Stage performance ideas to excite a cultural or school festival
When it comes to school festivals, one of the biggest highlights—beyond all the food stalls and games—is the live shows and performances on stage! Instrumental music, singing, dancing, theater, juggling, and more…
The festival stage is the perfect place to showcase activities you’ve been practicing regularly.
And since it’s a special occasion, you might be thinking, “I want to practice something new and show it off!” For those of you who feel that way, here are plenty of recommended show ideas for your school festival! Show a different side of yourself and help make the festival even more exciting!
- Ideas for stage events and attractions that will liven up a school festival
- Cultural Festival: Ranking of Popular Booth Ideas
- [For High School Students] A roundup of recommended attractions for the school festival
- Recommended plays for a high school cultural festival: popular, crowd-pleasing ideas
- [Middle School] Cultural Festival Attractions: A roundup of popular exhibits, games, and stage performances
- A roundup of recreational activities to liven up cultural and school festivals
- Magic that excites crowds at cultural and school festivals
- A show-stopping party trick that energizes the crowd at a school cultural festival
- [Non-food] Cultural festival attractions: from classroom exhibits to stage events
- Costume and cosplay ideas to heat up your school cultural festival
- [By Genre] Cultural Festival / School Festival Booth Catalog [2026]
- Ideas for exhibits recommended for school culture festivals. Film screenings, too.
- Recommended Plays and Musicals for Cultural Festivals, School Festivals, and School Performances
Stage performance ideas that excite at cultural and school festivals (31–40)
Bubble dance performed at the school sports festival
@nikaido_highschool Nikaido High SchoolSetagaya WardSports FestivalClass Dance#BubblyDance
Original Song – [Official] Nikaido High School, Attached to Japan Women's College of Physical Education – [Official] Nikaido High School, Attached to Japan Women's College of Physical Education
Whether someone is good at dancing varies from person to person, and in situations where many people gather—like a school sports festival—you tend to be even more mindful of that.
This is a “bubble dance” with simplified choreography that even large groups with different dance abilities can enjoy.
Rather than perfectly reproducing sharp, precise movements, the focus is on creating the overall vibe together.
Let’s showcase a fun atmosphere as a group.
It’s a performance that prioritizes unity and enjoyment over dance quality.
Cheerful Talk
From 1 p.m., Kazuki Kosakai hosts a long-running talk show, “Lion no Gokigenyō,” which aired from 1991 to 2016 and features three guests.
The three guests roll a large dice and share a personal story or routine based on the prompt written on the face that comes up.
Let’s try to recreate it authentically, using those famous sound effects from the show! The more inside jokes and relatable, everyday topics the talk material draws on, the more exciting it gets.
Write lively prompts on the dice faces and give it a try!
Freestyle soccer
It’s a performance where you control a soccer ball using your feet, body, and head.
Since it’s soccer, you can’t use your hands, but incorporating moves like handstands and dance-like motions makes a huge impact.
It gets even more exciting when performed by multiple people!
Singing Talent Contest
Karaoke shows like “Nodo Jiman” can be surprisingly exciting at cultural festivals.
I’m sure every school has people who are confident in their singing, so why not have them show off their skills? Also, if you allow not only students but general visitors to participate, I think they’ll be delighted!
Colored paper magic
This is a magic trick where colored papers that were supposedly the same size change size at the moment they’re flipped and revealed.
The fact that something the audience was just looking at changes in an instant makes the mystery really palpable.
A large sheet and a small sheet are hidden behind a paper that appears to be the same size, with two types attached to a larger sheet underneath, and a small sheet set up behind the standard-size sheet so that only one can be taken out.
The finer details of hand movements are crucial, such as how to extract the large sheet and how to extract the standard-size sheet.
Stage performance ideas that will excite audiences at cultural and school festivals (41–50)
TED lecture
A lecture where celebrities and experts speak around a single theme.
When you hear “lecture” or “seminar,” you might picture a corporate setting, but there’s no rule that says it’s only for adults.
Whatever the theme, you delve into it, explore it, and present your own theories.
So go ahead and lay out your views to your heart’s content on a topic you love! Don’t overthink it—just talking about what you like on a daily basis can make for a great lecture.
Toys, anime, things you’ve loved since childhood—talk passionately about anything!
cigar box
How about showcasing a performance using cigar boxes—familiar from juggling—at your school’s culture festival or sports day? Tricks using multiple square, cigar-case-like boxes are elegant, powerful, and truly captivating! If you practice regularly, of course it’s perfect, but even beginners should consider performing if they can secure some practice time.
Even repeating basic moves becomes more impressive and flashy when done to music, so give it a try!
