[2026] Tearjerker Songs That Bring the House Down at School Culture Festivals

All of the YouthNEW!Fujifaburikku

Fujifabric – Youth of Everything

Fujifabric’s “Wakamono no Subete” is filled with the bittersweet, fleeting feelings that come at summer’s end.

Used as the opening theme for NTV’s “On-moe!” in January 2008, this song was released in 2007 and still enjoys enduring popularity.

The lyrical melody crafted by Masahiko Shimura beautifully portrays the lingering attachment to passing time and the struggle to move forward.

Its romantic resonance, like a snapshot of twilight loneliness, will seep deeply into your heart.

If you play it together at the finale of a school or cultural festival, at the close of youth spent with friends, tears of emotion are sure to flow.

It’s a perfect tearjerker to color those irreplaceable memories.

Savoring youthNEW!Ikuta Rira feat. ano

Lilas Ikuta feat. ano “Seishun Ouka” Official Music Video

Seishun Ouka is a collaborative track by singer-songwriter Lila Ikuta, who captivates listeners with her transparent vocals, and ano, known for her distinctive presence.

Released as a single in 2024, it was chosen as the theme song for the latter chapter of the animated film Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, in which both of them also starred as voice actors.

The lyrics, which affirm the preciousness of time spent with someone even while feeling the monotony and stifling nature of everyday life, resonate deeply.

Lila Ikuta’s gentle vocals and ano’s edgy voice intertwine exquisitely, beautifully expressing the complex emotions of youth.

If you listen to it with friends during those casual moments of preparing for or cleaning up after a school festival, it’s sure to become an irreplaceable memory etched deep in your heart.

youth photoNEW!garari

Garari – Youth Photo [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

This song captures those irreplaceable moments of youth as they slip away, vividly bringing back a poignant sense of longing.

Sung by the singer-songwriter Garari, it doesn’t just look back on happy memories; it’s filled with the ache of time slipping through our fingers and a powerful wish for those days to last forever.

Released digitally in June 2024, it was later included on the album “Tenohira Bōenkyō” in November of the same year.

In March 2025, it was also featured as the web commercial song for ABC-Mart.

It’s the kind of track that, when you listen to it with your closest friends after the cultural or school festival has ended and that loneliness settles in, will seep into your heart and move you to tears.

Maximum reachNEW!SEKAI NO OWARI

SEKAI NO OWARI “Highest Altitude” ONE PIECE Lyric MV

SEKAI NO OWARI is a band beloved by many listeners for their pop yet grand, world-building sound.

Their track “Saikou Toutatsuten” (Highest Point), released digitally in September 2023, was chosen as the opening theme for the anime ONE PIECE.

Riding on a melody full of momentum, Fukase’s gentle yet powerful vocals resonate.

The lyrics, which sing about accepting your own weaknesses, turning them into strength, and continuing to move forward, give you the courage to charge toward your goals.

If you play it as the finale to a school cultural festival that you prepared together with your classmates, it’s sure to become an unforgettable memory filled with the shared sense of accomplishment of having overcome difficulties together—and tears of moving emotion.

18NEW!imase

【imase】18（MV）

How about a down-to-earth youth anthem that gently scoops up the mix of emotions at the turning points of student life—expectations for the future intertwined with anxieties? This song by imase, a singer-songwriter from Gifu Prefecture, is a moving number that portrays the genuine feelings of a generation climbing the steps into adulthood.

Released digitally in April 2023, it was later included on the album “Bonsai.” Chosen as the theme song for Suntory’s web video “Otonajan: From Here On 04,” it became a hot topic.

If you listen to it together with friends who are about to set off on new paths, feelings about the past are sure to turn into hopes for the future.

Play it as the finale of a school festival, and it will become a wonderful memory that deepens everyone’s bonds even more.

The totally hopeless high school girl became a band member.NEW!chakura

Chakura – The Totally Useless High School Girl Became a Band Member (Official Music Video)

This piece, included on the single released in February 2024 by Chakra—the self-proclaimed headlong-charge girls’ band—packs a real message that blends transience and heartache into a driving guitar-rock sound.

The video, shot across five live music venues in Shimokitazawa, also drew a lot of attention.

Despite being a pure artist track with no tie-ins, its straightforward expression resonates with listeners, turning it into a go-to anthem that generates real heat.

The tight beat and crisp twin guitars feel great, and the sing-along-friendly melodic development is another draw.

It’s perfect for those who want to go all out on a school festival stage—the culmination of student life—pouring out their emotions together with their bandmates.

I’ve gotta do the thing that seems impossible.NEW!Sambomasutā

Sambomaster / We’ve Gotta Do the Impossible MUSIC VIDEO

Isn’t youth a series of constant challenges? Sambomaster’s “Dekikkonai wo Yaranakucha” is a song that cheers on those who are giving it their all.

Released in February 2010, it was written as the theme for Nissan’s Serena commercial and was later chosen as the image song for the drama “Cheer☆Dan.” Alongside the powerful message in the lyrics—“Don’t give up; keep going”—their characteristically straightforward rock sound and raw, passionate vocals are sure to resonate with many.

It’s a classic you’ll want to listen to with your friends when facing difficulties in club activities, studying, or preparing for the school festival.

At your school or cultural festival, try performing it as a band and get the whole venue singing along.