There are thirteen different lottery booths, or Tombolas, scattered throughout the carnival grounds, catering to all ages and senses of humour. Some demand luck, some demand skill, and some demand acceptance that you cannot win. Lundagård’s reporters tested each one to compile this ultimate ranking.
Most hyped
Last Friday Flight begins with a story: Katy Perry has fallen out of a rocket, and it is your job to save her by throwing Katy Perrys (Barbie dolls) into various-sized holes. It is competitive between two players, and the song Last Friday Night plays throughout. Hilda, one of the workers, informed Lundagård that the song would be played a total of 498 times throughout the carnival weekend.
Most economical
Tillbaka till Karnevalaxen is a simple game of air hockey on a three-minute timer. They also arguably have the best prize, a slap bracelet, as opposed to the candy you can win at most other stalls. The three-minute duration is a lot longer than most other tombola games.
Most sadistic
Kometregen has no prize or strategy. Several ropes are handed to the participant, and a wheel is spun to decide how many of the ropes the participant is allowed to pull. One rope is attached to a bucket, which will drop water on a worker’s head if pulled.
Best to play with friends
Hydropocalypse is a game where you and one friend shoot water at an alien, aiming to fill up empty bottles until they fall over. The game is well-made, fast-paced, and on-theme.
Best for the little ones
Träsket Bakom Mänskenet is a Shrek-themed throwing game for kids. The aim is to throw sandbags into holes, and you can compete against a friend.
Most worth it overall
Rainbow Road is a Mario Kart-inspired game where the goal is to move a ball to the end of a target by lifting a wooden plank with holes. The game is timed, suitable for 1 or 2 people, and moderately challenging. This is our overall best pick as the game remains on theme, is well-crafted, and relies on both skill and luck.
What didn’t make the shortlist:
Casino Cosmopol-i-stan is a handcrafted flipper game where you place bets on Lund celebrities. The flipper mechanics are questionable, but this is a great option for anyone too young to legally bet in Sweden.
The aim in Tychos Blue Balls is to roll balls into targets to get points. While we appreciate the pun, the game has some engineering difficulties and can be safely skipped.
At Skytten, you shoot small balls into holes with makeshift balloon guns. While on theme, the functionality of the apparatus varies greatly.
The Buzzed Aldrin consists of rubber darts that you and a friend throw at planets, aiming to collect points. The game mechanics are dubious, and most darts do not stick particularly well.
Slumpen.se is a two-players competitive fishing game. While not on theme, Swedish audiences might appreciate the word play on “dumpen.se”.
A Reptile Dysfunction operates similarly to Rainbow Road. The goal is to move a ball vertically up a wooden board without dropping. The prize is a sticky toy lizard. Overall, the game is fun and challenging.
Clean the Milky Way satirised the allegation that MAX Burgers makes their milkshakes in cleaning baskets. It is a two player competitive game where you have to get cleaning equipment into a bucket.
