Fall Festival Season Is Here And It’s One of Our Favorite Times of the Year

Fall Festival Season Is Here And It’s One of Our Favorite Times of the Year

There is something about fall festival season that feels different.

Maybe it’s finally getting a break from the Georgia summer heat. Maybe it’s seeing schools and churches decorated with pumpkins and hay bales. Or maybe it’s watching hundreds of kids run onto a field and immediately start deciding which inflatable they want to try first.

Whatever it is, fall has always been one of our favorite seasons at Astro Jump of NE Atlanta.

And even though the first official day of fall isn’t until September 22, our fall festival season is already well underway.

Every year around this time, our phones and inbox start filling up with the same types of conversations:

“We are planning our school fall festival…”

“Our church is doing a Trunk or Treat…”

“We need something fun for our community event…”

“We had you guys last year and want to do it again!”

Those are some of our favorite messages to receive.

For us, these events are about so much more than dropping off an inflatable.

We have been doing this long enough to know that behind every fall festival is usually a group of parents, teachers, church volunteers, event coordinators or staff members trying to pull together a BIG event while juggling about a hundred other things.

Our job is to make the entertainment part of that process as easy as possible.

What Makes a Great Fall Festival?

One of the first questions people ask us is:

“What should we rent?”

The answer really depends on the size of your event, the ages attending and how many people you expect.

For large school and church festivals, we usually recommend creating several different activity areas instead of relying on one or two attractions.

Obstacle courses are always extremely popular because they keep kids moving and allow multiple participants to go through at once.

Our larger obstacle courses are especially great for fall festivals because they create that instant “WOW” factor when families arrive.

You can see kids spot the giant slide from across the parking lot before they even make it through the entrance.

And yes, they immediately start asking their parents if they can go on it.

Bounce Houses and Combos Are Still Fall Festival Favorites

You really can’t go wrong with a classic bounce house.

For events with younger children, bounce houses, toddler playgrounds and inflatable combos are often some of the busiest attractions of the entire festival.

Our combo units give kids several activities in one inflatable, usually combining a bouncing area with climbing features and a slide.

They work especially well when an event has a wide range of ages attending.

And because Atlanta weather can still be pretty warm during September and October, dry slides and combo units are perfect for fall events when you don’t necessarily want to deal with water attractions.

Add Some Friendly Competition

Interactive games have become a huge part of our fall festival rentals.

Sometimes the most popular attractions aren’t the biggest ones.

Kids — and plenty of adults — love anything that lets them challenge their friends.

Football games, basketball games, axe throwing games, sports challenges and other interactive attractions can create an entirely different experience from traditional bounce houses.

They also work really well for middle school, high school and college events where guests may be a little older.

One of the things we have learned over the years is that teenagers absolutely still want to play.

You just have to give them the right game.

And Then There’s the Mechanical Bull…

If you really want people talking about your event, bring in a mechanical bull.

Our mechanical bulls, Midnight and Goliath, have become some of our favorite attractions to take to festivals, corporate events, church events and community celebrations throughout Metro Atlanta.

There is something hilarious about watching a group of friends convince each other that they can stay on longer.

Then the first person climbs on.

Suddenly everyone is standing around cheering.

Mechanical bulls are especially fun for events with teens and adults because they give the older crowd something they can participate in too.

And yes, we provide trained operators for all of our mechanical bull rentals.

Carnival Games Are Perfect for Fall

Fall festivals and carnival games just belong together.

Games like football tosses, carnival-style challenges and interactive games can help spread guests throughout your event and create smaller activity stations.

For larger events, this is something we always recommend thinking about.

If you expect several hundred people, you don’t want every guest standing in one enormous line.

Having multiple attractions gives everyone more to do and keeps your festival flowing.

That is one of the reasons we often suggest combining:

• An obstacle course
• A bounce house or combo
• Several interactive or carnival games
• An attraction for older kids or adults

That mix gives you something for almost everyone.

School Fall Festivals Are Some of Our Biggest Events

We work with schools throughout Metro Atlanta every year, and fall festivals are some of the events we look forward to most.

Many of our school customers come back year after year.

Sometimes we bring the same favorites.

Other times they call and say:

“What can we do differently this year?”

That’s when we get to have some fun.

We can look at what they rented previously, approximately how many students and families will attend, their available space and their budget and help build a different combination of attractions.

Elementary school festivals may focus heavily on bounce houses, slides and obstacle courses.

Middle and high school events may benefit from more competitive interactive games.

There isn’t one perfect package for every school.

And we actually prefer it that way.

Church Fall Festivals and Trunk or Treat Events

October weekends in Metro Atlanta are filled with church fall festivals and Trunk or Treat events.

These events often bring together hundreds of families from both the church and surrounding community.

Inflatables work incredibly well because kids can move between the trunks, food, games and activities throughout the event.

Depending on the size of the festival, churches may choose everything from a couple of bounce houses to a full entertainment area with obstacle courses, interactive games and larger attractions.

One thing we always recommend for larger church events is booking early.

October is one of the busiest months of our entire year.

Popular inflatables can be reserved weeks in advance, especially on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays.

Planning a Fall Festival in Gwinnett, Dekalb, Fulton, Forsyth, Hall or Anywhere in Metro Atlanta?

Being located in Northeast Atlanta means we get to work with communities all across the area.

You may see our trucks heading to events throughout Gwinnett County one day and Forsyth, Hall, Fulton, Cobb, and DeKalb County the next.

Every location is a little different.

Sometimes we’re setting up on a huge school field.

Sometimes it’s a church parking lot.

Sometimes it’s turf.

Sometimes it’s indoors.

That is why we ask questions about your event location before recommending equipment.

We want to know things like:

How much space do you have?

What surface will the inflatable be on?

How many people are attending?

What ages will be there?

Is electricity available near the setup area?

Would generators be needed?

Those details help us recommend attractions that actually make sense for your event instead of simply trying to add more equipment to a quote.

Our Goal Has Always Been to Make Events Easier

We know event planning can be stressful.

Most of the people contacting us aren't professional event planners.

They’re moms volunteering for the PTA.

They’re teachers.

They’re church staff.

They’re students planning a university event.

They’re employees who somehow got volunteered to organize the company picnic.

And they’re usually trying to coordinate food, volunteers, entertainment, parking, vendors and about fifty other things at the same time.

That’s why our goal has always been pretty simple:

Make this part easy.

Tell us about your event.

Tell us approximately how many people you expect.

Tell us the ages attending and your budget.

Then let us help you figure out what will work.

After doing this for as many fall festival seasons as we have, we usually have a pretty good idea of what attractions will keep your guests entertained.

Don't Wait Too Long to Reserve Your October Event

This is the one piece of advice I give every fall:

If your festival is in October, don't wait until October to start planning the entertainment.

October is peak fall festival season in Metro Atlanta, and inventory becomes limited quickly.

If you already know your event date, now is the time to start looking at options.

Even if you aren't completely sure what you want yet, send us a rental request or give us a call. 770-529-0053

We can help you narrow it down.

Whether you're planning a school fall festival, church festival, Trunk or Treat, corporate event, college event or community celebration, we'd love to help make it one your guests remember.

After all, fall festivals only come around once a year.

You might as well make yours fun.

Ready to start planning your fall festival?

Visit Astro Jump of NE Atlanta and submit a rental request to check availability for your date.

We provide inflatable rentals, obstacle courses, interactive games, mechanical bulls and event entertainment throughout Northeast Atlanta and surrounding Metro Atlanta communities.

Let us help you create The Easiest Party You Will Ever Have.