Terrifying dreams of carnivals

I have the same dream where I’m at a carnival at night. I’m usually being left behind by someone or trying to find someone. I’m usually lost with no sense of direction on how to get out of the carnival or how to get to the person I’m looking for. Sometimes I’m in a car but it won’t start so I can’t leave the carnival and drive off. Sometimes I’m stuck at the carnival at closing time and can’t find my way out. Not sure if this is all just stress driven or what. Anyone else had a dream like this?

Sorry you are having those scary dreams. I have never had a carnival dream but I often have nightmares about being lost with no way to get out. Sometimes I dream that I can't remember where I parked my car and I wander and wander around. Sometimes in the dream I even forget what kind of car I have. Sadly I really don't know anything about dream interpretation. In my case, I think my nightmares are connected to my fear to getting Alzheimer's disease. So sorry I cannot be helpful to you.

Carnivals are full of disorganization, chaos and strangers. So, my interpretation of your carnival dream is that you feel left behind by people in your life; you feel lost in the crowd, with no sense of direction about your life's choices right now. Maybe you're on the fence about some life decisions?

The car not starting is you not following through on a decision that will take you forward. Being stuck at the carnival when it closes makes me think you may feel stuck in your life, like, you have no other options with a situation you're dealing with? You feel trapped?

I have these types of dreams sometimes too.

In this dream, it definitely sounds like the carnival is an emotional setting more than a direct symbol. I have to agree with Motts on the big interpretation. The being lost in the crowd and the being left behind by people in your life...

I'd add to this, there's a theme here about time running out. Some sort of deadline. This could be just the general sense of life passing you by, or there could be some actual deadline for whatever decision you haven't made being imminent. Also, the need to find the people you were at the carnival with seems important...

On the surface, this need to find people could be a clinging to those you care about in life, and not wanting to move forward without them. However, understand that you are the one describing your dream self as "stuck". There's a decision to make around letting these people go...

And that leads to the other bit when people are involved in the dream. Every character, present or implied, is a part of your own psyche. So we have to ask who couldn't you find? And why? These parts of your Self might be parts that are long gone. And if that's the case then the searching for them feels like nostalgia. But we can't cling to the past if we wish to move into the future.