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 enjoy a festive atmosphere (21–30)
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!
[Fun for adults and kids alike!] Home festival ideas to capture that matsuri vibe (31–40)
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.
Goldfish scooping
Goldfish scooping is a classic at summer festivals, where your technique with the delicate poi is put to the test—how do you scoop a goldfish with such a tricky tool? Since preparing real goldfish is hard to manage, I recommend floating mascot toys that look like goldfish in water and having people scoop those instead.
If you vary the mascots’ size and weight, participants can enjoy the strategy of which “goldfish” to target and how to move.
Rather than giving the mascots themselves as prizes, it might be better to change the prize based on how many they scoop.
festive decorations
If you want to enjoy a make-believe festival, the first thing to do is get excited about decorating the venue! There are plenty of ways to make it look like a festival site: build stall frames, hang lanterns on the walls and ceiling, play festival-style BGM, and more.
These days, 100-yen shops have an amazingly good selection, so there’s no reason not to take advantage of them.
We also recommend using bamboo blinds (sudare) as a quick way to create a festive vibe.
It’s also a great idea to write the day’s menu on red-bordered POP paper and post it up on the wall!
Hashimaki
One of the joys of recreating festival food at home is getting to eat things you wouldn’t normally find at a typical fair.
That’s why I recommend making hashimaki.
Many people may not be familiar with it.
Hashimaki is essentially okonomiyaki (savory pancake) wrapped around disposable chopsticks.
It’s a staple at festivals in Kyushu and is designed to be eaten while walking.
If you’re from Kyushu, it will bring back the familiar festival atmosphere, and if you’re not, it will feel like you’ve stopped by a festival on your travels.
