DIY: Face Painting Activity Station for a Circus Themed Party

Who doesn’t love a circus theme? Just imagine the bold, bright colors, the festive decorations, the fun games and activities you can incorporate. And with all the popular circus characters that children know and love, one party activity that’s sure to be a hit would be a face painting booth! Kids could fall in line to be made up as clowns, the ring master, even circus animals like trained lions, tigers, or dancing bears.

table with face painting supplies

To make this activity extra special, though, we suggest dressing up a spot at the party venue with more than just a table and two chairs. Here, we demonstrate how this can be done with minimal fuss and expense—using simple fabric draping, a colorful sign, and a mirror on an easel. One face painting booth coming up (*this post contains affiliate links)!

Create the Illusion of a Glamorous Booth

how to make your own face painting station

The neat thing about this activity booth is that it need not even be a booth at all! What we are creating is the illusion of one, even if it is actually an open area off to one side of the party venue. A fabric-draped “doorway” creates a glamorous booth that is positioned with a sparkly “face painting” signage.

Craft a Face Painting Welcome Sign with Glittery Foam Letters

sparkling letters for a face painting party

Invite the little guests to come be transformed into circus characters with a colorfully lettered sign. Ours makes use of a small pre-stretched canvas (available at all craft supply stores), glittered foam board cut into letters (note: these can be bought as pre-cut letters via Amazon), and a miniature wooden easel. You could, of course, decorate your sign as elaborately as you like to really play up the circus-y look!

Supplies to Use for Face Painting

face painting supplies

Have an assortment of face painting kits (via Amazon) ready for guests. Nowadays, these come all ready to use with applicators like brushes and sponges, instructions on how to create different “faces,” and guarantees of safe use on children’s skin (be sure to look for this on the packaging!).

Set Up the Booth’s “Interior”

ottoman and chair with mirror in the background for a circus activity table

For the “inside” of the booth, set up a sturdy chair for the children to sit on and a colorful plush or velvet ottoman for the face painter to use. We chose one in a deep purple color to suit our circus palette of magenta, orange, purple, and yellow.

colorful accents for a circus party mirror

Then, of course, the children will want to see their painted faces in process, as well as the final look. So mount a gold-framed mirror on a large easel and adorn it with curlicue cutouts, ribbons, and feathers—again in the chosen circus colors.

Recap: From Handmade Details to the Total Look

face painting station signage

As you can see, this activity area is actually a cinch to make. The only challenging element would perhaps be the free-standing door frame, which serves as the welcoming entryway. This would certainly require some carpentry. But you could always fabricate a similar effect, using an outdoor arbor or garden trellis—or simply stringing heavy cord between two trees and draping the fabric over that!

The rest of the details are either easily hand made (like the sign) or readily available in a craft store (like the paint kits) or your own home (like the furniture pieces). Just add festive finishing touches, like balloons, ribbons, and feathers. Then, you’ll have one fun activity for bringing the circus to life at your party!

MORE CIRCUS PARTY DECORATIONS AND FAVOR IDEAS

How to Make Your Own Circus Party Cones for Candy and Popcorn

Circus Themed Dessert and Snack Table for Kids

DIY Circus Party Table Centerpieces

Circus Themed Birthday Cake

Circus Party Favors to Make

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