This Instructable is an update to my previous one on running a messy games day; Messtival. In this Instructable I will gather more ideas together that can be either used as stand-alone games, or as part of a bigger event. You will need the recipes for slime and gunge that can be found in my other Instructables Gunge & Slime or at my webpage www.superpants.net to make the best mess possible!

Planning for each year’s event starts with asking for feedback from the previous event, where we find out what games people enjoyed most, tweaks needed, and any new ideas. Over the year between the events we gather up further ideas from a range of sources (web pages, TV-shows, conversations between friends etc.), making notes of them as we go, and then my warped imagination runs riot on the ideas, until we have a firm plan of games to play. I will also experiment extensively with new props, obstacles and ways of making a mess and incorporate these into the event.

Specific materials you need for each activity are listed with each set of instructions. Most of the games can be modified to suit your particular circumstances and available materials- I appreciate most people don’t have some of the more esoteric items I have lying around!

General items for clean-up etc. are not listed, but you can find out more items needed on the original Messtival page.

Step 1: Team T-shirts

Washable paint in team colours
Brushes and/or sponges
Coloured makeup and hairspray

In previous years we have provided t-shirts in team colours, however a good alternative is to have every participant bring a sacrificial white top- t-shirt/ vest top or similar (make sure you inform participants in advance). As a first game give teams a selection of items to decorate their t-shirts in team colours. We simply used poster paint and brushes along with coloured face paints, but you could include stamps, stencils, glitter, coloured hairspray or other similar items. You could give a specific prize for the best decorated top.

Step 2: Messy Faces

Chocolate custard (pudding)
Large tray
2 Small buckets or trays
Dense sweets that will sink in water

Thanks to Instructables user Deeg for their Slime Party for this basis of this idea.

We put about 10 litres of chocolate custard (pudding) into a tray into which were hidden loads of sweets. These need to be picked to sink in water and so we chose jelly sweets.

The game is simply run as a relay where participants have to retrieve as many sweets from the goo as possible in a set time using just their teeth. In our case as we made the custard the day before it was quite cold and lumpy when we used it, and so this didn’t prove to be a particularly popular game for some people!

The chocolate custard can be made with water instead of milk, with cocoa powder added- allow it to cool before use.

Step 3: Clown Obstacle Course

Obstacles to suit
Two pairs of clown trousers
Plastic cups
Slime

The idea of this game is to carry a cup of gunge round an obstacle course, and tip it into a pair of clown trousers one of the team members is wearing. The team with the most goo at the end of the game is the winner.

We often have some sort of obstacle course at Messtival as it is always popular; for 2014 we introduced a few new obstacles, as well re-using the old favourites of kid’s play tunnel and cargo nets.

The first new obstacle is now one of our favourites- We built a frame using quadro- a kid’s garden construction set (although wood or PVC pipe could easily have been used). The frame was strung with bungee cord to make it difficult to pass through. The top of the obstacle had a piece of large hole steel mesh placed on it. We made up a big batch of bright pink, thick stringy slime that was placed on the mesh and slowly oozed through the holes making to most fantastic stingy gooey obstacle.

We also had a water slide, which used the slope of the garden to a great advantage. This was a one off build for the event, primarily as we had 20 straw bales around us, previously used as seats at our wedding. To construct the slide we used some long lengths of 2”x4” timber rested on a few bales, and supported with more bales in the middle. To these two sheets of 15mm ply were screwed end to end, with a length of 2”x2” screwed down each side.

We used gaffer tape over joints and cheap camping mat over edges and then stapled a length of heavy duty plastic sheeting over the top. The whole thing was held in place with ratchet straps and stakes into the ground.

A landing pool was made with some more straw bales. Backed with scaff boards and stakes also held together with ratchet straps, and lined with more plastic sheeting. As this wasn’t to be used for long, we used a garden hose fed down from the top of the slide.

The last obstacle was a giant fluorescent star to climb through before any goo left in the plastic cups we used was poured into the clown trousers.

At the end of the allotted time, the trousers were emptied into a bucket, and the goo measured, with the winning team being the one with the most.

Step 4: The Tar Pits

Toy dinosaurs

Spray paint in two colours

Diving or swimming goggle based blindfolds

Pool

Slime

The aim of the game is simply to rescue your team’s dinosaurs from the evil tar pits.

We filled a large tank (a rigid garden pond) with about 300 litres of thick, black slime. Into this I put a load of toy dinosaurs bought from the local pound shop that I spray painted with cheap paint (mismatch colours). In turns the participants put on a blindfold and fish out a dinosaur in their team colour, helped by verbal clues from their team. The team with the most monsters rescued at the end of the set time is the winner.

The blindfolds were made by taking pairs of snorkelling goggles (a couple form the pound shop and one from a jumble sale) and blacking them out using sticky backed plastic (vinyl). I added googly eyes on the outside; as everyone knows, everything is better with googly eyes….

Step 5: U-Tube

U-Shaped or capped off tube

Ping-Ping ball

Gunge

Pool

This game has the simple aim of retrieving a ping-pong ball from the bottom of a piece of PVC pipe (or guttering)- the twist is that the pipe is either in the shape of a U, or has a capped off base, and a load of holes drilled into it. Team members fill the tube, whilst trying to block the holes to stop the goo leaking out. The winning team is the one that retrieves their ball first.

Step 6: Final Thoughts

When you have finished your games, don't forget to leave plenty of time to enjoy the goo!

My thanks go to the friends who have been involved with these games, and to those who have provided photos. Keep your eyes open on Instructables for updates as we try new games, or on my website www.superpants.net for other messy ideas, and projects.