Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

Better than a theme park! Attractions perfect for school cultural festivals

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Keyboard playerSAKI
I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”

Why not create theme-park-level fun together with your whole class? For your school festival attraction, you can actually build a full-fledged, hands-on experience right in your classroom.

From handmade whack-a-mole games and a carousel built with wood and pipes, to a VR-powered roller coaster…

You’ll feel the satisfaction of creating something with your classmates and the joy of seeing visitors’ smiles.

In this article, we’ll share everything from how to craft a Disney-like dream space to practical tips for building the attractions themselves.

Simple Game Experience Attractions (11–20)

Irritating Stick

The mightiest ever?! We tried the wire loop game at the school festival.

Irritating Stick

It’s an attraction where you stretch metal wire across a large board to create a maze, then use a rod to make your way through it.

If the rod touches the wire or any metal part, a sensor triggers and you’re out.

Moving obstacles appear along the way, too.

I like the fine detail of the mechanism where a lamp lights up when you make a mistake.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Face paint

Adorably cute face paint

Face paint

Face painting, familiar at places like Disney Resorts and USJ! It’s the perfect attraction to make the most of a single day at a school festival.

There are options where you actually paint with a brush, as well as simple sticker-type designs you can just apply.

If you’re doing hand-painted designs, you can rely on the art club or anyone good at drawing.

Why not include school-specific characters, trending characters, or stylish patterns as a way to create fun memories?

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Goldfish scooping

Tips for Goldfish Scooping

Goldfish scooping

Goldfish scooping is a huge hit at festival stalls.

Caught up in the atmosphere, plenty of people end up scooping a goldfish and then hurriedly buying an aquarium afterward.

These days, the activity is popular enough to have large competitions.

It’s also a favorite attraction for school and cultural festivals.

Hosting a regular goldfish scooping booth will likely draw a crowd, but mixing in a few larger fish to create a “There’s no way I can scoop that!” situation is a classic way to amp up the excitement.

Let’s also prepare oxygen to help the goldfish live longer and make it a kinder, animal-friendly attraction!

Raise the rankinglower

Taki no namida pin ku

Report a problem

Russian roulette

A roulette chocolate so insanely spicy it surpasses Death Sauce—it's a total monster!

Russian roulette

The classic Russian roulette with food that everyone has probably tried at least once! It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Cream puffs are the standard, but pizza, takoyaki, pancakes, or even sushi—if you want to go a bit fancy for a school festival—could work too.

The usual twist is making one super spicy with wasabi or mustard, but trying an ultra-sweet version with whipped cream or condensed milk could be fun as well! This thrill-packed idea is definitely worth doing.

Just make sure not to waste food!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

professional sumo (Grand Sumo)

Sumo Champion vs. JOY: I Tried Entering a Sumo Tournament!

professional sumo (Grand Sumo)

Long ago, there was a time when sumo was part of religious ceremonies.

There were dedicatory sumo matches held to pray for a good harvest or to give thanks for one.

Over time, that tradition evolved into the modern sport of sumo we know today.

So, how about boldly hosting a sumo tournament? Just putting on a mawashi might be enough to get everyone excited.

If that feels embarrassing, you can wear a mawashi over your PE tracksuit.

If you borrow the sandpit from an athletics field to hold the event, you’ll feel like a grand yokozuna.

It would also be fun to make it a hands-on attraction with things like one-legged sumo or arm wrestling—sure to be a hit.

And we’d definitely want the referee to come in costume!

Raise the rankinglower

Taki no namida pin ku

Report a problem

In conclusion

We’ve introduced a wide range of ideas for those looking for cultural festival attractions, from hands-on experiences to classic, playful favorites.

From preparing to transform your classroom into a space full of imagination to the actual operation, the process of bringing it all to life together as a class will surely become an irreplaceable memory.

Wishing you a wonderful cultural festival.