Games to Liven Up Your 2026 Graduation Party and Thank-You Banquet
After the graduation ceremony, many schools might hold parties or thank-you gatherings.
And if you’re the organizer, you might be struggling to choose games or activities for entertainment, right? Since it’s a special graduation party, you’ll want to make it a wonderful and fun time that everyone will remember.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of ideas—from games related to school life to activities that get large groups excited.
We’ve also prepared plenty that let you look back on memories, so please use them as a reference!
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[2026] Games to Liven Up Graduation Parties and Thank-You Banquets (41–50)
Rock-paper-scissors tournament
A rock-paper-scissors tournament is highly recommended as a quick, everyone-can-join game with super simple rules! The host plays rock-paper-scissors with the participants, and the last person standing is the winner.
Having prizes ready will make it even more exciting!
[2026] Games to Excite Your Graduation Party & Thank-You Banquet (51–60)
Air Chair Yamanote Line Game
Here’s an introduction to a hybrid game that lets you enjoy both the Yamanote Line game and the air-chair at the same time.
The basic rule of the Yamanote Line game is to name the stations on the Yamanote Line in order, but the theme can be anything—prefecture names, types of sports, and so on.
Once you choose a theme, the two players face away from each other, support each other back-to-back, get into an air-chair position, and start the game.
You’ll feel pressure on two fronts: memory, as you think of answers, and stamina, as you hold the air-chair.
If you don’t answer smoothly, your legs might start to give out.
Earphone Loud Telephone Game
We’re going to play a game of telephone while listening to music through earphones.
Since we can’t hear any voices at all, we’ll guess from lip movements and pass the words on to the next person.
But, as you might expect, the message never gets passed on correctly and the words get weirder and weirder (lol)! The final answer reveal is guaranteed to make everyone burst out laughing.
Chick Sumo
Recommended chick sumo for party venues with a bit of open space.
First, squat down and take a pose like a little chick.
Then, while staying in that posture, move around and bump into others like in sumo to compete.
If your butt touches the ground or your hands come off your body and touch the floor, you lose.
Unlike traditional sumo, don’t do one-on-one—start with multiple players at once.
The winner is the person who maintains the chick posture and stays in until the end! It’s a fairly athletic game, so it’s especially recommended for people who were in sports teams or athletic clubs.
What’s inside the box?
A classic game you see on variety shows and YouTube: “What’s in the box?” Players reach into a box and try to guess what’s inside just by touching it.
Of course, the players can’t see the contents, but everyone else can—that’s the key to making it exciting! If you get creative with what you put in—like slime or konjac that feels a bit gross when you don’t know what it is, or cute dolls and towels that make people wonder, “Why are they so scared of that??”—the game gets even more fun.
Memories Survey
How about this as a prompt for episode-style talks, like you often see on variety shows? Conduct a survey in advance about memorable moments from students’ school lives and present the results.
Then, interview people who seem to have interesting stories.
It’s a fun way to look back on memories, from nostalgic tales to laugh-out-loud episodes.
The Perfect Match Game
A perfect game for lots of communication with friends.
First, split into two teams and set a target number.
Then take turns asking each other questions that can be answered with a number, aiming to hit that target exactly.
Keep adding up the numbers from each answer.
If, after repeating the questions, your running total lands exactly on the initial target number, you win! The questions can be anything—your number of social media followers, your highest karaoke score, and so on.
If the target is too big, it’s hard to hit exactly; if it’s too small, the game ends too quickly.
So pick a number that’s just right!