Better than a theme park! Attractions perfect for school cultural festivals
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.
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- [For High School Students] A roundup of recommended attractions for the school festival
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- A roundup of recreational activities to liven up cultural and school festivals
Interactive Attractions (11–20)
Singing Contest
Rather than just watching, when it comes to something you can step in and experience yourself, a singing contest like Nodo Jiman is probably the prime example.
These days, lots of TV shows feature talented amateur singers, and I hear their ratings are surprisingly good.
Karaoke culture has really taken root, too, so it feels natural for students to go to karaoke for parties or after-parties.
If we had the scoring bell used on NHK’s Nodo Jiman—the one that goes ‘kin-kon-kan-kon’—it would hype things up even more! You could also make it a point-based competition.
Baseline Quiz
This is a quiz that was featured on the TV program “Tokyo Friend Park.” It’s basically like an intro quiz where contestants guess the title of a song played by the host, but this segment takes a unique approach: you have to identify the song by listening only to the bass line, or to the bass and drums.
Even songs everyone knows from overused intro quizzes can be completely unrecognizable with just the bass line.
However, since this segment requires creating tracks with only the bass (and sometimes drums), the preparation might be difficult without someone well-versed in DTM (desktop music production).
Robocon
Robocon is short for “robot contest,” an event where you can experience the fun of thinking for yourself and building robots with your own hands, the importance of creativity, and the joy of making things.
Here, we’ll intentionally use the rules of the so-called “Hebocon,” a competition for lower-tech robots, to host a fun event that anyone can easily join.
Drawing Contest (Drawing Shiritori)
All you need is paper and a pen.
It’s a simple game where you just draw the picture for the given prompt.
Whether the best artist takes first place or the funniest one does is up to you—but the key is to draw seriously! These days, you see comedians with no drawing skills making hilarious art on certain TV shows.
Precisely because they’re trying their best, it’s incredibly funny.
So why not check out your friends’ artistic sense? If you keep the drawings, they’ll make great memories! You could also try a group or club face-off with “drawing shiritori.” It’s a game with easy prep and simple rules.
Let’s size up your friends’ drawing skills (lol)!
Making a giant pudding
When you’re tired from preparing for the school festival, nothing beats something sweet! How about bringing some as a treat? It’s even more fun to make it together with your favorite friends.
Filming a cooking video and showing it with a projector would be entertaining, too.
Lots of people love sweets, and above all, they really pack a punch.
Let’s all make some and enjoy eating it together!
King’s Game
Let’s try a classic drinking-party game on a large scale! The King’s Game is usually played with a small group, but doing it with a big crowd—perfect for a school festival—could make it even more exciting and fun.
It’s simple, but guaranteed to hype everyone up! Since more people means more who won’t get picked, it might be fun to increase the number of participants in the penalty game, too!
Bon Odori (Bon dance)
When you think of Bon Odori, you probably picture a culture from the Showa era or earlier.
The origins of Bon Odori go back to the mid-Heian period, and it is said to have begun with chanting Buddhist prayers in rhythm.
Although Bon Odori used to be shunned as old-fashioned, it now shows signs of a revival, especially among young people and those overseas.
If you set up a yagura at a school festival and dance around it, you might create a wonderful space where people of all ages from the community gather.
Once skilled dancers join the inner circle, everyone else can pick it up by watching and imitating.
