Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

[Perfect for Photos] Decoration Ideas for School Festivals and Cultural Festivals

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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: 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 festivals, it’s common to have attractions, exhibits, and food stalls set up in classrooms, isn’t it?

Of course, the main attractions and stalls are important, but to really elevate the atmosphere, decorating the classroom and hallways is essential!

That said, since you have to prepare within a limited time, many of you are probably looking for quick, stylish, and cute ways to decorate.

In this article, we’ll introduce decoration ideas for school festivals—from easy options to slightly more elaborate ones.

Use this article as a guide to transform your everyday classroom into a wonderful space!

[Perfect for Photos] Cultural Festival / School Festival Decoration Ideas (1–10)

Creating a photo spot

Photo spots have become increasingly common in recent years.

Rather than just being places where you can take pretty pictures, make them locations with clever features that make people want to take photos there.

For example, shape paper flowers into a crescent moon so visitors can sit “on the moon,” or draw large wings on a blackboard so that when someone stands in front of it, it looks like wings are growing from their back.

Let’s come up with ideas that make customers think, “I want to take a photo here!” You can find plenty of photogenic photo spot ideas by searching on Instagram!

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projection mapping

[Cultural Festival] General High School Projection Mapping

projection mapping

If you want to try digital decorations, projection mapping is highly recommended! You might be thinking, “Wait, you can do that at school?” Surprisingly, you can! As long as you have a projector and a white wall, you can express yourself freely in any space—classrooms, hallways, anywhere.

You can even project onto three-dimensional objects, not just walls.

With just a few clicks on a computer, you can instantly change the atmosphere of a space, making it a perfect match for theater and other stage performances.

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stained glass

One of the more common classroom decorations is stained glass.

You can use the glass in windows and doors to create a magical atmosphere! The tools you need—black construction paper, colored cellophane, clear film for covering, and so on—are all easy to get.

I bet many people have done this in arts and crafts class.

You can go all out and decorate an entire pane like a church’s stained glass, or keep it simple with small motifs that are just as cute! Everyone can work on it at the same time, so it moves along quickly.

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[Perfect for Photos] Cultural Festival/School Festival Decoration Ideas (11–20)

Umbrella Sky

Lately, I’ve been seeing more event venues decorated with what’s called an “umbrella sky,” which uses umbrellas as decor.

It’s a simple setup—just hanging colorful umbrellas in the air—but it’s surprisingly photogenic! Another charm is how versatile it is: you can coordinate them in similar shades, or create a seven-color gradient for a rainbow effect.

Why not try an umbrella sky at a spot that suits bright colors, like just inside the school gate or in the courtyard?

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balloon arch

During a school festival, you can almost always find an arch by the school gate.

The arch that greets visitors instantly gives off that festival vibe.

I think many schools have everyone work together to make an arch each year, but how about trying a balloon arch this time? An arch made with lots of balloons has a cute charm that makes you want to snap a photo.

If you add balloon art like animals or flowers, it will look even more adorable.

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Marquee Light

[100-Yen DIY] I tried making a marquee light using only 100-yen store items [Interior] | how to make marquee light | LIMIA

Marquee Light

These stylish letter lights are called “marquee lights,” a type of lighting inspired by electronic signboards.

Besides letters, there are many cute designs like hearts and stars.

For a school festival, placing them in eye-catching spots—such as to mark a class entrance, as signs for food stalls, or at event venues—makes things easy to find and adds a festive touch.

With a bit of creativity, you can even make them using supplies from a 100-yen shop.

They’re a recommended decoration to liven up your school festival.

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Optical illusion art

[Trick Art] How to Make 'Don!!' Float — How to Draw 3D Floating Letters

Optical illusion art

As part of the decorations, how about incorporating some trick art? Trick art refers to artworks that use optical illusions.

For example, you can make a flat painting appear to pop out, or make a flat area look indented—there are many possible expressions.

If you prepare plenty of such trick art, people are sure to enjoy it.

Another appeal of trick art is that it can serve as a photo spot.

Start by setting a theme to decide what kind of pieces to create!

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