Attraction Ideas for a School Festival That Only High Schoolers Can Create?!
The school festival is a major event in high school life.
I’m sure many students are eager to say, “We want to put on fun attractions and entertain everyone!”
Amid this excitement, one thing that’s been drawing attention in recent years is hosting attractions.
More and more schools are handcrafting amusement park–style attractions like roller coasters and spinning teacups.
In this article, we’ll introduce a range of high-quality attraction ideas that, on top of those, are the kind of challenges only high schoolers can take on.
Be sure to create something wonderful while keeping safety in mind.
Attractions You Can Make Because You’re High Schoolers!? Culture Festival Ideas (1–10)
Jungle Cruise
Jungle Cruise is a popular classic attraction at Disneyland.
You ride a boat through the jungle with the skipper’s commentary, encountering nature and various animals, which makes it a hit with all generations.
While turning the entire classroom into a jungle is a must, the skipper’s signature energy and natural delivery also shape the world-building, so choosing the right members is crucial.
It’s an idea that high schoolers, with their unique drive and sensibilities, can bring to life—and it’s sure to delight your guests.
roller coaster
Did you know that more and more schools are building roller coasters for their culture festivals? There are now over 100 schools doing it! The materials you need are standard school furnishings like desks and lecterns, plus lumber.
It takes quite a bit of time to build, but it’s guaranteed to be a hit! If you want to add originality, try decorating the course like a haunted house or lighting it up with bulbs.
If you’re interested in making one, refer to the blueprints distributed by Eiichi Yoshida of Amagasaki Kita High School.
Baymax’s Happy Ride
Let’s create an exciting attraction that gets you moving to the rhythm! Here’s an idea for a Baymax’s Happy Ride.
It’s a great concept for anyone who wants to build a full-fledged attraction using wooden boards and pipes.
If there are teachers or classmates’ parents who are skilled at making things, it seems you can get their advice as you work on it.
Combine a spinning attraction with captivating music to create your very own original Happy Ride!
merry-go-round
Speaking of spinning attractions, the classic in recent years is the coffee cup ride, but another amusement-park staple is the merry-go-round! You can base the fundamental spinning structure on the coffee cup design, and if you add a mechanism that moves each seat up and down for the merry-go-round, it could become a high-quality attraction that feels fitting for high school students.
For materials procurement and safety, we recommend working together with teachers and local construction professionals.
Star Label
You can actually enjoy the Star Tours attraction from Tokyo Disneyland at a school festival—and it’s handmade! Arrange eight rubber tires in a rectangle, place a board on top, and set folding chairs for seats.
Enclose the setup with walls to complete the Star Tours cabin! Build a screen at the front and project your own homemade Star Tours footage onto it.
To simulate the motions of the real attraction, students acting as staff should move the cabin in different directions in sync with the video.
Create your own music and narration too, and you’ll have a fully fledged, immersive, ultra-realistic attraction!
giant maze
Mazes are a staple attraction at school festivals, aren’t they? Some students may have even built classroom mazes out of cardboard back in elementary or middle school.
This time, though, since we’re thinking of an attraction for high schoolers, how about creating a higher-quality, larger-scale maze? Set it up in the gymnasium and use large cardboard panels to build tall walls—the result will be an even more immersive and exciting maze!
Viking
A “Viking” is a large swing-like attraction that imitates a pirate ship, a staple at theme parks everywhere.
At a school that used a Viking ride for its cultural festival in the past, science-track students took the lead in building it, advancing the design with advice from local construction professionals.
Because they researched things like strength calculations and the types of materials to use, it became an attraction that also served as a valuable learning experience through its construction.
If you’re thinking of creating a slightly uncommon attraction for your event, this is recommended.