The festival fairs often held at shrines are packed with game and food stalls, and they’re so much fun, aren’t they?
Why not bring some of those fair games and foods into your own school or campus festival?
In this article, we’ll share recommended ideas that let you capture a festive atmosphere at cultural and school festivals.
We’ve gathered not only classic games and foods you’d see at real fairs, but also some unique, offbeat stall ideas.
All of them fit in small, booth-sized spaces, so you can set them up indoors or outdoors.
If you’re unsure what to do for your cultural festival, be sure to use these ideas for inspiration!
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- Recommended foods for a high school cultural festival: from Instagrammable items to easy, casual bites.
- [Non-food] Cultural festival attractions: from classroom exhibits to stage events
- A catalog of recommended festival booths for school culture festivals, with ideas that will shine on social media.
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Recommended for school culture festivals! Booth ideas (1–10) to enjoy a traditional festival atmosphere
Lucky Ball
Lucky Ball is a game whose play style and format vary by region.
You’ll find similar booths—or attractions—at places like Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan.
You set up cups or use a board drilled with holes in a grid, then toss baseball-sized balls to play.
Decide your own rules: aim to land balls in designated colors, line them up vertically or horizontally like bingo, and so on.
As long as you can throw a ball, anyone—young or old—can enjoy it, making it perfect for a school festival with a wide range of attendees.
And don’t forget the big plush toy prizes to steal the show!
omikuji (a Japanese fortune slip typically drawn at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples)
Speaking of food stalls and festival nights, that means the grounds of a Shinto shrine.
And when you think of a shrine… yes, omikuji fortune slips! If you offer a variety of omikuji, they’re sure to become the talk of the town.
Not only store-bought omikuji—making your own is a great idea, too.
Come up with irresistibly fun themes together, like love fortunes, future fortunes, or grade fortunes.
You can also get creative with how you hand them out: have a swimming goldfish choose a fortune, pick one by shooting an arrow, or draw one with a roulette wheel—the possibilities are endless!
Haunted house
Haunted houses are a classic and popular attraction at school cultural festivals, and they used to be a common highlight at traditional fairs as well.
If you’re going to run a haunted house as part of a fair at your school festival, why not go all-in on a distinctly Japanese-style horror theme? Japanese horror is highly popular in films, so you’re sure to create something that will startle many attendees.
If you put care into building a strong, immersive world, you can also capture the atmosphere of a traditional fair and make it highly photogenic.
lottery game with many strings (Senbonbiki)
A senbonbiki booth where prizes are lined up, each attached to many strings.
You often see senbonbiki at festivals, temple fairs, and events.
You pick just one string from the tangle, and you get the prize attached to it.
Choose and pull a string with a flutter of excitement—wondering, “What prize will I get?” Because the prizes are visible, senbonbiki also sparks customers’ desire to “give it a try.” It’s sure to make cultural festivals and school festivals even more exciting.
ring toss
A long-loved game where you throw a ring from a set distance and try to loop it over a target.
Since the game only requires rings and targets, it’s easy to customize in many ways—another big plus.
Clear formats include rules where prizes themselves are the targets you aim at with the rings, or a setup with pegs placed on a field, each corresponding to a specific prize.
If it’s clear which target matches which prize, players will be more motivated to take on harder prizes and tougher targets.
By adjusting target size and the distance to the target, you can also offer a higher difficulty level for added fun.
giant maze
Mazes are a classic and popular attraction for school festivals.
This giant maze is based on the idea of building walls taller than people so that even adults can enjoy it.
If you’re making it in a classroom, the simplest approach is to stack desks as a base and attach cardboard to them, but using lumber to build something more authentic is also a great option.
By getting creative with the wall designs and decorative props, and adding elements that evoke a summer festival vibe, you can make it feel even more polished.
Corinth game
A type of pinball also known as “smart ball,” where you launch balls onto an inclined board, and if a ball lands in a hole on the board, you earn the points written there.
It’s a classic game at temple fairs and summer festivals! You can rent professional-grade machines from specialty vendors, but it’s also fun to make your own using cardboard or wood.
If you set it up so players can get prizes based on their scores, it’ll be even more exciting! The retro vibe makes it a great attraction that will look fantastic in photos.