[Cultural Festival / School Festival Theme] Carefully Selected High-Impact Recommended Phrases!

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.

Slogans displayed every year at school festivals and cultural festivals.

Words with impact can make the festival even more exciting, but choosing one can be tough—“We want a theme that unites everyone,” “We want something funny,” and so on.

So, in this article, we’ve gathered recommended themes for cultural festivals.

From short, cool themes to witty parodies of famous quotes and stylish themes in English, we’ve picked a wide range.

Use them as inspiration when choosing your theme!

Four-Character Idioms, Entries 11–20

Long live the heart’s excitement!

A slogan that radiates genuine joy and fun! Introducing “Hearts Aflutter, Banzai!” Just by seeing the characters for “心躍万歳,” its positive meaning comes across right away.

“Hearts Aflutter” and “Banzai” both conjure upbeat, happy images, don’t they? It could be great to create a poster with dynamic lettering, paired with photos or illustrations that match the feel of the words.

Since it’s a once-a-year event, let’s use the slogan to build excitement!

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unity; standing together as one

The four-character idiom “Icchi Danketsu” (united as one) is also perfect as a slogan for a school festival.

It describes multiple people joining their hearts as one to work on something.

Moreover, it doesn’t just mean unity—it implies there isn’t the slightest disagreement among them.

Isn’t it a great fit for a class working together toward a goal at a school festival? The kanji are relatively simple, so it’s easy to write and remember.

By the way, if another class ends up using the same phrase, similar four-character idioms like “Icchi Kyōryoku” (united cooperation) are also recommended.

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yamamoto

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peerless; unmatched; second to none

https://www.tiktok.com/@_tapi__/video/7125063335921437954

A school festival is such a big event—you want to create the best version of it in your own way, right? This is a powerful four-character idiom that expresses the greatness of the team that builds your very own festival.

Because it’s a phrase brimming with confidence that there’s nothing in the world that can stand alongside you, it also highlights your determination to make the festival a success.

It conveys the effort you’ve accumulated and a strong confidence in the results, and it feels like a word filled with the powerful energy of bonds among friends and hearts set ablaze.

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kappamaki

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To each their own.

Having teammates with diverse personalities come together to create an event is an essential element in making a school festival exciting.

A phrase that highlights both collaboration with such teammates and each person’s individuality might be “juunin toiro” (literally, “ten people, ten colors”).

It’s a saying that brings back various memories, including the fact that a group of people with different ways of thinking can sometimes clash.

It also conveys the powerful energy that emerges when personalities that usually face in different directions start moving toward the same goal.

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kappamaki

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Arrangement of idioms and famous quotes (11–20)

Playing with and arranging four-character idioms or famous quotes to add originality is also quite popular.

If traditional four-character idioms feel a bit stiff, try using “arranged four-character idioms” as your theme.

例えば、「しょう」と読む部分を「笑」という漢字に、「さい」と読む部分を「祭」という漢字に置き換える、といった具合です。

Creating original twists based on the sayings of great figures can also make a strong impact! You could even incorporate your school’s name to boost originality and make it stick in everyone’s hearts.

Arrangements of Idioms and Famous Quotes (1–10)

Complete Burn Laughter

I also recommend choosing the theme “Kanzen Nenshō (Complete Burn-Smile)” to express the idea of giving your all at the school festival.

“Kanzen Nenshō (完全燃笑)” is a playful twist on the four-character idiom “Kanzen Nenshō (完全燃焼).” The original phrase means that a combustible material has burned completely, and by extension it’s used to mean giving everything you’ve got.

ここでは、「焼」の字を「笑」の字に置き換えています。

From this wording, you can also catch the nuances of “let’s laugh a lot” and “let’s laugh to the fullest.”

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yamamoto

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Festival-colored and beautiful

This is a slogan that plays on the four-character idiom saishoku-kenbi (a person endowed with both excellent skills and beauty).

In line with the school festival theme, they’ve swapped the first character sai (talent) with matsuri (festival), creating a delightful pun.

It seems to mean someone who has the skills to fully enjoy and energize the festival, and is also beautiful in appearance.

The phrase also conveys a resolve like, “We’re confident in our school festival, and we’re going to hype it up!” Even if opinions clash, having this slogan might help everyone acknowledge one another.

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miyabi

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Kyoki Ranbu

The slogan “Kyōkiranbu” is a play on the four-character idiom “kyōkiranbu,” which means being so happy you want to break into dance.

Interpreted as joy resonating throughout the entire event and everyone dancing as if swept up in a storm, the phrase seems to express a wish for a school festival filled with constant smiles.

Choosing characters that feel positive rather than stronger ones like “狂” (mad) or “乱” (chaos) also gives it a youthful vibe.

It’s a dynamic slogan that will brightly color the entire festival.

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Hoshino Takashi