Carnival & Fair News

Since 1965, Christiansen Amusements has provided carnival rides, food, and games for a wide variety of events throughout California. Co-owner Stacy Brown describes the operations of the family-run company, including its rides, attractions, and values.

“We do about 50 events a year. We pared down from two units to one after COVID-19,” she notes. “We now have 15 rides, many of them old-school style, along with food and games. We go out at the beginning of February and provide the carnival for our last spot the week before Thanksgiving.” However, that does not mark the end of the year. Holiday rentals for parties, churches, corporate events, and other seasonal venues fill most of December. “We do take January off,” Brown adds.



Brown's grandparents and parents started the company. Today, she runs it alongside her husband, Tom. Their busy route takes them in a variety of directions, but never more than three hours from their San Diego home, traveling as far north as Santa Barbara and as far east as Palm Springs.

“My dad always wanted to be within a few hundred miles of home. He never wanted to be gone on the road too long. That's the way it is with my husband and me. When our kids were young, he could still coach Little League. We made our family a priority,” she says. “The carnival is our family business and our livelihood, but it's not all that we are. It's a core value for all of us to be with our family and come home.”

The company is truly a family affair. Brown's son, Gabriel, now manages day-to-day operations, and his friends Brandon and Kaitlin Hernandez have stepped into the role of food wagon chefs. Brandon attended culinary school and worked as a chef for ten years before seeking a change. Now he is “making all sorts of items for the carnival, and they love working at it. We traded a ride we weren't using for a large food wagon, and now their 13-year-old daughter comes out in the summer to learn the business, too,” Brown explains.



Food offerings include corn dogs, nachos, popcorn, cotton candy, and specialty funnel cakes. “Brandon gets super creative with different funnel cake toppings, and they're delicious,” Brown says. He also prepares corn dogs that are anything but typical. “While we use Gold Medal batter like everyone else, with his chef's touch he adds spices that make them much more flavorful and interesting.”

Among the many events the company works, one of Brown's favorites is the Fourth of July celebration in National City. “We've been there for 60 years, so that one is special to us. Every Fourth of July since I was born, I've spent there in Gimble Park,” she explains.

Brown describes business overall as somewhat quieter this year and notes that the company has weathered several cancellations due to recent ICE raids. “It's a bit like when COVID hit. No one could have imagined this situation. I was looking forward to a really good year. But some things are out of our control, and there are speed bumps along the way.”

Despite the challenges, the company continues to refresh and renovate its classic rides and recently completed full revamps on several popular attractions.

Large rides that received thorough updates include the Gravitron, the Hurricane, and what Brown describes as “a real fan favorite, our Tornado ride.” A popular kiddie ride also received a redesign. “We took our family apple ride and transformed it into the Pumpkin Spin, which is great for pumpkin patches around Halloween and other harvest-time events.”



Looking ahead to next year, the company is planning a complete revamp of its Chance Zumur swing ride. “We've had the Zumur ride for a long time, and right now our maintenance team is totally redoing it. People love that ride, and it will look completely brand new in 2026,” Brown reports.

When it comes to games, classics remain predominant, from milk cans to Ring a Duck. The most popular? “We just redid our Tubs of Fun game, and our High Striker is also a big hit,” Brown says. “We have three different striker sizes, and for the kids' version we offer a prize every time. We also have a great water race game that we got from Ronald Sutton, who traded with us for the food wagon.”



Brown says the company emphasizes providing good value for its demographic. “We do a lot of events with schools and churches, and they're not exactly rolling in extra money. So we always strive to balance making a profit with bringing value to the people we serve. We're constantly changing and evolving to do that as well as we can.”

After 60 years, one thing is certain. Christiansen Amusements continues to maintain that balance well.