Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

Costume and cosplay ideas to heat up your 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.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

At school cultural festivals, there are all kinds of events—exhibitions, food stalls, and even stage performances! Among them, many students probably want to stand out and have fun in free-style outfits, such as stage performances or costume contests.

Since it’s a once-a-year event, you want to make it a memorable day by dressing differently from usual, right? In this article, we’ll introduce recommended ideas for those looking for costumes and outfits for cultural and school festivals.

We’ve picked a wide range, from classic outfits to slightly more elaborate cosplay, so please use it as a reference.

Costume and cosplay ideas that excite cultural and school festivals (61–70)

Tokyo Revengers

[Tokyo Revengers] Sixth Sense – I Tried Dancing [Cosplay]

Tokyo Revengers

Tokyo Revengers has been a massive hit—not just the original manga, but the anime and live-action films as well.

The yankee-style way they wear their school uniforms is something both men and women can’t help but admire! Each character is hugely popular, and plenty of fans want to become their oshi.

Since the lines became a hot topic too, once you put on the costume, make sure your way of speaking matches the character! Try using wigs to recreate Draken’s distinctive hairstyle or to imitate other characters’ colorful hair as well.

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yukata

Yukata dressing you can do even if you're lazy

yukata

When it comes to classic cultural festival outfits, yukata are definitely at the top of the list.

Since most festivals are held between August and October, it’s the perfect chance to wear a yukata you don’t often get to wear and style it cutely.

If you put effort into your hairstyle, makeup, and hair accessories, you can show a side of yourself that people don’t usually see.

Cultural festivals often feature band performances, too.

Wearing yukata in a girls’ band is adorable and highly recommended.

If your class runs a food stall, wearing yukata will make your shop look extra festive and eye-catching! Be sure to wear your favorite yukata at the cultural festival and make some great memories.

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tokkōfuku (a customized, often long coat and pants ensemble associated with Japanese biker gangs and rebellious youth culture; literally “special attack uniform”)

[Gyaru Makeup] With a tokko-fuku jacket, false eyelashes, and colored contacts, I became a completely different person

tokkōfuku (a customized, often long coat and pants ensemble associated with Japanese biker gangs and rebellious youth culture; literally “special attack uniform”)

Watch “tokkōfuku (a customized, often long coat and pants ensemble associated with Japanese biker gangs and rebellious youth culture; literally “special attack uniform”)” on YouTube

It could be fun to put a twist on the tokko-fuku that bikers and “yankee” delinquents used to wear on special occasions and wear them for your culture or school festival.

Once you become a working adult, it’s probably hard to wear something like this, after all.

They’re easy to coordinate in colorful matching outfits with friends and they feel special, too.

If you go all-in with hair and makeup, you can really get into character and enjoy it! You can buy them from online shops, but we also recommend remaking them yourselves to create original tokko-fuku.

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Little Red Riding Hood

[Full-Force Cosplay Hill] Tried running as Little Red Riding Hood #27

Little Red Riding Hood

How about dressing up as Little Red Riding Hood, one of the classic cosplay costumes? It’s a character known by people of all ages, and the ease of customizing it to your own style is part of what makes Little Red Riding Hood such a popular choice.

It’s also great that you can easily buy the costume online or at general stores like Don Quijote.

Plus, if a friend dresses up as the Wolf, you can create an even better atmosphere and really liven things up.

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camouflage pants

[Military Girls] Test! This is the best at hiding in the forest! We compared five types of camouflage from around the world!

camouflage pants

Camo pants are also a great option for dance costumes.

There are pants made from flexible fabrics designed for dancing, too.

Since camo pants come in many colors, coordinating different colors with friends can create a cool look.

In Korean street fashion, pairing camo pants with a T-shirt is common, so they’re perfectly fine not just as a culture festival costume but as everyday fashion as well.

Adding a slightly long belt that matches the color of your camo pants will make the outfit even more stylish.

Try finding a favorite combination that suits your own taste.

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otaku

[True Feelings] Why anime-otaku Norimi Onoda was flustered when asked about her favorite anime [LDP]

otaku

The key points of an otaku outfit start with a checkered shirt.

It might be even better to pair it with a graphic T-shirt featuring a large illustration.

For pants, chinos or shorts will really boost the otaku vibe.

Add long white socks, and your otaku look is mostly complete.

From there, finish it off with hair styling and accessories like glasses to really nail the otaku style! Otaku fashion can actually look surprisingly stylish.

But if you try it alone, it can end up looking like everyday wear, so definitely try coordinating with friends!

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ganguro gal

I'll show you my yamanba ganguro gyaru makeup. [Early 2000s] / Japanese gal makeup

ganguro gal

Ganguro gals who were popular from the late ’90s to the early 2000s! Their dark tans, hair dyed in various colors like near-white blonde, and vivid outfits left a striking impression, didn’t they? Some parents of students putting on a school festival might be the exact generation and may even have tried the style themselves.

Since entering the Reiwa era, items they wore back then—like loose socks and over-the-knee boots—have come back into fashion, so it should be relatively easy to copy the outfits! Then go bold with ganguro makeup and try flashy hair colors using wigs and the like! It’s sure to become a great memory.

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