CARNIVAL GAMES OR RIDES
At the OC Fair, this ride gives you the best view of Costa Mesa, but if you get stuck at the very top while they load new passengers, you might be there a while.
What is a Ferris Wheel?
If you walk out of a concert at the Crypto.com Arena, you will 100% smell these bacon-wrapped snacks being grilled on shopping carts by illegal vendors.
What are Danger Dogs (or Street Dogs/Dirty Dogs)?
This city is home to the Eiffel Tower and hosted the Summer Olympics just last year in 2024.
What is Paris?
In this event, four runners pass a baton to each other, and if they drop it, the whole team is disqualified.
What is a Relay (specifically the 4x100 or 4x400)?
"And I... " This powerful ballad was written by Dolly Parton but made legendary by Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard.
What is "I Will Always Love You"?
Though it looks easy, the "basket" in this game is actually oval-shaped and tilted forward, making it nearly impossible for the ball to stay inside unless you use a high arc.
What is the Basketball Toss (or Hoops)?
A massive viral trend in 2024 and 2025, this dessert involves a chocolate bar stuffed with pistachio cream and this crunchy shredded pastry dough.
What is Dubai Chocoloate or Kataifi (or Kunafa/Knafeh)?
This Japanese city is famous for the Shibuya Crossing, anime culture, and having the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world.
What is Tokyo?
Often called "the mile" by students (even though it's technically 9 meters short of a mile), this 4-lap race is the standard distance event in high school track.
What is the 1600 meters?
This 2011 hit by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris is an upbeat dance anthem with the lyrics, "Yellow diamonds in the light... standing side by side."
What is "We Found Love"?
If you win a goldfish at the fair, you likely played this game where you toss a small plastic item onto a table filled with glass bowls.
What is the Ping Pong Toss (or Fishbowl Game)?
Often sold by the "corn man" in your neighborhood, this snack features corn on the cob slathered in mayo, cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime.
What is Elote?
If you want to see the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, you’ll need to book a flight to this wealthy city in the United Arab Emirates.
What is Dubai?
This field event requires you to sprint down a runway and launch yourself backward over a horizontal bar, landing on a giant foam mat.
What is the High Jump?
Often played at weddings, this John Legend song was written for his wife Chrissy Teigen and features the line, "Love your curves and all your edges."
What is "All of Me"?
Looking like a starship, this ride spins so fast that centrifugal force sticks you to the wall, allowing you to lift your feet (and crawl up the wall if the operator isn't looking).
What is the Gravitron?
Originating in Taiwan, this drink—now a staple of every SoCal strip mall—features tea, milk, and chewy tapioca pearls that you suck up through a giant straw.
What is Boba (or Bubble Tea)?
Known as the "Eternal City," this European capital surrounds an entirely separate country (The Vatican) within its city limits.
What is Rome?
Competitors in this event use a long, flexible fiberglass stick to propel themselves over a bar that can be nearly 20 feet in the air.
What is the Pole Vault?
In this 2003 hit, the singer states that material possessions and money mean nothing without the one they love.
What is "If I Ain't Got You"?
This ride spins you in three different circles at once, guaranteeing that you will crush the person sitting on the outside of the car.
What is the Scrambler?
This specific Vietnamese sandwich is a product of French colonialism, combining a crispy baguette with pate, pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro, and jalapeños.
What is Banh Mi?
This Brazilian city is famous for its Christ the Redeemer statue and the massive Copacabana beach, but it is not the capital of the country.
What is Rio de Janeiro?
This throwing event doesn't use a ball; instead, you throw a heavy metal disc (1.6kg for boys, 1kg for girls) using a spinning technique to generate momentum.
What is the Discus?
Released in 2008, this breezy, ukulele-driven track by Jason Mraz includes the line, "Well, open up your mind and see like me / Open up your plans and man, you're free"
What is "I'm Yours"?