My cousins and I decided to spend our Sunday night at the carnival.
We were beyond excited because this was the first time this year that we were going to the carnival together. There’s just something about being with family and friends, enjoying the lights, the games, and the thrill of the rides that makes everything so much more fun.
As we arrived, the first thing that caught our attention was the dazzling display of colorful lights. The carnival was alive with energy—brightly lit rides spinning in different directions, game booths filled with eager players, and the smell of popcorn, cotton candy, and street food filled the air. It felt like stepping into a different world, one where excitement and laughter took over.
Our first stop? The card games booth—a classic in every carnival we’ve been to. The game was simple but thrilling. You place your bet on one of the available card options, and if you win, you get a payout of three times your bet. The choices for betting were the 9 of Diamonds, Queen of Spades, Ace of Spades, 10 of Hearts, and King of Diamonds. We decided to bet on the King of Diamonds with $0.30, hoping that luck would be on our side.
This "Drop Ball Card Game" anticipation while waiting for the winning card to be revealed was intense. A player has a ball and can pass it to any other player. The receiving player will throw the ball into a funnel, and the ball will roll until it stops on a specific card. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the King of Diamonds—but instead of being disappointed, we just laughed it off. Winning would have been great, but the real fun was in playing and experiencing the excitement together.
After the card game, we moved on to another exciting game—the color board game. At first, we just observed to see which colors appeared most frequently. After watching for a while, I decided to place my bet on red. When the results were revealed, red appeared two times, meaning I won twice my bet! My $1 bet turned into $3, and I was absolutely thrilled.
The excitement was contagious as more and more people gathered around, watching and cheering for every winner. The energy in the crowd made the experience even more enjoyable, and for a moment, I felt like the luckiest person there.
For another color game, this one is different from the other color game, we bet on a specific color by placing our wager on a board or a designated betting area. The available colors are visible on the game board. The game operator or sometimes a player drops or rolls a small ball onto the board and the ball will eventually stop in one of the colored holes. If the ball lands on the color a player bet on, they win a corresponding payout based on the odds shown on the payout chart. In this game, we weren’t lucky, so we didn’t try again.
After the card game, we continued exploring the carnival. We passed by more game booths—ring toss, shooting games, and the infamous balloon darts. One of my cousins tried the ring toss game, and after a few tries, managed to win a small stuffed toy. We all cheered as if he had won a grand prize. It’s these little moments that make the night unforgettable.
Next, we tried our luck at the shooting game, where you have to hit targets using a toy gun. Each player was given 12 bullets, and the goal was to hit as many targets as possible.
At first, I wasn’t expecting much, but to my surprise, I managed to hit six consecutive shots without missing a single one! It was completely unexpected, and I was both shocked and excited at the same time. My cousins cheered loudly, and even the people around us were amazed. It felt like a moment straight out of a movie!
Because of that streak, we won a prize—a lollipop and some bread. It wasn’t the biggest prize, but it was still a fun reward that made the whole experience even more memorable. We laughed about it, joking that maybe I had some hidden sharpshooter skills.
As the night went on, we realized how much time had passed. We had been at the carnival for hours, yet it felt like only a short while. We took one last walk around, taking in the sights and sounds before finally deciding to head home. Before leaving, we made sure to take a group photo to remember the night. We were all smiling, tired, but incredibly happy.
As we rode back home, we talked about our favorite moments of the night and even made plans to go again next time. Maybe next time, we’ll win that card game. Or maybe we’ll try even more rides. One thing’s for sure—we’ll be back, ready for another night of fun and adventure.