Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

[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!

Arrangement of idioms and famous quotes (11–20)

Harmony and mutual affection

“Wake Ai Ai” (和気愛逢) is a reworked four-character idiom based on “Wake Ai Ai” (和気藹々), which means a warm, harmonious atmosphere.

The original idiom alone perfectly suits the mood of events like school festivals, but by arranging it this way, the visual impression of the phrase also helps convey the image.

It expresses the unique feelings of students who have been affected by the pandemic and can finally hold a school festival in its intended form.

It’s a positive slogan that can be understood as meaning coming together and meeting with loved ones—friends, teachers, family—all in one place.

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Hoshino Takashi

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The distant guest returns.

[LIVE] This year’s “Creative Four-Character Idiom” is “Enkyaku Sairai” (“Distant Guests Return”)! Four kanji that capture this year’s social mood – December 21

The distant guest returns.

“Enkyaku sairai” is a play on the four-character idiom “senkyaku banrai,” which means prosperous business with a constant stream of customers.

Coined with the hope that overseas visitors will return as the global COVID-19 pandemic, which stirred the world from 2020, settles down, it was selected as the grand prize winner in Sumitomo Life’s “Creative Four-Character Idioms” contest.

It conveys a desire to revitalize school cultural festivals—many of which had been scaled down—and to bring back their excitement.

It’s a slogan that reflects our times, carrying the wish to hold events in their original form once again.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Madness for a moment is a passing shame; never going mad is a lifelong shame.

This slogan delivers a powerful message: spending the event’s time meaningfully can become a lifelong memory.

It’s modeled after the saying “To ask is a moment’s shame; not to ask is a lifetime’s shame,” and its closeness to a familiar phrase is part of what draws attention.

It empathizes with people who feel embarrassed about enjoying the school festival to the fullest, while suggesting that if you don’t allow yourself that momentary embarrassment, you may be left with regret afterward.

Describing the act of enjoying the event’s limited time as ‘going crazy’ is another interesting touch, conveying the passionate spirit for the festival and the sense of the space erupting in excitement.

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Youth Arc (11–20)

Choosing bold words and themes that straightforwardly capture the feeling of youth could make for great memories.

I’ve lined up a few short but impactful, unforgettable words as theme ideas.

You can pick trendy phrases—or words everyone uses every day—or go with something like “Nothing beats ___!” It might be commonplace now, but looking back on it as an adult will surely be fun.

And you could include words that are full of youthful vibes, or even make “youth” itself the theme—both are great options!

Youth Arc (1–10)

Don’t screw with me—screw around!

It’s a slogan that carries the intention to make the school festival a fun space and the desire for everyone to share a lively time together.

While it’s a somewhat complex phrasing that strongly negates people who don’t mess around, it feels like the sound of the words matters more.

By placing words with opposite meanings side by side, the word “fool around” is emphasized even more.

It seems to express a strong will to go all out and have fun, as well as a wish for others to join in and help create an enjoyable atmosphere for everyone.

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Youth is so dense and intense.

A well-loved quote that represents youth is “Youth is incredibly dense.” This was a line spoken by Coach Wataru Sue of Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School during an interview after they won the Koshien in 2022.

Although the phrase was said in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be interpreted as a message that “youth is about coming together as one” and “youth is something to be shared with others.” It can also be taken as an encouragement to create a school or culture festival packed with rich, unforgettable memories.

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(School Name), Everyone is the Star

A school festival with many students participating—naturally, each one has a unique personality.

Some are excited for the festival, while others may find it difficult to take an active role.

There may also be those who feel nervous.

The slogan that expresses the idea that every one of these uniquely individual members is a star of the festival is: “(School Name), Everyone Is the Star.” Please insert the school name in the parentheses.

Alternatively, you can omit that part and keep it simple as “Everyone’s the Star.”

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radiance

The word “kira” (radiance) can lend a sense of glamour and specialness to a school festival.

As a theme, it evokes students shining on stage, and can brighten the overall impression of the event.

For stage performances, using lighting to create a dreamlike atmosphere works well, and for venue decorations, eye-catching ideas like glittered posters and colorful garlands are effective.

Incorporating illustrations with motifs such as stars or gemstones into the pamphlet design will add depth to the theme.

By rallying around this word, everyone involved becomes a leading player and is encouraged to express their own brilliance to the fullest, elevating the collective mindset toward a truly radiant festival.

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