Recommended foods for a high school cultural festival: from Instagrammable items to easy, casual bites.

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.
Keyboard playerSAKI
I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”

When it comes to running a food stall at a school festival, it’s easy to agonize over what kind of food will draw a crowd.

In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of great food ideas perfect for high school festivals! We’ve picked out not only classic festival favorites, but also options that require minimal prep and eye-catching treats that will shine on Instagram—menus that we especially want high schoolers to try.

Enjoy the school festival to the fullest, including the fun of making everything together with your friends!

Recommended foods for a high school cultural festival: from photogenic items to easy bites (41–50)

Sparkling Drink

@petrel_jp
Trending among girls overseas! Sparkly drinks 🥂💖 Look at this cute and mysterious drink 😳 These are trending as “glitter drink bombs” among girls abroad!! They’re perfect for parties and girls’ nights 🥹 I bought the edible glitter on Amazon ✨ Everyone, try throwing an Insta-worthy party with these too 🥳 Use the hashtag for photos of trending items and spots#petrel_jpAdd the hashtag or tag @petrel_jp ❤︎#petrel_drink_arrangement #SparklingDrinkArrangement Glitter Bomb #glitterdrinkbombs #glitterbombs Overseas trend #OverseasGirl #PartyDrink Birthday Party Birthday party
♬ Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album) – Dua Lipa

There’s something called aurora powder.

It comes in pink, blue, and lots of other colors, and you can tint clear soda so it looks like the aurora is shimmering through it.

Hard to picture in words? Try searching for a related video—you’ll definitely find yourself thinking, “I want to make this!” You can also wrap cotton candy with aurora powder to add a little flair in the moments before it melts.

Combine it with edible glitter and you can make even more sparkling drinks.

If you care about looks above all, this is a wildly recommended pick.

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Recommended foods for a high school cultural festival: from photogenic items to easy bites (51–60)

Stylish drinks made with jelly

@ohtake_food_beauty
It won’t come out at all, lol. I’m making a drink with jelly 🍹 and want to get it into the glass, but it just won’t drop, haha. In the end, it turned into a super stylish drink 🫶🏻Otake Higher Vocational School Culinary student Cooking Practice
♬ Shimokita – Gaiyu

Let me introduce a stylish drink that uses jelly so you can enjoy both the look and the texture.

Put your favorite flavor of jelly into a cup.

Stir to break up the jelly, then add ice and pour in soda—just like a drink you’d get at a café.

It looks refreshing and cool, which is really lovely.

Try making it with your favorite flavors like strawberry, mandarin orange, or melon.

If you prefer it a bit sweeter, adding syrup is recommended.

Finish with a mint leaf garnish for a cool, refreshing drink!

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Honey Matcha Soy Milk Latte

http://www.lemon8-app.com

Mock tea ceremony events have started popping up in all kinds of places.

I don’t know all the detailed etiquette or steps, but tea enjoyed while sitting formally somehow carries a taste of tradition.

Everyone seems to love matcha.

A “Honey Matcha Soy Latte” that combines popular matcha with honey and soy milk might also be a hit! You can froth the soy milk or simply shake it with the matcha.

Drizzling the honey on top like a topping works nicely, too.

It could become a great talking point if sold alongside the tea ceremony club’s event!

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Heart Drink

http://www.lemon8-app.com

The heart mark that everyone loves.

It’s been used as a symbol for the heart since long ago, but did you know that shape also appears in Japanese architecture? When used in openwork carvings and the like, it’s called “inome,” which literally means “boar’s eye”—an intriguing name, isn’t it? If you made a drink covered in cute hearts like that, you’d be a surefire hit at a school festival! The showstopper is creating a big heart mark on the side of the glass with cream or melted marshmallow.

Add heart-shaped chocolates or cookies to finish it off as a lovely, love-themed drink!

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Fruits in tea

On hot days, drinks really fly off the shelves.

So here’s a photogenic fruit-infused iced tea to showcase.

Arrange round slices of fruit to decorate a clear cup—lemon and grapefruit work great.

Add ice to hold the fruit in place, pour in iced tea, then top it off with diced fruit.

Dried fruits and nuts are also popular additions.

Adjust the sweetness with honey or syrup to make it a hit with everyone.

You can also switch it up with colored sodas—have fun experimenting!

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Mango yogurt

Refreshing and visually appealing, mango yogurt seems like it would be a hit at a school festival.

Let’s make it with plain yogurt, diced mango, and mango sauce.

If you use frozen mango, you might be able to enjoy a nicely chilled mango yogurt.

Pre-cut frozen mango is available year-round and saves you the prep work of cutting, so it’s recommended.

Using a clear cup may also let you enjoy the beautiful mango yogurt gradient.

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A drink with amber sugar and cotton candy

https://www.tiktok.com/@harapeko_cats/video/7334579956242042119

Do you know the Japanese confection called kohakutou (amber sugar)? If you like traditional sweets, you’ve probably tried it at least once.

It’s a simple, old-fashioned treat made by dissolving sugar and food coloring into agar.

If you increase the agar and make it softer like yokan, it becomes a sweet called kohakukan.

Kinda makes you crave some, doesn’t it? How about offering a colorful drink that uses kohakutou? Combine it with colored ice or jelly to boost the visual appeal! It’s sure to catch everyone’s eye.

And make good use of the effect of dissolving cotton candy, too!

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