Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

[Culture and School Festival Songs] A curated selection of popular and hit songs to brighten up your venues and events!

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.
Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

Among the many events in school life, the culture festival is one of the most memorable!

At culture festivals, there are countless moments where music plays a crucial role—whether it’s background music at the venue, songs for band performances, or tracks for dance numbers.

In this article, we’ll introduce songs that are guaranteed to hype up the culture festival, aimed at those running the event as committee members and those performing on stage.

With these picks, your festival production is sure to shine!

If you’re in the middle of choosing songs, be sure to use this as a reference.

[Culture Festival & School Festival Songs] Carefully selected popular songs and hit tracks that brighten up venues and events! (221–230)

Viva★RockORANGE RANGE

ORANGE RANGE – Viva★Rock

Viva★RockORANGE RANGE

ORANGE RANGE is a five-member rock band that has gained support with a broad musical style incorporating everything from orchestras to Okinawan music.

Their major-label third single, “Viva★Rock,” was the band’s first to break into the top three on the Oricon charts and became a hit tune.

Its catchy, high-energy melody makes it a perfect fit for a school festival stage.

However, if you don’t lock into the bouncy rhythm of the shuffle beat, it will lose its drive—so make sure to practice tightly as a band.

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Hoshino Takashi

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migratory bird[Alexandros]

[Alexandros] – Wataridori (MV)

migratory bird[Alexandros]

Renamed from [Champagne] in 2014, the four-piece rock band [Alexandros] has since torn through the J-pop scene as a rock act everyone knows.

Their 10th single, Wataridori, released as a double A-side with Dracula La, became a major hit that landed numerous tie-ins, despite being their major-label debut track.

From the exhilarating opening guitar riff to the driving, fast-paced ensemble, it’s a perfect fit for a student festival that looks toward a bright future.

It’s also a simple song to perform, making it a guaranteed crowd-pleasing rock tune for any school festival stage.

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Hoshino Takashi

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loveHoshino Gen

Gen Hoshino – Koi (Official Video)

loveHoshino Gen

The song “Koi” is perfect for situations where everyone wants to dance together.

It’s a track by singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino and was the theme song for the drama “We Married as a Job!” (Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu).

The lyrics sing about the small joys of everyday life.

And speaking of this song, its choreography—nicknamed the “Koi Dance”—also became a hot topic.

With fun moves that make everyone want to imitate them, it’s sure to hype up a cultural festival dance stage! Plus, the vocal range is narrow, so it’s also recommended for singing with a band performance.

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WE CAN!Adachi Kana

Kana Adachi “WE CAN!” (Music Video)

WE CAN!Adachi Kana

At school culture festivals, music that evokes youth is a classic choice.

If you’re looking for songs like that, Kana Adachi’s “WE CAN!” is highly recommended.

This track was the 2019 support song for the soccer team Júbilo Iwata, making it perfect for culture festivals too.

It works great as background music for stage performances and is also recommended as BGM for videos.

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U.S.A.DA PUMP

DA PUMP / U.S.A. (short ver.)

U.S.A.DA PUMP

When it comes to songs that sparked a dance craze, many people probably think of DA PUMP’s “U.S.A.” It’s a single DA PUMP released in 2018, covering a 1992 track originally sung by Italian artist Joe Yellow.

The “Ii ne Dance” and “Invader Dance” that DA PUMP perform in the music video went viral on social media for being so-bad-they’re-cool, bringing the group back into the spotlight.

It’s a song almost everyone has seen at least once, so if you get the audience involved and dance along, the energy in the venue is sure to skyrocket!

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In conclusion

We introduced famous songs that will liven up the school festival.

You can play them with a band, sing them in a singing contest, dance to them, or even use them as background music for the venue or for video projects.

Choose tracks that fit each scene perfectly, and have a great time at this year’s school festival!