Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

[By Genre] Cultural Festival / School Festival Booth Catalog [2026]

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.
Editor-in-Chief, RAG MUSICHane Keisuke
Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. After working in a music studio and handling wedding sound, joined the RAG MUSIC editorial team in 2016. Experienced with a variety of instruments: marching band in elementary school, clarinet in junior high school wind ensemble, and drums in a band from high school onward. Drawing on my own musical activities and the experience gained through my work, I produce daily articles, including various song introductions, features on music festivals around the country, and live reports. In music, I enjoy not only rock from Japan and abroad but, lately, a wide range of J-pop as well.

Food stalls, class exhibits, and stage events are essential for cultural and school festivals, but once preparations start, it’s easy to get stuck on what to do! You definitely want to avoid choosing a standard attraction that ends up overlapping with other classes, and ideally, you want something that visitors will enjoy and that will become a lasting memory for your group—but once you start thinking about it, the possibilities seem endless.

In this article, we’ll introduce recommended ideas for cultural festival attractions, organized by genre.

If you already have a general direction, try jumping to the headings that interest you from the table of contents.

If you haven’t decided anything yet, we recommend going through the ideas listed at the top of each section in order—you’ll likely find them helpful!

Photo spots (1–10)

Optical illusion art

Pitfall trick-art illusion: even the goat gets spooked and backs away! (LOL)

Optical illusion art

If you create a photo spot using trompe-l’œil (trick art), it’s sure to become a hot topic on campus! In recent years, trick art exhibitions have been held frequently and are getting a lot of attention on social media.

While large-scale trick art that requires elaborate sets can be challenging, trompe-l’œil that uses perspective—like drawing stairs on the floor—seems doable even for a school festival.

Look at various examples of trick art for inspiration and try making your own.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

neon sign

Neon signs that create a dreamy, fantastical atmosphere are also recommended.

A neon sign refers to signs made with neon tubes.

They were originally devised to stand out even in the darkness of night, but today they draw attention for their distinctive look.

However, shaping neon tubes is quite complicated.

So if you’re making one yourself, using EL wire is a great option.

You can easily create your preferred colors and shapes, and there’s a wide range of colors available.

The low cost is another nice plus.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Umbrella Sky

You’ve probably started seeing umbrella skies more often over the past few years! They’re displayed at tourist spots, theme parks, and botanical gardens, and more and more students are incorporating them into school festivals.

When creating an umbrella sky for a school festival, we recommend painting inexpensive vinyl umbrellas and lining them up densely on the walls or ceiling.

There’s something stylish and sophisticated about umbrellas arranged in a colorful, orderly way.

Let’s create a beautiful umbrella sky so you can take some cool photos.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Lanterns and paper lanterns

Kitano Vietnam Lantern Photo Spot 2019.02.26

Lanterns and paper lanterns

This is a photo spot that uses paper lanterns.

Its hallmark is the softly glowing, gentle light, and lining up multiple lanterns instantly creates a charming atmosphere.

When decorating with lanterns, gathering a variety of shapes and colors makes it even more photogenic.

Depending on the style of lanterns you choose, you can freely create a traditional Japanese vibe or evoke an exotic, Taiwan-like ambience.

Try designing it while imagining the kind of photo spot you want to create.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

addition

[Insta-worthy] Introducing Photo Spots in Harajuku! [Part 1]

addition

It’s a photo spot featuring nothing but a simple “+,” “=,” and a “♡.” On its own, it’s a bit puzzling, but if close friends or a couple stand together in front of this equation… it completes a lovely formula: “Me + You = ♡”! The simplicity actually creates a stylish impression.

You could swap the “♡” for another symbol or word to make it more original, too.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem