Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

Costume and cosplay ideas to heat up your school cultural festival

Costume and cosplay ideas to heat up your school cultural festival

Last updated:2025/9/4

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 to amp up the excitement at school cultural festivals (1–10)

Princess

https://www.tiktok.com/@n0a_927/video/7411857491643878674

Who’s your favorite Disney princess? Of course, it’s impossible to pick just one, right? By the way, the castles at each country’s Disneyland are themed after different princesses, and in Japan it’s none other than Cinderella.

Cosplaying as a princess is one of many girls’ dreams, isn’t it? It’s perfect for a festival-like school culture day—how about everyone dressing up as princesses together? Snow White, Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel, Belle, Tiana, and more—you might even get the whole class to cosplay as princesses.

Just thinking up handmade costumes is exciting from the planning stage, isn’t it?

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Pretty Cure

The original Pretty Cure generation seriously tried singing and dancing [*Cosplay Warning]

Pretty Cure

When you think of Pretty Cure, you might picture it as something loved by preschool and early elementary school girls, but like Sailor Moon, it’s also popular among adult women.

Some people may have dreamed since childhood of becoming those heroines, even just once.

So why not make that dream come true at your school’s culture festival? Big ribbons and frilly costumes can make your heart flutter even as an adult.

Put on a costume, sing and dance to Pretty Cure’s theme songs, and liven up your culture festival!

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Pirates Girl

https://www.tiktok.com/@meee.ili/video/7419840258801552648

How about livening up your school festival by dressing as a Pirates Girl in a pirate costume? Female pirates are popular in movies and TV anime, right? Be sure to choose outfits that highlight pirate features, like bandanas and corsets.

Joining a stage performance or a costume contest is great, but a cosplay café also sounds fun.

How about it as your class’s attraction? Since pirate outfits aren’t something you can wear in everyday life, we hope everyone who dresses up really enjoys it.

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Chiikawa

https://www.tiktok.com/@qmq.o0/video/7419265214035758344

Everyone knows Chiikawa, but do you know Chiikawa’s real name? The official title is actually “Chiikawa: Something Small and Cute.” When I first saw the anime segment on Fuji TV’s morning show “Mezamashi TV,” I was surprised by how laid-back it was.

How about you? If it’s a school festival with lots of little kids coming, Chiikawa cosplay might be the most popular.

Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi—everyone can show off whatever cosplay they like.

Plan your cosplay from different angles—outfits, headpieces, and more!

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Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer cosplay is practically a live-action adaptation! A roundup of cosplayers so good they’ll give you goosebumps! The Mugen Train arc’s characters are just too precious!

Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba aired as an anime in 2019 and was released as a film in 2020, captivating everyone from small children to adults and sparking a social phenomenon.

With a sequel to the anime announced, its popularity shows no sign of fading! So how about dressing up as Tanjiro, Nezuko, or one of the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps for your school festival? You can easily buy cosplay costumes online, and fabrics with each character’s haori patterns are also available, so making and wearing your own accessories could be a great option, too.

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Harry Potter

How about a costume inspired by the popular fantasy series Harry Potter, which continues to attract attention through various developments including novels and films? When it comes to outfits from the series, the standard is the school uniform: a black robe paired with a scarf in your house colors, which is an easy-to-recognize combination.

If it’s too warm to wear a scarf, there are also ties in each house color, which are recommended as well.

Paying attention to small accessories—tucking a book under your arm, carrying a wand, and so on—will help emphasize the worldbuilding even more.

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The Apothecary Diaries

[Chit-Chat Cosplay Makeup] I Want to Be Jinshi and Maomao [The Apothecary Diaries]

The Apothecary Diaries

“The Apothecary Diaries” is a work that was adapted from a light novel into a monthly manga and has also been made into an anime.

The anime’s theme song by Ryokuoushoku Shakai became a hot topic as well.

It’s a popular series, and the frustratingly slow-burn romance between the characters Maomao and Jinshi is one of its highlights.

Cosplaying as the two of them would definitely liven up any school or cultural festival.

Try completing the look with makeup, a wig, and colored contacts.

Store-bought costumes are convenient to use.

If you’re performing on stage, setting the background with a Chinese-style motif would really pull it all together.

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