this celebration.
Here are some fall festival ideas for church to consider organizing an event in the fall.
1) Picking the Date:
Do you want your celebration to function as an alternative to Halloween? Do you want to give your family an activity that is fun for everyone? Consider the ideal date to hold for your Fall Festival. Our attendance increased by holding it the Wednesday night prior to Halloween instead of on the weekend or on the actual Halloween night.
It also lets us get the participation of our regular Wednesday night guests to assist in the celebration, as well as making sure that our families are able to attend since the evening is typically reserved for church activities. Pick a time which will guarantee you have enough volunteers, and will not interfere with the other 15 festivals that are taking place in your region.
2) Choosing Activities
: At our Autumn Festival we will have a variety of booths for activities that are available to elementary and preschool age children. It is crucial to keep the elementary and preschool booths in a separate area. So you don’t have fourth graders running over the three year olds. There are age-appropriate games at every booth. One example of a booth for preschoolers would be that of the Duck Pond. A small pool full of water, and yellow rubber ducks are set on the bottom of the lake. The children pick a duck, and the number that is written at the bottom of the page is how much candy that they will receive.
One of the booths we have in our elementary school can be The Basketball Shoot. Create a basketball goal and draw different lines the where children have to shoot from. Children are awarded candy for each goal they achieve. In the last year on my church campus, we had five preschool booths as well as 6 elementary stations. Along with the various activities we also offered faces painting and hay rides popcorn , cotton candy along with bouncies.
3) Embracing a Budget:
We have a Fall Festival is one of the most costly events we can offer our children. The cost of candy itself is costly. If you’re thinking of hosting an event for the first time at a Fall Festival, consider asking your church members to contribute candy. This was what we did for the very first Easter Egg Hunt last April and the church kindly donated 70 percent of our candy required!
Another way to reduce the budget is to solicit church members to donate items you’ll need for your booths. Church members can offer their tricycles, basketball goals, popcorn, other games for preschoolers such as a beanbag toss. If you’re not in a position to purchase a bouncy you can contact the company and asking them to offer one to you if you mention their services during the event. You might be amazed at what people will donate by letting their name be proclaimed.
4) Considering Safety:
In Our Fall Festival, we make sure that we have plenty of security. This is an ideal occasion for local pedafiles to be aware of and make an effort to join. If you have policemen within your church, inquire to assist at the event and to ensure security. If you also have only a few parking spaces, think about asking nearby businesses to let you make use of their parking spaces at that evening. Police officers will be needed for traffic control and to ensure things moving smoothly.
5) Getting Prospects:
If you are planning to attend this year’s Fall Festival, we ask that you fill out the registration form. To encourage you to attend we’ll have an offer to give away. The prizes will be based on your budget. You could consider giving prizes for bikes or the Wii and gift cards. We request families to provide us with their name address, telephone number, address as well as e-mail address, and also to determine if they attend any church and also the name of the church they attend. Following our event we look through the cards and divide them into the church members we have as well as those who attend church as well as those who are not churched. We follow up with them in the appropriate manner. This is a fantastic opportunity to draw families from your community and make people interested in joining your church.
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We would love to hear your suggestions! If your church has held an Fall Festival, please leave an update to share your ideas to other readers. Also, you can find out about Trunk or Treat events that several churches organize.
