Behind the Scenes: What It Takes to Build a Carnival Event

When guests arrive at a carnival event, they see the bright lights, exciting rides, games, food trucks, and all the smiling faces. Feeling the nostalgic moments as an adult when you enter the gates, remembering the ride you asked your parents to go on with you a million times over. Or the excitement that overtakes your body as a kid when you see the tallest and fastest ride. What you may not see (and I, myself included) is the incredible amount of planning, equipment, and teamwork required to transform an empty parking lot into a fully operating event.

This is my second full week here at ACP Entertainment working as their marketing position. As someone who has never worked in the event industry, as a matter of fact, I have only ever worked in the restaurant industry throughout high school and college. Stepping into this new role felt just as exciting (and nerve racking) as strapping into our Momentum Drop Tower ride. Unsure of the ups and downs, learning curves, and new experiences that were ahead for me.

This week, I had the pleasure of being able to attend one of our larger events. I wanted to know the ins and outs of an event to answer a lot of my own questions. To know how to “market” an event, you have to know what goes into it. And let me start by saying this is no small task. Teamwork is one of our biggest core values, and once you get through my blog post, you too will understand why. It takes an army here, and we are just that. 

At ACP Entertainment, every event starts long before the first guest walks through the gate. An event starts right here in our office. Our office team is here everyday Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm, to take calls, answer emails, and help guide our customers through planning their next perfect event. Kristin and Annie are our main sales team members. If you have ever booked an event with us, I am certain you have spoken directly with them. Both of them have the utmost knowledge of our business. Just in these 2 weeks I have heard a plethora of questions that each of them can answer directly on the spot. Anywhere from “How much does a Ferris wheel cost for the day?” to, “I am planning an end of the school year party and I have no idea where to start”. They know our rides, games, and inflatables like their ABC’s. They are eager to help each customer answer all their questions and help find the perfect rides, games, and inflatables for any event. 

Once an event is booked through our office, we send over a “packing list” (super convenient) to our operations team. This is where they can go over what rides, games, and inflatables they will need to bring and what trucks are available to haul them. This also includes generators for the events we book that do not have access to power. Generators and that learning curve could be its own separate blog post. I won’t dive into that today. 

After that our operations team puts together an event layout, so once our team arrives at the event we can place each ride, game, and inflatable in the correct spot. This is for safety, accessibility, and also aesthetics of an event. If something does not work, or our customer does not approve of the layout, we change the layout according to their needs. 

Before a single ride can be assembled, our equipment has to arrive safely at the event site.

Each carnival ride travels on specialized trailers designed to transport large ride components efficiently and securely. Depending on the size of the event, multiple trucks and trailers may be required to move rides, games, fencing, generators, lighting equipment, and support equipment.

Coordinating the transportation of an entire carnival is like putting together a giant puzzle. Every trailer has a designated place and schedule to ensure setup begins as smoothly as possible once we arrive.

Once our team arrives, the first step is preparing the site. Crew members review the layout plans and determine exactly where each ride, game, and inflatable will be located. Proper spacing is important not only for guest safety but also traffic flow, accessibility, and visibility. Our crew is backing up each trailer multiple times (and I mean MULTIPLE) until we are in the exact location that was planned for the event. 

This is where the transformation really begins and our ACP team hits the ground SPRINTING. Every ride arrives almost in sections if you can imagine that, and must be carefully assembled by our trained professionals. Our crew works together to raise towers, connect ride arms, install seating systems, secure safety restraints, and connect electrical components. Each ride has its own unique setup process. Some attractions can be assembled relatively quickly, while larger rides require additional time, equipment, and manpower. Specifically our Ferris Wheel, it looks like it would be a pain to put together and it certainly is no small job to say the least. Throughout the process, our team follows detailed procedures to ensure every component is installed correctly and safely. Watching our team put together an entire carnival in basically an hour was mind blowing to me. Every team member has something in their hands at all times or is moving to a new ride to start setting it up or help with the set up process. Even though each of our team members is assigned a ride to assemble at an event, each one of them is more than willing to step in where needed. Most of our team members have the knowledge and experience to put together just about any ride we have. Teamwork is not just a core value to display on our website. Teamwork is at the heart of who we are, guiding our values, and shaping everything we do.

Safety is our main priority here at ACP and our first core value. Not only because it has to be, but because we truly care about our guests and their experience. Before any ride can open to the public, it undergoes multiple inspections and testing procedures. It was so cool to watch the team turn on the rides after seeing each ride literally in pieces an hour beforehand. Magic, some might say, but I think our operations team would say that it’s a whole lot of manual labor. 

Our ACP team carefully checks mechanical systems, electrical connections, safety restraints, and operational controls. Rides are test-cycled multiple times to ensure everything functions properly before we let our first guest onto our rides.

Safety is not just a step in the process—it’s part of everything we do from arrival to opening the gates of an event.

One of the questions I have asked myself and I am sure many of our customers wonder is, “How long does it take to set everything up?”

The answer depends on the size of the event, the number of rides, occasionally weather conditions, and site requirements. However, what really surprised me is how quickly an experienced crew can transform an empty lot into a fully functioning carnival. Thanks to years of experience, detailed planning, and teamwork, our ACP team can assemble multiple rides and attractions in a remarkably short amount of time. What looks impossible to many guests and customers is simply another fun day on the job for our dedicated team.

At the heart of every successful event our team puts on, is an experienced crew that works extremely hard behind the scenes to make the magic happen. From our drivers and setup teams to ride operators and office staff, every team member plays an important role in creating a safe, fun, and memorable experience for our guests. 

The next time you visit an ACP Entertainment event, take a moment to appreciate everything that happened before opening day. I can tell you that now I have a greater appreciation and understanding of what truly goes into putting on an event. Behind every ride, every light, and every smile is our hardworking “A-team” committed to bringing the fun and excitement to your event.