Games that rival street festivals and variety shows!? Crowd-pleasers for school cultural festivals
Looking for games or events that will get everyone excited at your school festival? There are plenty of easy, classroom-friendly activities like the “10-in-a-row Kendama Challenge,” “Gachapon,” and “Thousand-String Pull,” and with a bit of creativity, they can be even more fun.
They’re simple yet adjustable in difficulty, and perfect for instantly boosting the atmosphere at your venue.
In this article, we’ll introduce mini-games for school festivals that are sure to put smiles on everyone’s faces.
They’re also easy to prepare, so be sure to use them as a reference!
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- Recommended ideas for student council projects at a school festival, such as recreational activities and stage events.
- [For High School Students] A roundup of recommended attractions for the school festival
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- Cultural Festival: Ranking of Popular Booth Ideas
- Recommended for school cultural festivals! Stall ideas that let you enjoy a traditional fair atmosphere
- Ideas for stage events and attractions that will liven up a school festival
- [Non-food] Cultural festival attractions: from classroom exhibits to stage events
- A fun, everyone-joins-in game that gets everyone excited!
- Better than a theme park! Attractions perfect for school cultural festivals
- Attraction Ideas for School Festivals That Only High Schoolers Can Pull Off?
Large-group physical activity games (1–10)
Find the Real Wally
You know the picture book Where’s Wally? (Where’s Waldo in the US), right? It’s the one where you look for Wally in his red-and-white striped outfit amid crowded, bustling scenes.
How about trying a real-life version of Where’s Wally? If people wear the costume, it might just look like a game of hide-and-seek… but there are lots of ways to enjoy it, like secretly hiding a Wally doll and having people search for it!
Balloon Popping Game
Pair up and play a game where you pop a balloon by squeezing it with your stomach, back, or hips.
It’s surprisingly hard to pop, which really amps up the excitement.
Add a time limit to make it even more thrilling and suspenseful! Highly recommended as a challenge game.
DIY bouldering
Bouldering has been getting a lot of buzz, with facilities popping up around town where you can try it casually.
It can be a bit hard to get into, but being able to enjoy it with friends at school is a great idea.
Since it’s homemade, please make sure to prioritize safety—test it beforehand and take care to prevent any breakage.
Squid Game ‘Red Light, Green Light’
The drama Squid Game, streamed on Netflix, became a worldwide hit.
How about recreating the memorable “Daruma-san ga koronda” (Red Light, Green Light) from the show? Simply playing the game as usual might be too plain, so it’s recommended to add a twist.
For example, you could place obstacles or set up a sensory mat.
It could also be fun to lean into recreating the show itself—pay attention to staff costumes and the interior design as well.
Samurai sword-fighting (chambara) battle
Chanbara Battle is a game where players use sponge swords to knock off the color balls worn by their opponents.
It’s safe for small and large groups alike, so it’s sure to liven up events even in a classroom.
In addition to team rules like wiping out the opposing team or defeating their leader, you can also run individual matches, such as a battle royale where the last person standing wins—choosing the format based on the number of participants and the space available can be part of the fun.
However, even though the swords are made of sponge, swinging or thrusting with too much force can still hurt, so please be careful not to get overly carried away.
Real Life Game
Speaking of The Game of Life, it’s an easy, exciting game you can play right on a tabletop.
This Real-Life Game of Life takes it further by making the players themselves the pieces who move through the board in real space! You can set it up in a single classroom, or, if you have more space, create squares that span multiple classrooms—that can be really fun.
Since real people are the pieces, add challenges that only work in a physical setting.
You can also include simple mini-games during the course; for example, a rule where you can’t roll the dice until you clear a task.
Create original, creative squares so both people from within the school and visitors from outside can enjoy the experience!
Large-group physical activity games (11–20)
Twister game
This is a Twister game that can be played with any number of people.
Place the indicated color and body part from the spinner onto the mat.
The last person remaining without losing their balance wins.
The rules are simple and it’s easy to join in, so I highly recommend it!