Ideas for stage events and attractions that will liven up a school festival
At the school festival’s stage event, many of you are probably wondering what your class should perform.
The ideas are endless—bingo tournaments, rakugo storytelling, TikTok dances, a cappella, and more.
Let’s fill the venue with smiles through productions that showcase everyone’s individuality and surprise the audience.
Here, we introduce a variety of stage plans that everyone can enjoy from preparation to the big day, while captivating the crowd.
You’re sure to find the perfect act for your class!
- Stage performance ideas to excite a cultural or school festival
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- [Middle School] Cultural Festival Attractions: A roundup of popular exhibits, games, and stage performances
- [For High School Students] A roundup of recommended attractions for the school festival
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- [By Genre] Cultural Festival / School Festival Booth Catalog [2026]
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- Games that rival street festivals and variety shows!? Crowd-pleasers for school cultural festivals
- A roundup of recreational activities to liven up cultural and school festivals
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- Ideas for class projects at the school festival: A roundup of popular attractions
- [Non-food] Cultural festival attractions: from classroom exhibits to stage events
- [Short Movie] A collection of video project ideas you can use for cultural and school festivals
Comedy / Entertainment / Variety (11–20)
Loud Voice Contest
As the name suggests, it’s a contest where participants simply shout as loudly as they can to see who’s the loudest.
It’s straightforward and requires no preparation, which is great.
It can be fun to set a theme or prompt for what people should shout about, and it’s sure to get everyone excited.
Arm Wrestling Tournament
It’s an arm-wrestling tournament that guys are guaranteed to get excited about.
Many people will want to see who’s the strongest in the school, and competitive boys will surely want to give it a try.
Forming teams from sports clubs and facing off could be fun, too.
Debate Tournament
Have you ever seen a debate showdown on TV or video sites? Unlike a discussion where people simply exchange opinions, a debate divides participants into affirmative and negative sides on a single topic, and the winner is decided based on which side presented their arguments more logically.
Wouldn’t it be fun to try that kind of debate showdown as a school festival recreation? If possible, let’s choose representatives with a rich vocabulary and a gift of gab to emphasize that our side’s argument is superior.
It’s a bit unconventional, so it’s sure to stand out as an attraction!
Lecture, talk show
One attraction that can become the highlight of a school or cultural festival is a lecture or talk show.
In particular, inviting celebrities, well-known YouTubers, or popular social media influencers for a lecture or talk show is sure to delight everyone.
Beyond sessions that delve into their areas of expertise, it’s also great to have them share personal stories and perspectives—how they achieved success in their field, their outlook on life, and how they spent their student years.
Wanko soba
The noodle-eating contests with ‘wanko soba’ you often see on TV—many people watching probably think, “I’d like to try that!” While wanko soba is common in food challenge shows, it actually originated as a specialty of Iwate Prefecture: a hospitality dish meant to serve freshly boiled, delicious soba.
You’re given a small bowl containing a bite-sized portion of soba; as soon as you eat it, more soba is poured in, continuing endlessly.
By the way, it’s said that ten of those little bowls equal one standard serving of soba.
The towering stack of empty bowls makes for a performance that really overwhelms the audience.
Costume Contest
Ideas that delight the audience! Here are some ideas for the Costume Grand Prix.
The Costume Grand Prix is the nickname of a special variety show produced by Nippon TV, where participants dress up as various things and compete on their creativity.
The stage sets are cleverly crafted, and the performers move in sync.
How about livening up your venue with the Costume Grand Prix, which moves the audience to say, “Amazing!” and “How does that work?” The video features pieces themed around ballet and mirrors.
Be sure to incorporate them!
Shōten
Are you familiar with the TV show “Shoten”? In it, the performers do a comic wordplay segment (ōgiri) based on a theme, competing to earn zabuton cushions.
If you’re thinking of adding humor to a send-off event, how about choosing a school-related theme and performing Shoten? Shoten is done with a host and performers.
You could even ask a teacher to serve as the host who runs the show.
Since everyone on Shoten wears kimono, you could make similar costumes using colored plastic bags.
If people know Shoten, they’ll understand what you’re doing right away!
