corporate holiday parties in Newport Beach.

A company holiday party as a carnival in Newport Beach.

Take a company holding its party on a weekend afternoon, with a corner of its lot or a city lawn set aside. Striped booths run along the edge, the DJ sets up near the gate, and a caricature artist and a balloon artist take positions at the middle of the crowd. The Santa station sits beside the entrance, so staff with children reach it first. Prizes are won at ring toss and milk can toss, and the company's caterer serves the meal at its own tables.

For an adult-only evening, the inflatables and the children's entertainers are left out. The booths, the concessions (churros, pretzels, popcorn, cotton candy, nachos, snow cones and caramel apples) and the music remain, and a walk-around magician or a juggler adds variety between games. Because light fades early in December, the string lights on the booths shape the look of an evening party. The host chooses the closing time, and a shorter window of two hours is possible. The crew arrives well before the first guest, so the company's own people can enjoy the party instead of lifting booths. A company with staff on different schedules can open the booths in two or three waves, with the DJ filling the gaps, and prizes can be stocked for the combined list. The walk-through with The Carnival Fun Experts comes before the final headcount, which is when the property manager or the city can raise any limit on the space. Putting the entertainers on the list at that stage lets The Carnival Fun Experts plan where each one stands, so the caricature artist is not competing with the DJ for the same corner of the lot.