[For High School Students] A roundup of recommended attractions for the school festival
High school cultural festivals usually offer more freedom than in junior high—things like attractions and food stalls—so you can try all kinds of ideas, right?
Since it only happens once a year, I’m sure many students are thinking, “We want to create a memorable, amazing attraction!”
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of recommended ideas for high school cultural festivals, from the classics to the unconventional.
You can go with a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser, or take on a unique idea that won’t overlap with other classes!
As you consider factors like preparation time and budget, use this as a reference to decide which attraction to choose.
- Unusual attractions you can do in a classroom for a cultural or school festival
- Cultural Festival: Ranking of Popular Booth Ideas
- [Non-food] Cultural festival attractions: from classroom exhibits to stage events
- Ideas for class projects at the school festival: A roundup of popular attractions
- [By Genre] Cultural Festival / School Festival Booth Catalog [2026]
- Games that rival street festivals and variety shows!? Crowd-pleasers for school cultural festivals
- Attraction Ideas for School Festivals That Only High Schoolers Can Pull Off?
- [Middle School] Cultural Festival Attractions: A roundup of popular exhibits, games, and stage performances
- Stage performance ideas to excite a cultural or school festival
- Festival booth menu items that can be served without cooking and without using fire
- Recommended ideas for student council projects at a school festival, such as recreational activities and stage events.
- Ideas for stage events and attractions that will liven up a school festival
- Better than a theme park! Attractions perfect for school cultural festivals
[For High School Students] Recommended Booth and Activity Ideas for the School Festival (91–100)
Quiz show
Who’s the most knowledgeable in school?! How about a heated head-to-head quiz show? It’s a stage event where two teams compete in a fast-buzzer format.
Questions are projected on a screen and read aloud by a host—think of it like the TV show “All Japan High School Quiz Championship.” You could pull questions from the internet, but why not enlist your teachers to help create them? It’s both educational and exciting—perfect two birds with one stone for a school festival attraction!
cigar box
How about showcasing a performance using cigar boxes—familiar from juggling—at your school’s culture festival or sports day? Tricks using multiple square, cigar-case-like boxes are elegant, powerful, and truly captivating! If you practice regularly, of course it’s perfect, but even beginners should consider performing if they can secure some practice time.
Even repeating basic moves becomes more impressive and flashy when done to music, so give it a try!
Diavolo
Diabolo is a juggling prop: a top shaped like two bowls connected together, manipulated with a string on sticks.
Start by simply getting the diabolo spinning, and once you can do that, gradually learn different tricks.
Even if you can’t do anything fancy, just handling a diabolo will be enough to get your classmates talking.
It has similarities to yo-yos, so if you’re good with a yo-yo, give it a try.
Practicing by a riverbank or on a sports field is recommended.
Debate Tournament
Have you ever seen a debate showdown on TV or video sites? Unlike a discussion where people exchange opinions, a debate splits participants into affirmative and negative sides on a single topic, and they argue to persuade the other side and determine a winner.
Wouldn’t it be interesting to try that kind of debate showdown as a school festival activity? If possible, choose representatives who are articulate and have a strong vocabulary, and really push the message that our side’s argument is superior.
It’s a bit unconventional, so it’s sure to stand out as a showcase!
Trick Art Exhibition
Trick art lets you have fun by playing with optical illusions, right? You can find it in many tourist spots, so a lot of people have probably experienced it.
How about featuring trick art as an exhibit at your school festival? For example, a trick art piece of a person peeking through a hole in a wall can be drawn without requiring much technique! The key when drawing is to make the contrast between the lit areas and the shadows clear.
Instead of just displaying the art, setting up a photo spot where visitors can take pictures with the trick art could help everyone get excited together.
Handmade Workshop
How about offering a class in a genre you wouldn’t normally do in the classroom—something like handmade crafts? You can lecture on the steps while having participants create their own pieces, so they can discover the fun of handcrafting.
Prepare a variety of colors and decorations, and encourage everyone to pack their individuality into their work; that will make the event even livelier.
It’s also a nice bonus that the memories of the school festival can be preserved in a tangible form.
To make it easy to take home, we recommend choosing small items like accessories.
Abandoned Hospital Maze
If you’re thinking about a maze for your school festival, why not incorporate an “abandoned hospital”? Abandoned hospitals are a common setting for ghostly attractions.
An empty hospital is scary all by itself.
For a school festival, you could place nurses and doctors with obvious blood effects to give people a fright.
Paint the maze walls white and prepare hospital-like props such as beds and medical charts.
The anxiety of getting lost and the fear of the abandoned hospital will surely make it a hit.
