Fun for adults and kids alike! Home festival ideas to capture the lively spirit of a Japanese matsuri
Triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have probably found fewer opportunities to fully enjoy themselves outdoors or spend time in crowded places.
There are plenty of fun things to do at home, but lots of kids still look forward to festivals and fair-style events.
However, sometimes festivals aren’t held, or it’s difficult to go where there are crowds.
In times like these, why not host an at-home “Ennichi” fair that you can enjoy with family and friends? Prepare classic festival-style foods and games, and have fun with attractions that are every bit as appealing as the real thing! It’s not just for summer—doing it for your child’s birthday, for example, is sure to make them happy!
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[Fun for adults and kids alike!] Home festival ideas to capture that matsuri vibe (31–40)
Use paper cups and plastic containers, etc.
When enjoying a festival or fair at home, a common mistake is serving food on plates.
If you think about it, that’s something you’d never see at a real festival, and it instantly kills the mood.
So when recreating it at home, I recommend using paper cups or plastic containers.
Even foods that you’ve only reheated in the microwave will look like authentic street stall items if you put them in a paper cup.
You can also prepare plastic spoons or straws to suit your taste.
Takoyaki Ball Toss
@yumelabo Hello, this is Yume Labo! Here’s Part 2 of the second installment introducing the summer festival corners from the Kannon Classroom⭐️ We’ve made a small improvement to the takoyaki machine, adjusting it so it goes from a slant to a flat surface. It’s now easier for children to put them in! The staff member from last time is making a comeback—how many will fit this time!? The summer festival is finally happening this weekend! We hope parents and children will enjoy it together 😊#YumeLabPraise-based therapyChild Development SupportChild Development Support Yume Lab#HandmadeToysA child's potential is limitless.Aki District, Fuchu TownNishi Ward, Hiroshima City#Minami Ward, Hiroshima City#Parent-Child Event#TherapeuticSupportGoodsExercise TherapySummer FestivalTakoyaki
Sounds great! – Appare!
Let’s have fun throwing balls! Here’s an idea for a Takoyaki Ball-Toss game.
When you think of summer festivals, delicious food stalls are the highlight, right? This time, let’s try a ball-toss game decorated like a takoyaki stall.
Cut nine holes into a black cardboard panel.
It’s cute if you color the balls to look like takoyaki.
The key is to control your strength so the takoyaki balls land in all the holes! Be sure to include this at your summer festival.
mini basketball
@brechojuribas Construímos um jogo de Mini Basketball para a festa junina, querem tutorial? #tutorial#festajunina#arraia#festajunina2025#minibasketball#basketball#jogo#minijogo#vaipraforyou#foryoupage#fyp
♬ som original – Ju Ribas
Let’s make something with items you have at home! Here are ideas for a mini basketball game.
These are great for anyone who wants to set up a basketball-like corner.
You’ll need cardboard or boards, paint, construction paper, plastic cups, double-sided tape or glue, clothespins, and balls made by crumpling paper.
The appeal is that you can make it with materials found at home or in a classroom! Give it a try.
You can also adapt it by changing to a hand-thrown ball method to suit the child’s age.
Turtle scooping
Try scooping up turtles that are floating and swimming around! Here are some ideas for a turtle-scooping game.
Fill a plastic pool or tub with water and float plastic turtles in it.
You can adjust the tools to match the children’s ages, using scoops or paper scoops (poi), and enjoy the turtle-scooping fun.
Decorating the area with light-blue plastic bags or raffia tape to create an ocean theme will help set the mood.
Give it a try and create a game corner that gets kids excited!
Play footage of fireworks
Fireworks that beautifully color the night sky are the grand finale of a festival, leaving you with a real sense that it was a fun celebration.
Since actually launching fireworks yourself is difficult, how about getting into the mood by watching them on video? It’s a good idea to be selective with your video choices and to watch in an environment that makes the visuals stand out even more.
After experiencing powerful footage, you might feel an even stronger desire to go there in person and feel the sound and vibrations of the fireworks yourself.
baby castella (mini Japanese sponge cakes)
Baby castella, often seen in the snack aisle at supermarkets, have a gentle sweetness that makes them easy to eat one after another.
So why not add baby castella to your at-home festival? Make the batter by mixing pancake mix, raw cane sugar, mirin, olive oil, and two eggs, then cook it in a takoyaki maker.
Since you stack two pieces baked in the takoyaki maker, it’s also recommended to sandwich your favorite fillings between them to add variety to the flavors.
cotton candy
With its fluffy look and texture, cotton candy really accentuates the fun, bustling atmosphere of a festival, doesn’t it? How about using a dedicated machine to make your own cotton candy at home, letting people imagine the excitement of a festival along with the delicious taste? At festivals, you usually just buy and eat what’s already made, so a big perk of doing it at home is that you can enjoy the whole process from making it to eating it.
And if you use hard candies instead of just granulated sugar, you can add colors, so trying your hand at creating your own original cotton candy might be a great idea.
Beigoma (spinning top)
How about incorporating traditional Japanese games into your booths for a school or cultural festival? For example, with beigoma, people of all ages can play together.
Beigoma is a game where you spin small iron tops without axles on a platform and compete to see whose top keeps spinning the longest.
Since several people spin their tops on the same platform, the tops naturally collide.
Staying on the platform without being knocked off is another key to winning.
Because of this, there are several ways to wind the string for beigoma.
It’s likely to create a friendly atmosphere where everyone teaches each other how to wind the string and shares tips on throwing.
Gem scooping
Shops with scooping games—like goldfish scooping, yo-yo balloon scooping, and super ball scooping—really spark that urge to take on a challenge.
Part of the appeal is how easy they seem: you find yourself thinking, “I could do that,” or “Even I can get one.” That’s why I recommend the glittering “gem scooping.” You’re scooping toy gems, of course, but combined with the festival atmosphere, you somehow end up wanting them.
You can probably source fake jewelry that looks real at a low cost, so it’d be nice to mix a few in as prizes.
Candy shaped like rings would likely be a hit, too!
shaved ice
Shaved ice has become a craze these days, no matter the season.
Kids and adults alike love it! If you have children, there’s a good chance you’ve got a shaved ice machine at home, right? Having those Styrofoam cups with the “Festival” character on them would make it even more exciting.
Prepare a few types of syrups and let everyone pour on as much as they like—this dream setup is sure to be a hit.
Enjoy flavors and all-you-can-pour syrup in a way you can’t at a shop—because it’s a make-believe festival at home!
