Try seperating the two. Have a Chilli Supper along with the carnival. Host the costume party on another night. Maybe incorporate a bake sale to go with the costume party.

We have our annual fall carnival every year and every year we have a problem between the chili supper, costume parade and carnival games. Parents don't want the kids to eat chili before the parade in case they get their costume dirty. The older groups want to eat before the kids crowd the cafeteria. In the meantime, we have teachers who are running their own carnival games and don't get a chance to eat or see the parade because they are manning their rooms. We have tried all sorts of ideas, such as having the dinner available while the parade is going on but then the kids were lining up in the cafeteria and causing problems for those who were eating (we are a small school). We tried having the parade and serving chili at it's completion but then there were too many people waiting in line to eat and the cooks were very overwhelmed! We usually have the carnival from 6-8 and then on top of that have a cake walk from 8-10! Tradition rules the roost here and I can't get rid of any items! Please help!