jam·bo·ree
ˌjambəˈrē/ | noun
1. a large celebration or party, typically a lavish and boisterous one.
CLIENTS WHO KNOW
HOW TO PARTY
Game On
Jambo brings your guests together like nothing else.
The inspiration behind Upstate Jamboree stemmed from a deep love for fostering connection, a passion for carpentry, and our combined decade of experience in NYC’s service industry.
It all started when close friends asked to borrow our cornhole boards for their wedding. We spent a majority of cocktail hour tossing bags with guests who had flown in from all over the world—England, Spain, Canada, Portugal and Mexico. By the time dinner rolled around, we were all besties! We loved how the games brought us all together, and without any awkward small talk.
When we had our lightbulb moment for Upstate Jamboree, there were no other game rentals companies like ours around. You could only find arcade game rentals and inflatables! We wanted to offer something more meaningful and memorable than the standard event fare—a beautiful, high-quality product to serve as an interactive centerpiece to elevate the entire event experience and aesthetic.
Our games are truly one of a kind.
Our passion for woodworking and commitment to sustainability led us to craft our games from locally sourced wood from the Catskill Mountains whenever possible, and lends to their truly unique elegance. We build our signature games from scratch with local cherry, ash and spalted maple to reflect the beauty of our region, and to be functional works of art. This combination of quality, creativity, and a love for bringing people together is what drove us to start Upstate Jamboree. And it’s seeing guests of all ages come together over a friendly game that inspires us every day!
Get your guests mixing and mingling like long lost pals!
While we offer crowd favorites like Cornhole, Croquet, Giant Jenga, Connect Four, Bocce Ball and Giant Chess, our signature life-sized board games inspired by old world Europe and traveling carnivals are our pride and joy.
We cull inspiration from what you would have seen at an open air market in France or a rowdy pub in The Netherlands as far back as the 1300s, but with our own modern twist.
You cannot find these games anywhere else! We’ve updated the designs and simplified the rules of the antique games ours are inspired by so they are a cinch to command. And the best part? Our games are the perfect party ice breaker that will have your guests putting down their phones and genuinely connecting. We’re bringing good ol’ fashioned analog entertainment back in style, baby!
AS FEATURED IN
While the Hudson Valley is home, our giant lawn & board games are available for rent throughout New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and beyond!
Our game rental packages are ideal for weddings (rehearsal dinners, cocktail hour, reception and wedding weekend brunches) and are fabulous fun for corporate events (like the Squarespace Summer Party), birthdays, bar and bat mitzvahs (check out this fun one), anniversary parties, bachelorette weekends, graduations and festivals. Plus we love a good adventure and are happy to travel out of state!
Visit our Rental Packages page to see the variety of lawn and table games we offer, or visit the Featured Events page to see the games in action at past events.
MEET THE FOUNDERS
PARTNERS IN LIFE AND BUSINESS
Tyler Alan Mason
CO-FOUNDER & CRAFTSMAN
Tyler was drawn to carpentry right out of high school. From custom furniture to the restoration of a 300-year-old stone house, Tyler has honed his skills over the past fifteen years. Eager to start a business of his own that combines his love of woodworking with old world design and endless fun, Jambo was born. When Tyler is not in the woodshop or manning an event, you can find him sailing on the Hudson River, hiking through the Catskills, or writing a new song.
Bea Rue
CO-FOUNDER & HEAD CARNIE
In her heart of hearts, Bea is a carnie. So when Tyler told her about his idea for a handmade game rental business, she was all in. She immediately got to work designing the logo, building the website and dreaming up new partnerships. Fast forward to today, and Bea continues to manage the branding, marketing, and operations side of things while constantly in awe of Tyler's incredible craftsmanship. Becoming a full-time wedding carnie and managing a business with her partner of over 10 years couldn’t be more fulfilling!
OUR MISSION
To tread lightly on this earth, and have a darn good time doing it!
We want to provide you and your guests with the most fabulously fun gaming experience imaginable, in a responsible way. Using sustainable, locally harvested wood from our neighbors in Upstate New York's Hudson Valley, we build beautiful heirloom quality lawn and table games that are used again and again, reducing our footprint while bringing joy to hundreds of people at a time. We avoid using plastic whenever possible, use solar lighting, repurpose vintage hardware, and pride ourselves on the lost art of repair. There are NO disposable single-use items included in any of our rental packages!