- Hold a Purim costume parade and give out prizes for best costume in several genres. It is customary during the holiday of Purim to dress up as some of the characters involved in the celebration. Little girls often put on lovely gowns and dress as Queen Esther, the heroine who helped save the Jewish community from extermination. Boys often choose to dress up as Mordecai, her fellow protagonist. Have all those wearing their costumes walk around the block to show off. Hand out small prizes such as noise makers and chocolate for categories such as prettiest costume, youngest entrant, oldest entrant, most elaborate costume and best impersonation of a queen.
- Hold a noise-making contest. Many Jewish denominations urge people to celebrate the holiday by making as much noise as possible. The idea is to drown out the sound of Haman's name every time it is used. Haman was an advisor of the Persian King Ahasuerus. Haman tried to convince the king to murder all the Jews living in his kingdom. Have participants see how much noise they can make with their voices, with instruments and with noise makers. Hold different contests by age, and have audience members vote on the winners. Hand out earplugs for those not wishing to participate.
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Hold "Hit Haman" games. Place a picture of Haman on a wall and have participants throw darts at the picture. The one hitting closest to the center of the picture wins the game. Safer variants can be played if there are young children around, such as with suction cups or water balloons instead.
Be careful when holding a noise-making contest if you live in an area with many houses nearby. There may be ordinances against making too much noise, especially during certain hours.
