A carnival is a festive celebration filled with games, rides, food stands, and entertainment. Picture colorful tents and booths lining the streets, the smell of popcorn and cotton candy in the air, children shrieking with delight on a spinning ride, and crowds of people trying to win prizes by tossing rings or knocking down bottles.

Carnivals often travel from town to town, setting up for a few days before moving on. Carnival workers operate the rides and games, assembling and disassembling everything as they go. You might see a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, or a fun house with mirrors that make you look stretched or squished.

Today, some cities host famous carnivals with elaborate parades, costumes, and music, like the carnival in Rio de Janeiro or Mardi Gras in New Orleans. But even a small traveling carnival that visits your town's parking lot for a weekend carries that same spirit: a temporary world of excitement and possibility, where ordinary life pauses and everyone comes together to play.