"Carnival" is a song written and produced by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant and was the lead single from her debut solo album, Tigerlily (1995).

In the lyrics, the protagonist describes a street scene as a carnival.

Merchant was inspired to write the song after visiting New York City for the first time when she was 16, claiming she was fascinated with the residents' unusual lifestyles, as she grew up in rural areas.

The single received a radio edit cutting the song down from the six-minute LP version.

The video for the song, directed by Melodie McDaniel,[citation needed] shows scenes of Merchant walking the streets of New York City taking street photographs with a Leica M3.