Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

A show-stopping party trick that energizes the crowd at a school cultural festival

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Keyboard playerSAKI
I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”

What would you do if you were asked to perform a quick party trick at a school festival or cultural festival?

If you’re someone who already excels at a particular skill or has a special talent, you can jump in without hesitation.

But there are probably some people who feel like, “I don’t have anything I can show others… I’d rather not,” and want to turn it down.

In this article, we’ll introduce quick and fun performances recommended for cultural festivals that might come in handy in exactly those situations.

We’ve gathered plenty of ideas, from things you can do right away with no practice to ones that could become a neat specialty once you learn them.

If you’re thinking, “I want to do something, but I don’t know what,” be sure to use this as a reference!

One-hit gags that excite audiences at cultural and school festivals (91–100)

Mannequin Challenge

If we pull a prank with the Mannequin Challenge during its massive boom!? Mannequin Challenge

Mannequin Challenge

This is the Mannequin Challenge that was popular among young people in 2017.

Because people freeze as if time has stopped, resembling mannequins, the name caught on.

Decide on a cue to freeze and practice hard for the real performance.

Holding a tough pose can be difficult, but it looks great.

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Ball on the racket

[Table Tennis] One-shot Gag

Ball on the racket

You bounce a ping-pong ball on the table and bring a table tennis racket down onto it.

By all accounts, the motion should cause the racket to hit the ball and make it bounce again, but the scene looks just like a hand.

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One-shot gags that hype up the crowd at cultural and school festivals (101–110)

chugging (a drink)

Hikakin vs Tsuyoshi Kusanagi! We did a chugging cola battle and got an unexpected result! [Loser drinks Death Sauce]

chugging (a drink)

It’s a simple gag where you chug a carbonated drink.

Still, it really gets everyone hyped and makes for a great one-shot gag.

You can also prepare a non-carbonated drink with a color similar to a soda and quiz people on whether you actually drank something carbonated—it would be fun, too.

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Ghost Story

[Ghost Story Reading] Ghost Story Reading Selection in 2018.6 [All Nine Stories] [Urban Legends] [Horror] [Horror] [Reading Compilation]

Ghost Story

Ghost stories make your heart race no matter when you hear them, not just in summer.

The content of the story matters, of course, but the atmosphere is what’s most important.

Try dimming the stage and switching the lighting between red and blue to create a visual effect as you tell the tale.

You could even stage a little poltergeist activity.

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tile breaking

At the 2017 Ebisu Culture Festival, all the students of the Daikanyama Dojo performed a demonstration.

tile breaking

This is the classic roof tile–breaking challenge often seen in karate.

If you have experience in karate, why not give it a try? You can go the orthodox route and break them with your hand, or try using your head—either way, it’s sure to be exciting.

Please be very careful to avoid injury when attempting it.

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ventriloquism

I ended up buying a 130,000-yen ventriloquist dummy… PDS

ventriloquism

Ventriloquism is a retro act that’s been around for ages and can be enjoyed by both kids and adults.

I bet everyone has tried imitating Ikkokudō’s routine at least once, right? (Haha.) Proper ventriloquist dolls, with mouths that flap and eyes that open and close, are apparently really expensive, but how about trying it with a doll or plush toy whose mouth can move? The hard part of ventriloquism is speaking without moving your lips, but I think it would still get laughs and hype even if it’s a bit clumsy (lol).

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cosplay

[Cosplay][JK] I’m going to do cosplay makeup for Karamatsu Matsuno from the anime Osomatsu-san! 😁🍉

cosplay

How about enjoying cosplay at your school festival? Transform into a popular anime or movie character and you’ll instantly be the center of attention! It’s easy to prepare—just put on a costume.

Add music and the venue is guaranteed to get even more exciting.

It’s also a great chance to express yourself, so trying a bold, original costume could be a great idea.

If your group coordinates a unified theme, that alone can really liven things up.

As a fun, crowd-pleasing performance everyone can enjoy together, cosplay is perfect!

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In conclusion

We’ve introduced plenty of great one-shot performance ideas for the school festival.

From things you can do on the spot with no prep to ones that take a bit of practice, we covered a whole range—did any catch your eye? If someone asks you to do a quick gag or trick, don’t feel pressured.

Just have fun showing it off and turn it into a great memory!